Film Invasion LA 2020 – Three Roads
Three childhood friends navigate life's griefs and hurdles. Together. Or not... A touching dramedy about love, loss and friendship.
Interview with Writer/Director Kip Calendine, Writer/Producer/Actress Sarah Beth Goer and Writer/Producer/Actress Amanda Ives
Congratulations! Why did you make your film?
AMANDA: We wanted to make a film that portrayed women’s lives’ and friendships’ in a natural and authentic way. We wanted to show women in a different light than what is normally seen in film and TV. And we wanted to make a film that highlighted our strengths as actresses in lead roles!
KIP: I really admired the moxxy of these three courageous women who wanted to make something unique that spoke to their experience, and I wanted to facilitate that cause. However, once they asked me to join the project, I was actually hesitant to say yes as I wasn’t sure I had anything personal to provide the concept until I realized the story was really simply about friendship — why some friendships fade and others manage to renew themselves — which is a question I’ve faced myself repeatedly through life, and really wanted to explore. Then I knew I had a contribution to make, that I’d found my way in.
Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?
AMANDA: I think watching this film will have you pleasantly surprised by its authentic performances and simplicity in storytelling. The tone is understated, thus letting the humor and emotion shine through. It’s the kind of film that we don’t get to see nearly often enough in today’s entertainment industry: one with real heart, real people and naturalistic storytelling.
KIP: While in my opinion, the film is very heart-felt and earnest and funny, it also tackles heavier themes like loss and grief, and feeling bored or stuck with where your life’s currently at, of pining for something you will never have. I think these are really common problems that don’t have any easy solution, and the film doesn’t offer one, but I believe it can provide solace in the fact that it’s all an integral part of the human experience and there’s a sort of beauty in that shared pain. I’m also proud of the work done by our very skilled cinematographer Christiana Charalambous and our excellent composer David Gross.
How do personal and universal themes work in your film?
KIP: My philosophy is that the best art is personal, and if you’re lucky those personal elements resonate with other humans, and so hopefully those grand, more universal themes sprout up almost by happenstance. So in writing the screenplay I tried to just focus on making the characters three-dimensional and relatable and funny and flawed and human, and let the rest of the cards fall as they may.
SARAH: On a universal level, I think all humans can relate to grief, and to feeling stuck and needing to grow. Yet we brought those themes to life very personally though the individual characters’ lives.
How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?
SARAH: It has been quite the journey. None of us had ever made a feature, and I had very little idea how we’d ever get from A to B to C - but we shared a deep desire to bring this film to life, so we kept putting one foot in front of the other until we got the three lead actresses - Amanda, Vanessa and myself - kicked off the writing process. We each took charge of developing our own characters, and then we would meet to collaborate on the story. I think that’s why the characters feel so authentic - because we spent a lot of time building them from the ground up, and we let the plot evolve organically from who the characters are. For example, I remember the moment we discovered the character of Beth was in love with Jamie - it wasn’t a decision we made, it was something the characters let us know.
Once we had a solid outline, we went searching for the perfect partner to help us get the film from page to screen, which is when we found Kip. Originally we planned to shoot the film entirely improvisationally (we were inspired by the potent, naturalistic style of many of Joe Swanberg’s films), but we decided that because we had so many different key collaborators we’d be better off with a script so that we could be on the same page with each other (literally - hah!) Kip wrote the screenplay, contributing his own vision and instincts (not to mention hilarious one-liners) during the writing phase. We then had a lot of back and forth with each other, and the final story that emerged is different from what any of us could have created on our own. Four heads are better than one when all four heads are committed to making the best film they know-how!
KIP: Sarah, Amanda, and Vanessa had a 13-page outline that I used as a rough framework for the screenplay. I think their original story was overall more optimistic and happy than the final film ended up being. A lot of the themes of the story — the passage of time and growing older and friendships or relationships falling by the wayside — resonated with me in a kind of melancholy, nostalgic way, and it organically evolved in that more bittersweet direction. At one point after an early table read, I floated a new idea about where the characters landed at the end of the film, and it really struck an emotional chord with Sarah and Amanda. I knew we were on the same page at that point. It turned out to be a deeply collaborative process all through shooting, as well.
I had a hard time getting started on the script. Once I figured out that Beth refuses to spread her fathers’ ashes in the opening scene of the movie, the rest came much more easily — there was a physical manifestation of her inability to move forward, a kind of MacGuffin to chase. I struggled with the tone as well, but landed on humor being the best way to propel the story along — these are friends, after all. While writing the script I binge-watched Seinfeld, which I hadn’t seen before, and I think that informed a lot of that; in Seinfeld, the characters are almost never at odds with one another, they suffer through life and commiserate to each other as they do, and that’s what’s so fun — it’s like you’re hanging out with friends of your own. Though Three Roads differs in that it also explores what happens when that friendship structure breaks down and tries to make sense of it as well.
What type of feedback have you received so far?
AMANDA: I’d say the main feedback we receive is how relatable are the characters in our film. Women and men relate so much to the personal stories of Beth, Em and Jamie, and it’s always very interesting to hear how they relate to each character and why. Other feedback we receive is that the acting is very honest and naturalistic and that it’s a humorous and touching film.
KIP: I think the reception has been really positive. It’s especially gratifying to me that women seem to relate to it very deeply. We were honored with a Best Writing award by the LA Femme Film Festival in late 2019 and were just made an Official Selection by Film Invasion LA 2020, which is so exciting and just an incredible privilege.
Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?
AMANDA: I think it’s always surprising to see how people relate and love these characters that we developed and worked on for so long. You never truly know how a film will be received, so it’s been an incredible journey to see our work really make an impact on the lives of others.
KIP: I did have one peer who said that the subject matter struck him as inconsequential in a world rife with rainforest fires, ocean-die-offs, melting polar caps, Trump. But I think there’s still value in painting on smaller canvases. We still need to make sense of our relationships, of loss, of our inner lives. We have such little control of the outside world, we might as well focus on what we can at least somewhat control.
What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?
SARAH: Honestly, it’s so lovely to connect with folks who care about meaningful indie film, and consider our film to be one. Thank you, Carmela! That matters so much to me. If our film is exposed to new audience members or we meet future collaborators through the exposure, that’d be great too.
KIP: Three Roads is a strange little movie. It doesn’t fall neatly into any genre conventions or molds, and it has a deliberately different aesthetic from a lot of current indie film, so any assistance in finding its audience is deeply appreciated.
Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?
AMANDA: We would love to partner with a distributor if it’s the right fit, though we are not actively searching one out. And we’d love to screen at more festivals! Any press or stories written about us helps to get the word out about our film!
KIP: Film festival programmers/directors have thus far been our greatest champions, and we’re so thankful to them. They watch so much material that to receive their support is a huge source of encouragement to us, and their opinion draws a lot of water with film lovers since they are the true tastemakers of the film community. That said, it would be great if we could catch the eye of a distributor — this is a film that I think has wide-reaching value and has a market, and would be a great fit for streaming platforms. I can proudly say this is the sort of film that I wish there were more of, and that I don’t think I’m alone in that sentiment.
What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?
AMANDA: We hope that this film will continue to move and inspire audiences on a personal level. And we hope it influences the film industry to showcase more stories of the everyday, real women in the world. We hope it broadens the sphere of what we see in film/television as it relates to how women look, and what are our authentic experiences and stories.
KIP: My favorite films are those where the characters are nothing like myself, but which still gets me to like and relate to them, and open me up to new avenues of empathy and understanding for my fellow humans. I’d love to hear that Three Roads has the same effect for audiences on a wide scale.
What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?
Hmm, perhaps: What kind of women’s stories would you be more interested in seeing on the screen?
What other projects are the key creatives developing or working on now?
AMANDA: I just finished co-directing a short film called Friendship, currently in post-production. I also got to squeeze in some acting work earlier this year in an indie feature, before everything shut down. While we’re in lockdown, I’m writing sketches, (check out my spoof music video about Coronavirus), and working on a screenplay. I’m also working on my acting - career and craft - to come out of this time even stronger than before and ready to work! For more info please visit my website: www.amandaives.com
SARAH: I do have some more film ideas I’m excited to follow through on when the timing’s right, but at the moment my focus is on my voice over career. I’ve been working full-time as an audiobook narrator, which I’m finding to be an incredibly rewarding form of acting. You can check out more at www.sarahbethgoer.com
KIP: I’m currently in post-production on a short quirky comedy-noir film called Pseudonym. I’m also writing a trilogy of female-driven sci-fi projects, as well as a small family drama and a pilot for an animated series. I am also collaborating on another sci-fi script with my wife Tina Ivlev, who’s an actress.
Interview: May 2020
We Are Moving Stories embraces new voices in drama, documentary, animation, TV, web series, music video, women's films, LGBTQIA+, POC, First Nations, scifi, supernatural, horror, world cinema. If you have just made a film - we'd love to hear from you. Or if you know a filmmaker - can you recommend us? More info: Carmela
Three Roads
Three childhood friends navigate life's griefs and hurdles. Together. Or not... A touching dramedy about love, loss and friendship.
Length: 1:09:54
Director: Kip Calendine
Producer: Sarah Beth Goer and Amanda Ives
Writer: Kip Calendine, Vanessa Donley, Sarah Beth Goer and Amanda Ives
About the writer, director and producer:
KIP CALENDINE is an award-winning writer, director, and editor. He has edited video for such publications as Wired, The New Yorker, and Allure. His feature screenplay The Road Home was a Scriptapalooza semi-finalist, and his short film Atheists Anonymous was an official selection of the Los Angeles Short Film Festival. His feature film debut Three Roads premiered at the LA Femme Film Festival, for which he received an award for Best Writer.
AMANDA IVES and SARAH BETH GOER founded independent production company AmandaSarahFilm to further complex, authentic, thoughtful representation of women in movies. They share stories that are touching, deeply human, and that push artistic boundaries. Amanda is also a Los Angeles based actress and director, working in indie film and television. Sarah is also an actress, writer, and voice-over artist. For more on Amanda and Sarah, please visit www.amandasarahfilm.com.
Key cast: Amanda Ives (Em), Sarah Beth Goer (Beth), Vanessa Donley (Jamie)
Website: www.amandasarahfilm.com
Other: IMDb
Where can I watch it next and in the coming month? Film Invasion Los Angeles/Online - June 2020