Sherman Oaks Film Festival 2019 – The Lost Weekend
Heartbroken college graduate, Charlie Monahan, struggles to find something resembling love in the digital age.
Interview with Writer/Director Ryan O'Leary
Watch The Lost Weekend on Klipist
Congratulations! Why did you make your film?
The Lost Weekend came about from failing to get my second feature film The Lost Year made. We came very close to making the feature in 2016, but had some financing fall through. We decided after a year of making little progress, to adapt it into a short to tell a version of the story, while hopefully raising interest to get the feature made. Or for the more artistic answer, I wanted to tell a story about relationships and family dynamics that felt honest and reflected the experience of being young and lost in an era when communication should be easier than ever.
Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?
Hopefully, you're looking for something to engage you emotionally. I hope this film can be taken in as comfort food. I want to challenge difficult life experiences while keeping humanity and heart at the core of the narrative.
How do personal and universal themes work in your film?
The projects I tend to stick with over long periods of time are pretty personal and specific, probably because it serves as an outlet for those experiences. Connecting both with the fine folks who help me behind and in front of the camera, and with an audience helps me reach a level of understanding and appreciation for all of life's experiences that I don't think I'd ever find otherwise. Or maybe I'm just narcissistic and not as creative as I'd like to pretend to be. Who knows!
How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?
The feature version of the script had several drafts before it began making the rounds, then as actors became attached and unattached, there were tweaks made to suit them accordingly. With the short, we condensed the story into a shorter time frame and had to adjust character arcs to be more minor. The ending for the short is very different, both literally and tonally from the feature.
What type of feedback have you received so far?
The feedback has been great! Sure, people tend to be polite to your face, but it's been nice to see people so engaged with the film. I think the performances bring life to the film that I never could've imagined on my own. One of the best compliments was at a recent screening when someone told me they felt like they had to call their dad after watching it.
Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?
I was pleasantly surprised to see how much people seem to be responding to the family drama side of things. It's been interesting to see certain lines or visuals get an audible laugh. Who would've thought pizza as a birthday gift would make people laugh? Not me, that's for sure.
What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?
I'm hoping to bring more eyes to the project. I want as many people to see this thing as possible.
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 have any producers, buyers, or distributors join our team and help get the feature version made. I'm still very proud of that screenplay and would love to bring the team behind the short back together.
What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?
I hope people can enjoy and relate to it. I hope they can reflect on their own experiences. It'd also be great if they thought the cameo from the dude in the glasses with the Christmas sweater is HILARIOUS.
What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?
What REALLY happened at the end? And by that, I mean, I don't want there to be a definitive answer, but I do love hearing people feel strongly about what they take away from it.
Would you like to add anything else?
Thanks for having me do this interview! If anyone wants to see a filthy feature film I made called The Backseat, you can watch it right now on Amazon Prime. It's very not safe for work, and there's a lot of jokes that certainly don't hold up.
What other projects are the key creatives developing or working on now?
Aside from trying to get The Lost Year made, I'm deep into writing a screenplay for another feature I hope to direct in 2021 about a pretty weird weekend vacation that happened right after a big tragedy (it'll be funny, I swear). Our producer Anthony Pedone is working on a ton of cool stuff right now, including a documentary about the impact of the Kevin Smith film Chasing Amy called Chasing Chasing Amy, which seems INCREDIBLE. Our lead actor Sam Vartholomeos just did a play with Ethan Coen, which blew me away. I'm sure the rest of the cast and crew is doing a ton of great things as well.
Interview: November 2019
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
The Lost Weekend
Heartbroken college graduate, Charlie Monahan, struggles to find something resembling love in the digital age.
Length: 14:00
Director: Ryan O'Leary
Producer: Anthony Pedone
Writer: Ryan O'Leary
Key cast: Sam Vartholmeos (Charlie), Gracie Gillam (Maggie Mae), Chris Bellant (Rufus), Libe Barer (Penelope), with Catherine Curtin (Aunt Janice), and Reed Birney (Henry)
Looking for: journalists, film festival directors, producers, buyers
Facebook: The Lost Weekend
Hashtags used: #TheLostWeekend #TheLostWeekendMovie
Made in association with: Film Exchange, Noteworthy Productions, Waldorf Entertainment, Glennice Studiosr
Where can I watch it next and in the coming month? Sherman Oaks Film Festival/Los Angeles, California - Friday, November 22