Rhode Island International Film Festival - 4 Pounds of Flowers
Kayla and Trevor have struggled as a couple for years, in their self imposed isolation working a small pot farm in the woods of Northern California. A discovery will interrupt their dysfunctional status quo.
Interview with Writer/Director Rob Richert
Congratulations! Why did you make your film?
Thank you! It all started from the backseat of a longtime friends car, he and his wife in the front had begun bickering and for the first time ever - a milestone in our relationship I suppose - both she and him kept looking back to me to lobby me to join one a sides.
I wanted nothing to do it, and said so while laughing a little out of discomfort. They both fell silent.
A moment later they drove past some idiot driver doing a fairly ugly job being a considerate human on the road. He made a clever comment about the guy. She laughed hard and laid into him also. They moved on as if nothing had happened.
Those cycles: of sweeping stuff under the rug followed by rediscovering the things we love about our partners, is what I wanted to explore. I didn't want to come for or against a life in that cycle, I just wanted to portrait it.
Especially since I was going through my own shit at the time with someone, and it was harder to see the humor in it most days.
Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?
Well... I have never been much of a self promoter.
But if realistic stories about relationships interest you, I think you would enjoy it. We also captured some amazing performances from our two leads Chris Chalk and Laura Heisler. Working with those two was a truly great opportunity. They alone are a reason to see it.
How do personal and universal themes work in your film?
While I was drawn to the material from trouble in my own relationship the universal comes not long after.
Each draft of the script is like a step in a game of telephone. Where the first draft really looked like my relationship, eventually the themes and characters start to ask for something all their own. Each draft involved different observations of other couples who helped play a role and found its way into the pot.
Casting is the final, big step. I rewrite a touch once I'm cast and then the actors themselves rewrite a bit too. By then, probably only the woman I was with could see through all the layers of other people and find the source of inspiration.
That's how I think the universal peeks in with my work.
How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?
Dear reader - you'll have to watch first to understand how crazy this statement is... but the script originally had a shootout at the end.
And I LOVED the way the shots and music and story played out in my mind over this sequence. It was VIVID.
I fought through many many subsequent drafts to justify it. The movie was mostly a road film, up and down the coast. The moment I tried to write a draft without it the script started working.
Funny enough that same sequence was what drove me to come up with a new world with the feature I'm writing. But it rightfully has gotten written out of that as well. Maybe it'll never find a home but I'm cool with that.
We all hear about killing out darlings... but sometimes those darlings are good tools for getting started.
What type of feedback have you received so far?
People who like it seem to love the performances and the ending. I feel the same way. If I could go back I'd streamline the middle a little more, but that ending still gets me.
Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?
There was a sizable group of trusted friends and collaborators lobbying for the last close up on her to go. And when I brought it up with people who loved the film, they'd tell me that they LOVED it, not to cut the shot at all costs.
I ultimately did what I wanted to see... perhaps it tips the hand too much to the fate of the characters - but I loved Heisler and Chalk's performances in that moment and I still thought that, for anyone paying attention, the cycle I was portraying would still be a part of those characters' lives.
What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?
I hope that it gets a little more exposure to the film. Gives people a chance to connect to it and enjoy. It's going to be playing at Flicker Fest in Rhode Island mid August which our team is THRILLED about and will launch online, not long after, = on Vimeo after labor day weekend.
Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?
I'd love to speak to anyone in that category that's moved by the film. Like minds in this industry should team up!
What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?
I'd like to see more realistic love stories in the film world. I think the happy princess ending has fucked our culture up. If I inspired some other filmmakers to seek those out also, that would be incredible to me.
What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?
I think the key question is what it means to be a good partner when circumstances or attitudes start to pull you apart. I think it's a universal problem. The ways we separate can be a real marker of the kinds of people we are and leave lasting impressions. Sometimes it's best to shut a door on someone, if they need to undergo their own growth out of something toxic. Sometimes that isn't the case, but it feels easier because we ourselves are working through some personal growth.
Dealing with it in this specific world of pot farming, with its own self imposed isolation, I hope there's something people can latch on to that get them thinking about those ideas.
Would you like to add anything else?
Well, if you like the film ... feel free to check out the website or follow us on facebook OR as I said above, find the film on Vimeo at the top of September.
What other projects are the key creatives developing or working on now?
I'm writing a feature film with a super talented friend Darren Anderson, who was an advisor on this.
I've also just finished cowriting a feature, Last Black Man In San Francisco, with another super talented friend, Joe Talbot. Luis Afonso De La Para and I will be coproducing it for Joe very soon, under the awesome Producorial leadership of Khaliah Neal. Keep an eye peeled... we commin at cha world!
Interview: August 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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4 Pounds of Flowers
Kayla and Trevor have struggled as a couple for years, in their self imposed isolation working a small pot farm in the woods of Northern California. A discovery will interrupt their dysfunctional status quo.
Length: 15 mins
Director: Rob Richert
Producer: Daniel Grossman
Writer: Rob Richert
About the writer, director and producer:
Key cast: Chris Chalk, Laura Heisler
Looking for (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists): Anyone! Everyone who responds.
Social media handles:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/4poundsofflowers/
Website: http://www.4poundsofflowers.com/
Made in association with: Columbia University.
Where can I see it in the next month? Flicker Fest Rhode Island mid August and on Vimeo at the top of Sept!