Santa Barbara International Film Festival / Oxford Film Festival 2019 – You Say Hello
Suffocating under the weight of expectation and loneliness, Will decides on his 27th birthday to drive out to his family's empty beach house near Santa Barbara with the plan to kill himself. Amidst flashbacks to earlier moments with his family, he makes his preparations, but then he chooses to spend his last night with a handsome stranger whom he finds on an escort website. When enigmatic Mike arrives, the pair shares an unexpected evening together that might alter both of their lives for the better.
Interview with Director/Producer Lovell Holder
Watch You Say Hello on Here TV
Congratulations! Why did you make your film?
I was so tremendously fortunate to collaborate with my dear friend, acclaimed playwright Daniel Talbott, on this very personal project. Suicide and loneliness amongst LGBT youth is an important issue. As a gay man who greatly wrestled with suicide and depression in my teenage years, I was so inspired when Daniel brought this project to me to direct. It's a story of resilience and growth, and I think that our shooting location aligned with the message of this project beautifully.
We filmed "You Say Hello" near Ventura, California, less than two months after the Thomas Fire ravaged the community there. In fact, the house where we were shooting (which belongs to my best friend's overwhelmingly generous parents, who let us shoot there for free) was so close to the fire that the flames were literally across the street, and his dad spent 72 hours straight with the Ventura firefighters keeping the house from going up in flames. It was a true honor to tell this gentle, quiet story of survival in an environment that was striving to recover itself. In fact, you can even see the buds of new palm fronds growing out from the burnt, blackened trunks of the trees in the film's opening shots. Much like the setting of our film, our hero must learn to blossom anew from the husk of pain which he's had to endure.
Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?
While the film begins in a very dark place, I feel that our cast has explored loneliness in a way that feels accessible and humane to anyone who has struggled with such demons. As such, even I was surprised by the optimism and grace that our actors brought to their characters' journeys, leading the viewer toward an empathetic (if unsentimental) conclusion. Also, on a much less serious note, I would recommend the film to anyone who enjoys beautiful acting, especially when captured in a breathtaking location through the gorgeous lens of our cinematographer Matt Plaxco.
How do personal and universal themes work in your film?
I believe the magic of the film lies in the intimacy and specificity of these characters. The spontaneity and care in the actors work allows for the audience to peer into a collection of dangerously raw, private moments, but from that incredibly personal place, a larger message regarding survival and strength emerges toward the surface, as wide as the ocean itself which churns outside the lead character's glass house.
How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?
Originally, the script was very linear, and over the course of our edit, we realized that the starting point of our story was very different than first conceived. As such, with Jean-Marc Vallee's work very much in our mind, we gave ourselves permission to begin the film in the middle of where we'd once intended and allowed ourselves to flash back as necessary. Not only did this empower us to start the film in a much more dynamic place, it also helped better reflect the instability and confusion with which the lead character Will is wrestling when we meet him.
What type of feedback have you received so far?
We've been very lucky that the viewers with whom we've shared the film have connected with the story of Will and Mike, and it's always lovely to hear that people think you spent much more on the film than you actually did.
Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?
If anything, the feedback has very much validated the fact that Will's struggles and pain resonate with many audience members. It's a gift to receive confirmation that it's a story which people care about, and I hope it helps others realize they aren't alone in battling loneliness.
What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?
We're very eager to share this film with additional festival audiences, so we welcome any and all inquiries/requests to view the film for consideration at other venues and film organizations, both domestically and abroad.
Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?
Film festival directors and journalists would of course be of great assistance.
What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?
I certainly hope the film is greeted warmly, but most of all my primary goal is for people to see the generous work created by my incredible collaborator Daniel Talbott, our stunning cast, and our diligent crew. Each of these artists is very much on the precipice of major opportunities in their careers, and I highly encourage producers and directors to consider all of them for their future projects.
What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?
How long can you live – or perhaps even perform the act of living – a life for someone else? I think both of our lead characters are wrestling with a version of that question in their own ways.
Would you like to add anything else?
On behalf of Daniel and myself, we remain so grateful for the contributions of our collaborators who have helped us bring this film to life at every stage of its development, and we're especially thankful to Santa Barbara International Film Festival and Oxford Film Festival for providing us wonderful venues to screen right at the start of our festival run.
What other projects are the key creatives developing or working on now?
Our writer, Daniel Talbott, has just directed the world premiere of Jessica Dickey's new play "The Convent" Off-Broadway in New York, which also stars two of our cast members: Samantha Soule and Wendy vanden Heuvel. Will Pullen, who plays the enigmatic Mike, can also currently be seen on Broadway in the lead cast of Aaron Sorkin's "To Kill a Mockingbird," alongside Jeff Daniels. As for myself, "Working Man," the most recent feature I produced, will also premiere at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival alongside "You Say Hello," which couldn't make me happier.
Interview: February 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
You Say Hello
Suffocating under the weight of expectation and loneliness, Will decides on his 27th birthday to drive out to his family's empty beach house near Santa Barbara with the plan to kill himself. Amidst flashbacks to earlier moments with his family, he makes his preparations, but then he chooses to spend his last night with a handsome stranger whom he finds on an escort website. When enigmatic Mike arrives, the pair shares an unexpected evening together that might alter both of their lives for the better.
Length: 21:56
Director: Lovell Holder
Producer: Daniel Talbott, Lovell Holder
Writer: Daniel Talbott
About the writer, director and producer:
LOVELL HOLDER graduated summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa from Princeton University. He then received his MFA from Brown University. Feature Film: Some Freaks (producer; starring Thomas Mann, Lily Mae Harrington, Tony nominee Marin Ireland; available on Netflix); Loserville (director/producer/co-writer; with Tony winner Sara Ramirez, starring Darby Stanchfield, Matt McGorry); Robert Jury’s upcoming Working Man (producer; starring Peter Gerety, Oscar nominee Talia Shire). Short Film: Olivia Hamilton’s Surrogate (producer, with Oscar winner Damien Chazelle); Daniel Talbott’s upcoming You Say Hello (director/producer); Roger Q. Mason's upcoming Softer (director/producer; with Emmy winner Robert J. Ulrich). Lovell is currently developing a feature film adaptation of Pulitzer-Prize-winning author Wendy Wasserstein's play Uncommon Women and Others with producer Jaime Rosenstein. He is set to direct and will adapt the screenplay with Peabody-Award-winning writer Stacy Rukeyser.
DANIEL TALBOTT is a writer, director, actor, and a Lucille Lortel and Obie Award winning producer. He is on the lit team of Rattlestick Playwrights Theater, and is the artistic director of Rising Phoenix Rep. His plays include Nick and Zoe (Arctic Group/IRT), Slipping (Rattlestick, The Side Project), Yosemite (Rattlestick), Afghanistan, Zimbabwe, America, Kuwait (Rattlestick/piece by piece, Encore), What Happened When (Rattlestick, Rising Phoenix Rep/HERE), Someone Brought Me (Quince Productions), Mike and Seth (Quince, Encore, The Side Project), Extraordinary Things (RPR), and Gray (Your Name Here). Recent directing work includes Ugly Little Sister (NYU), First Born (The Actors Studio), Thieves (Weathervane/RPR/ Rattlestick), F**king Immaculate (RPR), A Fable (Rattlestick), Gin Baby (IRT), Scarcity (Rattlestick/Hill Town Plays), Lake Water (Neighborhood Productions), Eightythree Down (Hard Sparks), Much Ado About Nothing (Boomerang), and Squealer (Lesser America). He is currently co-writing a new play with Lucy Thurber titled The Land of Ghosts and was recently commissioned by Echo Theater Company for their 2020 season. He’s directing the world premiere of Jessica Dickey’s The Convent Off Broadway in 2019, and is creating, co-writing and directing the Confession Project. He’s a writer for OZZ with Blue Ribbon Content/Warner Bros., and is in development with Jim Parsons’ company That’s Wonderful Productions for a feature, Yosemite. He was a writer for Weinstein Company and Spike TV on The Mist, based on the Stephen King novella, and his hour-long drama pilot Summer was optioned and in development with Sonar and Killer Films. He received a 2011 Theater Hall of Fame Fellowship and was also named one of the 15 People of the Year by nytheatre.com. He is a graduate of Juilliard, a proud member of Echo Theater Company, and a member of the Actors Studio.
Key cast: Chris Bellant (Will), Will Pullen (Mike), Samantha Soule (Lee), Wendy vanden Heuvel (Judy)
Looking for: journalists, film festival directors
Other: IMDB
Funders: Self-funded
Where can I watch it next and in the coming month? Santa Barbara International Film Festival/Santa Barbara, CA - 2/4/19; Oxford Film Festival/Oxford, MS - 2/9/19