Chris Tashima and Allison Sie in "AMERICANese" |
AAF: Tell us a bit about the development process for the film -- you were hired as the screenwriter first, right? What were some of the challenges of adapting the novel for the screen?
EB: It wasn’t that challenging because I found Shawn's writing to be quite evocative. During the adaptation process, I rented a hotel room on the boardwalk of Venice Beach. My desk had an ocean view. I liked the way the ocean turned white when the sun was at a certain angle. Maybe that’s why water and white became important motifs in the film.
My favorite part of the novel is the aftermath of Raymond and Aurora's breakup, the modes and the rituals they turn to for comfort, the places they go to heal, to let go, or not let go. I decided to start the movie in the aftermath of a rough break-up, and let the narrative unfold as a mystery. He still calls her. She still dreams about him. So why did they break up? I wanted to invite the audience to peel back the layers. Nestled somewhere in the past, at the crossroads where it all went bad, there is a very complex message about race and inter-race.
"Charlotte Sometimes" elicited a number of contentious online discussions regarding race and sexuality -- are you anticipating similar controversy over "AMERICANese"?
I doubt it. Shawn had a few sex jokes in the novel that drove the crazies a little crazier. But the film is much more about romance than sex.
How did "American Knees" become "AMERICANese"?
Using the word “knees” caused confusion for those who were not familiar with the novel. We felt we needed a title that would give people a better chance to guess what the movie was about. I like the fact that the new title sort of implies “Asian American.”
How and when did you end up getting tapped as the director?
I was originally hired to write the screen adaptation. I accepted the job with a polite statement of my interest in directing as well. The producers were thinking more along the lines of Wayne Wang, Mira Nair, or Ang Lee. But when “charlotte sometimes” came out, I was hired as director.
What are some of the differences between "charlotte sometimes" and making "AMERICANese"?
It will be interesting to hear what people think. A film critic in San Francisco interviewed me on Friday. He told me that he felt like AMERICANese was almost a continuation of “charlotte sometimes,” with different characters but a similar stylistic approach. I’m not sure I agree.
I actually feel like my third feature “TRE” will be much closer to “charlotte sometimes.” “TRE,” like “charlotte” focuses on four characters, all of whom are in love or obsessed with at least one of the others. Three of the characters from “charlotte sometimes” appear in “TRE,” which to me implies that the two stories are part of the same world.
I feel like AMERICANese takes place in a different world. There a dozen characters, not just four. Events take place over the course of three years, with several flashbacks that take you back as many as 35 years. The most important difference is that “TRE” and “charlotte sometimes” use objective camera almost exclusively (by objective camera I mean shots that observe from an objective point of view). AMERICANese employs a lot of subjective camera, often showing you images that exist in the character’s minds, not only what they see, but how they see it, visions, dreams, and memories.
Can you tell us anything about the distribution plan for "AMERICANese?”
The film was only finished ten days ago. We’ve had some pretty successful screenings at South by Southwest, but we had a hard time getting distributors to our screenings with so many other great films to see there. On Tuesday, we won the audience award and also a jury award. And on Wednesday we got a lot of phone calls asking for DVD’s. We don’t have DVD’s yet. So we are setting up screenings in New York and Los Angeles. I’ll keep you posted.
