A young woman decides to quit her job at Starbucks and reinvent her life—until she discovers she has MS and can't lose her health care.

Interview with Writer/Director Aaron Cassara

Watch Barista here:

Congratulations! Why did you make your film?

When I was in school I was drawn to Italian Neo Realism because I saw a lot of parallels to peak recession America and I made an autobiographical film called The Bartender about the drudgery of the service industry. I wanted to make something similar and my wife (she’s a journalist) had just interviewed a friend of ours about her experience with discovering she had MS. It felt like a very appropriate way to tell the story and also put the characters in a pressing and critical situation.

Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?

In the midst of economic turmoil, this country's low wage service class is growing exponentially. These jobs are replacing ones that used to be better, and they promise an uncertain and prohibitive future. This film is close to my heart not only because I've worked in the service industry for years, but because this is based on the story of a very close friend.

This film is a modern take on Italian neorealism. Like the post-WWII films of De Sica and Rossellini, "Barista" exposes a disappointing economic reality, and was shot on location with as much natural light as possible often using non-actors.

How do personal and universal themes work in your film?

On a personal level the film is a relationship story. It’s about a couple who encounters some serious and likely permanent roadblocks and how they attempt stay together when moving forward is no longer an option.

The universal themes are the state of health care and education in this country and how they can make it impossible to get ahead and follow your dreams.

I always say the film is about being trapped in your own life, which is both personal and universal. I think even when you’re following your dreams you can still feel trapped.

How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development and production?

There have been a million little changes and shifts in the story from development all the way through post production, but I think overall the story I set out to tell, in the end, is the one that came through.

What type of feedback have you received so far?

Mostly good feedback, people seem to really like the film and connect with it. But they also find it quite sad, which was the point. I’m probably the harshest critic of it.

Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?

It’s pretty straightforward, so not too much. We did a lot of test screenings to get it to a place where if someone had one argument, someone else would counter that argument.

What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?

It would be great if it got the film to more people.

Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?

I would welcome anyone who is interested in helping to amplify the message of the film.

What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?

I want it to open people's eyes to how real the struggle is in the service industry and how fucked up higher education and health care are in this country. Also, I’d hope that it debunks the myth of the American dream a little.

What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?

I think a good question to spark debate is: how is this story relevant in your life? I feel like we’ve all felt trapped in our own lives no matter what socio-economic background we come from.

What are the key creatives developing or working on now?

Nona (producer) is working as a features Editor for Fusion, She also wrote a film that I directed and am finishing up post on. Tiffany (producer) produced the film that Nona wrote and we are in pre-production on another short about a couple on a make or break weekend in the Catskills with a twist.

Interview: October 2016

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We Are Moving Stories embraces new voices in drama, documentary, animation, TV, web series and music video. 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

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Barista

A young woman decides to quit her job at Starbucks and reinvent her life—until she discovers she has MS and can't lose her health care.

Length: 00:22:48

Director: Aaron Cassara

Producer: Aaron Cassara, Nona Willis Aronowitz, Tiffany Fisher Love

Executive Producer: Sam Slater

Writer: Aaron Cassara

About the writer, director and producer:

Aaron Cassara has worked in television, documentary, music video, and narrative. His short film Barista, about how the costs of health care and education affect young people, is currently in festivals. He’s finishing a short called Out to Dry, about a feisty young woman who finds herself in hot water when she swipes a towel from her buildings laundry room to help out her boyfriend.

Nona Willis Aronowitz is a writer and the features editor at Fusion. Her essays and reporting have appeared in the Washington Post, New York Magazine, The Guardian, Playboy, The Nation, and Rookie, among others. She’s the co-author of Girldrive and the editor of two award-winning anthologies of her mom Ellen Willis’s work. Out to Dry is her first screenplay.

Tiffany Fisher-Love is a Brooklyn based producer. She’s worked on projects across the globe from Broadway Across America, to Van Warped Tour, along with numerous shorts and webseries. Barista, about how the costs of health care and education affect young people, is currently in festivals. Other recent projects include: Feme Frequencia’s #Goinghomeless webseries, Aaron Cassara’s short Out to Dry and Aldrich Productions’ short Walk Me Through It.

Key cast: Marianna McClellan, Sean Michael Hodges-Bowels

Looking for (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists): I’m waiting on a contract for a limited rights VOD collection. I think the film is at the end of its festival run, but I’m open to options and offers.

Funders: Kickstarter

Made in association with: Solipsistic Pictures

Release date: Already released

Where can I watch it in the next month?

Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/128761684

Chicago: November 1st tickets

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/columbia-alumni-filmmakers-night-registration-27735491602