You're Now Beyond Hope, Arizona
When a viciously traumatized alcoholic is ordered to kill an AA sponsor whose gambling debts are worse than his own, he must learn the art of self-compassion or succumb to a perpetual cycle of moral decay.
Interview with Writer/Director/Producer Nick Dugan
Congratulations! Why did you make your film?
I made this film for a variety of reasons, but two in particular stand out: First, I believe in the elasticity of our individual capacities to evolve. People can change. And people do change. The conviction that people cannot change is pernicious and destructive. That same notion discourages, undermines, and disincentivizes people who desperately need to change from ultimately changing.
Second, I felt that rarely in film do you see people conquering addiction without the aid of a singular communal resource: Alcoholics Anonymous. I have deep reverence for the institution, and recognize the critical societal mechanism that it is. But what about people who are unable to fundamentally align themselves with the central organizing principles of AA? Or people who live among communities without that resource altogether? How do those people, who are suffering in silence and are not presented with alternative solutions, find a way to break the ostensibly endless cycle of their self-harm? How do they do it alone? In a few words: Forgiveness and self-compassion.
Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?
You should watch this film because the protagonist's internal struggle extends far beyond the scope of addiction. I think most people can relate to guilt and shame, and to the idea that guilt and shame beget more guilt and shame. They stagnate progress.
You should also watch this film if you're a fan of setting and genre. If you're drawn to isolated settings that pronounce a thematic undercurrent with greater exposure, or if you're magnetized by contemporary Westerns - this is the film for you.
How do personal and universal themes work in your film?
I am 616 days off the bottle myself. Naturally, that process required change. I often felt unworthy of living a better life, and therefore change was made difficult to acquire. This quote has stuck with me: "Part of why the alcoholic drinks is, ironically, to escape the pain of the damage that their drinking has already done." I drank because I didn't have any self-compassion. And I didn't have any self-compassion because I drank. I couldn't remove drinking from the equation. So I added self-compassion.
Hank, our protagonist, is marooned on an island of internal suffering. He's stranded in a literal and metaphorical desert, a place where his only companions are the thoughts that drive him to continue his own self-destruction. He can't reconcile the things he's done, and has no one to turn to other than the person who he's now being forced to murder. The same person who is his ticket to understanding how to exercise self-compassion.
How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?
I developed the script in conjunction with both the early days of my sobriety as well as the isolation brought on by the pandemic. As difficult as both of those stages were at times, they molded the story; for better or for worse.
What type of feedback have you received so far?
Always a tough question. The feedback has been encouraging. I put a lot of effort into calibrating my sensor for reliable feedback. But it's easy to second guess the positivity.
Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?
I've been surprised by my surprise, if that makes any sense. I made this film because I thought surely there are other people like me out there; in the sense that they had to get sober on their own and didn't know how to go about it. And then I was surprised when the feedback confirmed that there are, in fact, other people like me out there. Go figure.
What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?
I've learned so much about my own litany of idiosyncrasies through other people's films. They've been such a tremendous resource for growth and self-realization. We Are Moving Stories seems to profile films of exactly that nature. And I'm just hoping to provide some fractional measure of the guidance and illumination that other films have provided me with.
Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?
My primary objective is for the film to be a resource. So I suppose who I need the most is someone who can provide exposure for the film.
What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?
I would like it to encourage people to be far more gentle and far more kind when it comes to themselves and their self-perceived weaknesses or defects.
What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?
Can people change?
Would you like to add anything else?
I would just like to express my gratitude. I'm honored to have this film profiled on a platform that is so creatively influential. And I'm humbled to have this film included in the same breath as the rest of the films featured within We Are Moving Stories.
What other projects are the key creatives developing or working on now?
I'm polishing and honing my feature length script while onboarding financiers with my producer, Ethan Lazar.
Interview: April 2022
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're Now Beyond Hope, Arizona
Length:
21:31
Writer/Director
NICK DUGAN is an LA-based writer and director based in Los Angeles. Nick graduated from Georgetown University with a BA in Government and found himself unwisely aiming for law school before pulling an abrupt U-turn into the film industry. He has since earned his MFA in Directing from Dodge College of Film and Media Arts at Chapman University.
Nick specializes in socially conscious narrative films. His thematic objectives are often rooted in normalizing universal compassion, unearthing solutions for addiction and substance abuse, and detoxifying the toxic male. His most recent film, "You’re Now Beyond Hope", Arizona won grand jury prizes among their respective categories at Gasparilla International Film Festival and Garden State Film Festival.
Nick is currently shooting commercials and short-form content while his feature film, "Yosemite Red", is in its development and financing stages.
Producer
Ethan Lazar
Key cast:
Lucca De Oliveira, Elyse Mirto, Geordie Kieffer
Looking for:
distributors, film festival directors, journalists, buyers
Instagram:
https://instagram.com/nick_dugan_?utm_medium=copy_link
Hashtags used:
#beyondhopefilm #sobriety #mentalhealthawareness #neowestern
More info:
You can find "You're Now Beyond Hope, Arizona" playing this month at Phoenix Film Festival, Julien Dubuque International Film Festival, and Arizona International Film Festival.