AMDOCS - Looking for Love
Barry is a 70 year old bachelor from suburban St. Louis who travels to Bogota, Colombia to find a wife through an international marriage agency.
Interview with Director/Producer Russ Finkelstein
Main image: Barry and Dalila take a selfie on one of their first dates. Try as he might, Barry can't seem to keep his eyes open.
Congratulations! Why did you make your film?
I've always been deeply interested in love and how and why people fall in love. I was living in Colombia producing documentaries for Al Jazeera when I discovered the world of international dating agencies and was immediately intrigued. I wanted to know everything about that world, how it worked, what motivated its members, if they actually fall in love or if what they're after is something more superficial-- basically how it all worked. Once I started poking around and meeting clients at the agency I thought their perspective on love and on what makes for a good relationship were quite different than what I was used to in some ways, but also very familiar in others. I wanted to make a film that would capture a love story set in that world, reflecting the inherent humor of the situation and also let the the characters and the unique dynamic come to life in a compelling way.
Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?
You should watch this film because it will tug at your heart strings and present a unique perspective on love, what it is and how we struggle to find it, which is something I think almost everybody struggles with at some point. Barry is a very compelling and complex character and I don't think it takes more than a few seconds of watching him on screen to be drawn into his struggle.
How do personal and universal themes work in your film?
The film is very much an intimate portrait of Barry, so I think in that sense the main theme that the film deals with is one that is incredibly important to him personally, he's hoping to find romantic love. That's also the most universally human theme that exists as far as I'm concerned, so in that sense it has at its center something that everyone can relate to. We all want to love and to be loved and when we don't have love we hope we're on the right track to finding it.
How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?
The edit developed over the course of several years. In fact, in addition to Barry there used to be another male protagonist, but the editor thought that Barry was so compelling on screen whenever we cut to the other storyline she would miss him too much. So eventually we decided that the film needed to just focus on Barry, which meant developing him more deeply as a character. After about a year of editing, I went to St. Louis to shoot with him at his house, which is when he told me he was going back to Colombia, so then I went back with him to Colombia a second time. That material became the beginning and the end of the film and really made the film the in depth portrait that it is now.
What type of feedback have you received so far?
Nobody who has seen the film doesn't have some strong reaction to it. People find it funny and beautiful and sad and painful, which makes me very happy to hear. Some people have told me they sometimes wonder if their romantic partners or prospects might see them the way that the audience sees Barry. When a friend told me that he spent the weekend after seeing my film with his girlfriend wondering if there was a disparity between what she thinks of him and what he thinks she thinks of him, it made me very happy.
I understand this is not a film for everyone. It's not the sort of film that champions a cause per se or highlights the heroic efforts of some do gooder out to change the world for the better. I've had programmers tell me that that's why the film has struggled to get into as many festivals as I would have liked. It presents a complex and controversial perspective on a subject that seems problematic to lots of people, and I get that. In fact that's why I like it and am so proud that I made it. The documentary world these days is saturated with funding from NGOs and grants that reward stories that are uplifting or that are calls to action for some virtuous cause, which can be a detriment if you're interested in film as an art form. Not everything in life can be easily broken down into good and evil and I'm interested in exploring and giving space to those grey areas and depicting them from provocative perspectives.
Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?
I'd revert to my answer in the previous question, but essentially my film for the most part has provoked the reaction I hoped it would in almost everyone who's seen it. Some people enjoy the experience and the feelings it produces in them while others aren't interested in it in having a complex or troubling emotional experience. I think what's challenged my point of view has been showing people the film and understanding what different audiences want out of a documentary. Some people want True Crime, others want Michael Moore and others want Herzog.
What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?
Honestly I just want more people to see my film. If I can achieve that albeit indirectly, I'd be happy.
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 love for sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors to see this film, write about it, write to me, love it, hate it, show it to other people, give it a terrible review, ask to screen it at a festival, a community center, a retirement home, etc. etc. Basically I'd like anyone and everyone who is interested in seeing the film to have an opportunity to see it. My hope is that the film is able to communicate abstract ideas and emotions to others the way that making the film has caused those ideas and emotions to manifest in me. That is the type of communication I hoped to achieve when I set out to make the film.
What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?
I would like people to watch the film, react to it and hopefully appreciate it as an profound and authentic expression of a universal human experience.
What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?
Does romantic love have a universal definition, or can it mean and represent different things to different people? Is what Barry is after in the film truly love?
What other projects are the key creatives developing or working on now?
I produce a long form documentary show at CNN and am currently developing my next independent film.
interview: April 2018
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We Are Moving Stories embraces new voices in drama, documentary, animation, TV, web series, music video, women's films, LGBTIAQ+, scifi, 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
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Looking for Love
Barry is a 70 year old bachelor from suburban St. Louis who travels to Bogota, Colombia to find a wife through an international marriage agency.
Length: 55 min.
Director: Russ Finkelstein
Producer: Russ Finkelstein
About the writer, director and producer: Russ Finkelstein is a filmmaker and journalist from California. His work has appeared on Al Jazeera, ViPro, Vice, CBS, NBC, Fusion and HLN. He lives in New York.
Looking for (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists):
Twitter: @russfinkelstein
Instagram: russfinkelstein
Made in association with: Just Like the Pros©
Where can I watch it next and in the coming month? It premieres at AmDocs in Palm Springs in April.