Lollygag
A woman recounts her sensual yet macabre childhood memory about the boy next door.
Interview with Writer/Director/Editor Tij D'oyen
Congratulations! Why did you make your film?
I spent the height of the pandemic alone in New York City. Most of that time was spent on my fire escape watching people; on the street below, on their roofs, in their apartments... Every night, the neighbor directly across the way from me would shower, usually with their partner. Most nights it was business as usual. On other nights, they'd make love. At first, I felt perverted and guilty watching them through their frosted shower window. But through the consistency of their engagement over the months, the shame shrunk away as I realized that these individuals must know they could be seen as they pressed themselves against the glass mid-coitus. I watched them, not so interested in their blurred acts, but in the nature of exhibition, and on the opposite end, the act of watching. This voyeuristic dynamic is what connects the protagonists of Lollygag and what inspired me to write the film.
Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?
Throwing you into the aesthetic and tonal waters of classic films such as La Piscine, Claire's Knee, and La Collectionneuse, Lollygag uses the old New Wave mold as a way to lure you into something new. At first glance, the film might seem like just another summer coming-of-age story, but Lollygag comes with lots of little macabre surprises, making for an extremely satisfying ten minutes.
How do personal and universal themes work in your film?
On the surface, Lollygag is a lite satire about the leisure class and their blinding ennui. The short depicts this the-grass-is-always-greener idolization that has consumed me over the last year as I have spent more and more time in a virtual world where comparison, judgment, and envy reign supreme. Through social media, we can "know" so many people without ever having met them. But what if they were to suddenly disappear? or die? Lollygag asks: Is it crazy to miss someone you never really knew?
At its core, Lollygag is about the taboo and forbidden nature of queer adolescence and sexual discovery. Growing up gay in the south and as an involuntary member of the Catholic church, I constantly longed for what came so freely and without repercussion to my straight classmates. I dreamt of being in the saddle shoes of the cool girls whose boyfriends fearlessly held them at their lockers, kissing them without apology. My relationships were only safe to be played out in my head. I became familiar with mourning the end of fictional flings; obsession and longing turning to loss. My envy convinced me that the grass was greener on the other side. Not seemed to be, but unquestionably was greener. Through making Lollygag, and crossing the hedge into the neighbor’s yard, I have explored these quite oppressed fantasies and realized that that which looks nice from far away, up close often reeks of rot and decay. Through watching the film, I hope others can have such an epiphany.
How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?
Small tweaks in the narration occurred as we recorded in post, but for the most part, the script stayed pretty much the same from the first draft.
What type of feedback have you received so far?
Two of my biggest fears as we started sharing the film with audiences were that it would be seen as all style and no body, and that people wouldn't get that the film was sardonic and meant to be funny. The audience response has luckily negated those fears and has been quite encouraging. The audible reactions from the audience at screenings put a smile on my face every time.
People most often tell me that they are surprised about where the film goes, that they didn't expect the turn it takes. That feels like a win to me whenever I hear that. I like to surprise people and subvert expectations in my work. So to know that it works has been extremely validating.
Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?
I have been surprised by the empathy people have for The Girl Next Door. I don't want to say too much, but that has been a consistently pleasant surprise.
What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?
We really just want as many people as possible to know about and watch the film! For filmmakers like myself who are just getting started, it's so easy to feel like a small fish fighting for the same craps of food as these massive big-mama sharks who share the same waters... So an opportunity to get the word out there about my work is more than welcome! (thank you www.wearemovingstories.com <3)
Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?
Well, if anyone is looking to give us some $$$ for our next short Nepotism, Baby! DM me plz.
In all seriousness, I'd love to have some write-ups done about the film to continue to get the word out there, as well as to get it into a few more festivals to get more eyes on it. Eventually, I'd love to find a home for it on a streaming service to expand the audience even further.
What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?
I'm not really sure... that's a bad answer. I just want to rock the waters a bit! There is so much copy-and-paste boring stuff out there (respectfully) and I want to make films that are weird and beautiful and haunting and just a little dumb. So I guess I'd like the reception to be "more, please!"
What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?
Is it crazy to miss someone you never knew?
What other projects are the key creatives developing or working on now?
With support from the UNCSA Artpreneur Grant and the OATM Emerging Artist Film Grant, The Lollygag team is now in pre-production for our next short film Nepotism, Baby!, which follows a girl who frantically fights for an ounce of fame as her nepotism fails to yield a flourishing acting career.
Additionally, Tij is working on drafts of the Lollygag feature.
Interview: January 2023
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
Lollygag
A woman recounts her sensual yet macabre childhood memory about the boy next door.
Length: 10:02
Director: Tij D'oyen
Producer: Cameron Morton
Writer: Tij D'oyen
About the writer, director and producer:
TIJ D'OYEN is a NYC-based filmmaker who was recently selected for Filmmaker Magazine’s 25 New Faces of Independent Film ‘22. He was raised in rural North Carolina where he passed his time making movies and watching reruns of Desperate Housewives. His film, Lollygag, has been selected to screen at Slamdance (‘23) and Outfest ('22) where it received a Grand Jury Honorable Mention.
CAMERON MORTON is New York City based, originally from Atlanta, GA. She is an alum of the Telluride Film Festival Student Symposium and a graduate of North Carolina School of the Arts with a BFA in Acting. She was a Jacob Burns Film Center Creative Culture Fellow from 2019 to 2021 and a recipient of the 2022 NYC Women’s Fund for Media.
Her work has screened at a Slamdance, New Orleans Film Festival, Outfest, Newfest, Maryland Film Festival, and more.
Key cast: Isaac Powell (The Boy Next Door), Gaby Slape (The Girl Next Door)
Looking for: distributors, journalists, film festival directors and producers
Instagram: @_tij__
Hashtags used: #lollygag
Website: www.tijdoyen.com
Other: IMDb
Funders: Self-funded & Indiegogo
Where can I watch it next and in the coming month?
Slamdance/Park City, Utah - Jan 22&24 (in person) Jan 20-29 (online)