Alfonso Gomez-Rejon returned to the director's chair last September for his second feature film Me and Earl and the Dying Girl, which is now out on DVD and Digital HD.
Alfonso Gomez-Rejon
Me and Earl and the Dying Girl premiered at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival, where it won the U.S. Grand Jury Prize: Dramatic and the Audience Award for U.S. Drama. It went on to play on the festival circuit and in cinemas to critical acclaim.
We caught up with Alfonso Gomez-Rejon to chat about the film, what it was about this story that drew him to the project, and what projects he has on the horizon in 2016.
- Me and Earl and the Dying Girl is about to be released on DVD here in the UK, so can you tell me a little bit about the film?
It's the story of Greg Gaines, an utterly awkward kid, who glides through high school by being friends with everyone (therefore, friends with no one). After years of parodying art house classics with his friend ('co-worker') Earl, he ultimately finds his own voice by making a film for someone else, Rachel. But it's really a celebration of creativity and adolescence, and a love letter to the movies.
I should also add that making this movie was the most creative, collaborative and cathartic experience of my professional life. Molly Shannon called it 'arts and crafts camp,' not a movie set. Everyone on the crew contributed to the making of the film, and supported my vision in a manner that inspired a creative freedom that I hadn't felt in decades (since making films in high school, like Greg).
- The movie is an adaptation of the novel of the same name by Jesse Andrews and the author himself has adapted the book into a screenplay. What was the major draw for you when you read it for the first time?
There is a scene about halfway through the script when Mr. McCarthy, the history teacher played by John Bernthal, tells Greg (our protagonist, wrestling with - and in denial of - Rachel's condition) that even if a person dies, their story can continue to unfold, you just have to pay attention.
Reading that scene was the moment I knew that I had to make this film. That was a beautiful and simple idea that I didn't believe when I first read Jesse's script, but for personal reasons, I deeply wanted and needed to believe. And now I'm happy to say that I do.
- What sort of input did you have on the script? What tweaks were you keen to make after you had read it?
First, there's the sad reality of physical production. We couldn't afford the draft of Jesse's script that had made the Blacklist, so we began working together on a version that we could physically make with the resources that we had. Jesse and I first began discussing the character of Rachel. She was always going to be a bit of a mystery, but to discuss a character with an actor, I needed more. Olivia Cooke would need more, then choose what to reveal to Greg. So we focused on her; digging deeper. The film references also evolved.
I wanted films that not only paid tribute to the filmmakers that shaped me, personally, but the films that Greg's dad would have introduced them to. If he started with Herzog, then the path shouldn't stray to Hollywood blockbusters, but to people like Powell and Pressburger, Nicholas Roeg, Kurosawa, the French New Wave, etc. It was about being specific about the films they would parody, and then see their evolution as Greg is left alone to make a film for Rachel, that abstractly, would relay his deep (platonic) love and respect for her.
The third act was perhaps the most radical departure from the original script, both structurally and in the sound design, but much of that happened in editorial. It became more of a silent film, with Brian Eno's music holding our hand and guiding us through Greg and all of Rachel's secrets. As Greg learns to listen, so does the film.
- The movie explores themes of friendship and death but what were the themes that really drew you into the story and made you want to explore? What were the key part or ideas of the book that you felt had to be included in the movie?
The idea that you can continually learn about someone even after they die was important to me. I was searching for some sort of continuum. The thought that you could blink and never see a loved one again was too abstract of an idea for me and making the film allowed me to explore the idea of humour and creativity as a way to heal, of literally 'making something' (Greg's film;; and mine) and it being the road to finding a continuum of sorts. That even if that person is no longer physically here, and as clearly defined, their beauty could be ever more present. Although I'm not saying that Rachel dies.
- This is only the second feature film of your career, so what did you learn while making The Town That Dreaded Sundown that you were able to put into action on Me and Earl and the Dying Girl?
Both films were incredibly ambitious to make, just the sheer scope that I saw in my head, for the days and money allotted. But you learn that you're only as good as your crew, so I always try to surround yourself with a team that never wants to compromise, even under those kinds of time constraints. It's the c-word on my set. You want to fail trying. You want to take risks.
You don't just want to shoot coverage. You want to experiment as often as you can, or as often as it feels right. What was different about Me and Earl was that it was made independently. I answered to my trusted and creative producers/financier - 4 people total - and we all saw the same movie going into it, so no one was surprised when they saw a Michael Powell or Godard reference instead of a Star Wars reference. Or a Brian Eno score instead of pop songs. The creative risks were embraced and my vision protected, even after selling the film to Fox Searchlight, who became the best of partners.
- How did you find the feature filmmaking process second time around? How did it differ from making your debut picture?
This was a deeply personal film. Not only was it a very funny movie about something not funny at all (to paraphrase Jesse Andrews) but it was an experience that allowed myself to grieve for my father. The physical act of making the film, then releasing it and experiencing it with an audience, made it, again, a very cathartic experience. I achieved a high as a filmmaker I'd never felt before, and I felt I had found my voice again as a filmmaker, not unlike Greg. So here's to personal filmmaking!
- Thomas Mann, RJ Cyler, and Olivia Cooke are just fantastic as Greg, Earl and Rachel. Can you talk about how you got these three terrific actors on board and what you were looking for when you were casting these three central roles?
Thomas and Olivia went through a very long casting process. The movie was up and running, fell apart, then came together again, so they endured a very long audition process. What I was looking for was a special kind of chemistry between Thomas and Olivia - it couldn't be romantic or sexual in any way because I was never going to deliver on that - it had to be about a deep connection between two friends, or three with Earl.
Independently of each other, they were perfect and I was terrified that a screen test would prove me wrong. But it didn't. There was an immediate ease about them and it was immediately clear that they were my Me and the Dying Girl. As for the Earl in the equation, I was three weeks from the start of production we still hadn't found him. As the movie was about to fall apart again, RJ submitted a video and it was exactly what I was looking for.
Even though he wasn't the character as written, or that I had pictured, he was the Earl that was necessary for the movie. Now I had to see how the three looked together. Luckily, it was magic. I was lucky to find three individuals who transmitted on screen the authenticity that they each share in real life.
- Can you also talk about casting the adult roles? Nick Offerman and Connie Britton are particularly good as Greg's parents.
I knew Connie from American Horror Story: Murder House and we had stayed in touch. She read the script, called me, and said she was in. As soon as Connie committed to the film, it became real. After that, it became easier to land my first choices for all the other roles. I wanted to work with Nick and Molly because of their backgrounds in comedy. This was a movie that had to find a tonal balance between both comedy and drama.
It's very hard for dramatic actors to be funny, but comedians are somehow often amazing at drama, and that balance was essential for the movie to work and feel more life-like in a way. If I was ever in danger of going too heavy in a scene, Nick and Molly (as well as Connie and Jon) were able to make the subtlest of adjustments to find the light in the shadow of it all.
- How did you find working with your very talented cast? How open were you to them bring their own ideas about scenes and characters to the table? Would you consider yourself a very collaborative filmmaker?
Film by nature is collaborative and I absolutely adore actors. I think what's vital is for a director and actor to agree on the spine and truth of the character. Once you're in agreement on the spine of the character, then there's a freedom to improvise that comes from a place of truth and mutual understanding. And we often discover new aspects of that person together, which is always magical.
- Me and Earl and the Dying Girl has played well on the festival circuit and has been met well critically, but how have you been personally finding the response to the film? You must have been thrilled with the response and the awards success the film enjoyed at the Sundance Film Festival?
I'm thrilled and always surprised by the audience reactions. So much love went into making this film and that I think that it is palpable in some way. My hope is that over time more people will continue to discover the film.
During your career we have seen you move between feature films and television, so how do the two mediums compare?
There are never enough days and never enough money. And that will never change. In television, it's surreal and often gratifying to get an almost 'instant' audience reaction - it's the closest thing to theatre in a way.
I've directed shows that are on the air a mere two weeks later. And although that can be a rush - to pull it off - I do miss two essential aspects of filmmaking that are often disregarded in TV: pre-production and post-production.
- Finally, what's next for you as we head into 2016?
I have a few irons in the fire for television and film. I'm a little superstitious because most things fall apart, but let's just say I hope to be back on the floor in the spring or summer.
Me and Earl and the Dying Girl is out now on DVD and Digital HD.