Culver City Film Festival - The Girl Who Invented Kissing
A nameless, pill-popping drifter girl steps off a bus and into a neighborhood bar owned by two middle-age brothers JIMMY and VICTOR. She quickly befriends older brother Victor--a good-natured lummox whose mind was effected as the result of a childhood accident. The mysterious Girl soon upsets the delicate balance of the brother's lives while bringing both trouble and new life into the world of these resigned characters.
Interview with Writer/Director Tom Sierchio
Congratulations! Why did you make your film?
Thank you! I made this film simply because it was a "little piece of life" story that I had rolling around in my head. I've always been interested in a sibling––in this case, brothers––relationship, especially one in which one brother has to care for the other in some fashion. That and the big "lovable lummox/gentle giant" character that is Victor, played so beautifully by Dash Mihok.
Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?
I think the appeal of this film is that it is about people living in the margins whom we so often take for granted, yet are so fascinating in their own way, and in a way, down inside, they are also us. Like a good song that is universal enough that you feel the songwriter wrote the song just for you. And these sort of characters always fascinate me. There's a great line that says, "Skinny strays are more appealing than fat cats." I love that and I always try to shine a light on those characters in my writing because they are the most honest. They are the ones that let you know, "Hey. I am you. Emotionally, we're in the same boat."
How do personal and universal themes work in your film?
The previous answer perhaps sums that up. If there's a character or situation that you can relate to, either personally or vicariously as a member of the human race who––although maybe not directly associating with a situation from personal experience––but as an active participant in the human condition, then you will relate to those themes.
How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?
Well, I'm glad you asked that because I get to brag a bit here. Haha! The script, and I am particularly proud of this, remained nearly 100 percent intact from the from the day I first printed it out several years ago, to the final day of shooting. In fact, whenever I suggested to one of my actors that perhaps we lose a line, or maybe I felt a line wasn't good enough, they often informed me, "No! You can't cut that! I love that line! I totally get that line!" Part of that is that I was the director as well, so there was a single vision at play. And we shot every single scene in the script, and every single scene we shot made it to the final cut of the movie. I have been around enough to know how rare that is and I am very pleased with that.
And I'm not so much patting myself on the back here as saying it is a testament to the beautiful performance of the cast and crew all around that they simply made everything work. During the shoot, one of the producers asked me how long I envisioned the running time of the film to be. I told him about an hour-forty-five minutes. The final cut of the film is an hour-forty-five minutes... and six seconds!
What type of feedback have you received so far?
The feedback has been extremely rewarding. As you know, doubt constantly creeps in on you as a writer. You ask yourself, "Am I the only one who thinks this is good, or entertaining, or worth watching? Will they get the laugh or the emotion that I am going for here?" The film really only works as a whole. There are some scenes that, on their own, are just kind of there and not particularly worthy of mention, but strung together with the others in a carefully thought-out pacing, then you have something satisfying by the end of the film.
And this is best illustrated in one review that summed up the film by saying, "There are parts that were not as perfect where one could quibble, but who cares, these imperfections are completely absorbed by the beauty of the whole. Just like life." I appreciated that one very much. The feedback has allowed me that sigh of relief. "Yes! They get it! It's not just me." They laughed when they were supposed to, and you could hear a pin drop in the theater in all the emotional places.
Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?
Yes, and no. As I just mentioned, you struggle with your doubt. I am, for better of for worse, unassuming. You think, "I have no idea what I am doing. I suck as a writer. Who was I kidding thinking I could direct. I'm blowing someone else's money." But then you get this feedback that surpasses your expectations and both surprises and humbles you. In another capacity, I wasn't so much as surprised, but rather pleased that there is still room for character driven films, and that in this age of in-your-face entertainment, that people still will follow character's personal stories without the crutch of razzle-dazzle effects. I am, I suppose, still a bit challenged that there are distributors and big studios that don't trust that and constantly second-guess and spoon-feed their audiences. Which, to a point, I get. They need to make money. Big money. But, personally, I don't want the constant offering of one type of film. I'll happily slap down my money for the next "Star Wars", but next week I want "One Flew over the "Cuckoo's Nest".
What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?
Well, in the simplest terms, your job, as anyone in the field of storytelling, or entertainment, is to share the product of your creativity and efforts. I hope to share this film with enough people in hopes that they will "get" it, so that I may be in the position to share some more.
Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?
Well, we have accomplished the distribution aspect in that eOne is releasing the film in about 15 on-demand media outlets beginning December 12th, 2017. However, I remain without representation, so to have an agent come aboard would be fabulous!!!
What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?
Of course, the answer is to have––in terms of both personally and professionally––an impactful and well-received film.
What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?
Good question. I would have to say: "Who really is this this nameless girl, where did she come from, and what is her story? The story that brought her to the here-and-now where we meet her in her life and in the lives of the two brothers."
Would you like to add anything else?
Only that I am extremely humbled and grateful to everyone who helped me put this film together from scratch. I was in constant awe each and every day on the set that these good people were putting in their time and passion for something that I had running around my brain. The same goes for the film festivals who have included our movie, and the awards and praises we have received from them. And to you who have taken the interest to put together this interview!
What other projects are the key creatives developing or working on now?
Ha!! I have fifteen feature screenplays fully available and ready to go, as well as a full thirteen-episode season of a one-hour drama series! Call me! :-)
Interview: December 2017
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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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The Girl Who Invented Kissing
A nameless, pill-popping drifter girl steps off a bus and into a neighborhood bar owned by two middle-age brothers JIMMY and VICTOR. She quickly befriends older brother Victor--a good-natured lummox whose mind was effected as the result of a childhood accident. The mysterious Girl soon upsets the delicate balance of the brother's lives while bringing both trouble and new life into the world of these resigned characters.
Length: 1:45
Director: Tom Sierchio
Producer: George Zakk, Corey Large
Writer: Tom Sierchio
About the writer, director and producer:
Tom Sierchio is the writer of the MGM feature film "Untamed Heart" (1993). He has been a writer/director as well as a professional stuntman for the last 25 years. He has worked with such industry notables as Tony Bill, Norman Jewison and William Goldman, just to name a few. Tom has written over forty-five feature film screenplays, two novels, numerous short stories, and a full thirteen-episode season of the one-hour drama series "Men Of Goodwill". "The Girl Who Invented Kissing" is his feature directorial debut.
Key cast: Dash Mihok, Vincent Piazza, Suki Waterhouse, Johnny Messner, Abbie Cornish, Luke Wilson
Looking for (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists): An AGENT!!!
Social media handles:
Facebook: THE GIRL WHO INVENTED KISSING
Made in association with: An Olive Branch/308 Entertainment
Where will the film screen in the next month?
The film is being released on December 12. It will be available on-demand on the following: DirecTV, AT&T, Comcast, Verizon, Time Warner, Cox, Cable Vision, Charter, Frontier, iTunes, Amazon Video, Vudu, Microsoft, Google, Playstation, and Fandango Now.