A PA R T FROM THAT

People are sloppy. They don’t always make sense. Sometimes they talk,
sometimes they don’t manage to say anything when they talk, sometimes they
connect, sometimes they don’t. They interrupt, contradict and repeat themselves.
They confront certain aspects of life, while denying others. They want to be liked
by strangers and can be callous to those whom they love most.
Populated by a multitude of characters loosely based upon the first-time actors
playing the roles, a film that takes place in 45 locations—from an Indian Reservation
to a Highland cattle ranch—with no stars and a script that changed according to the
ebb and flow of improvisational moments that would take the narrative into new
directions… three stories told simultaneously with no other connection other than
the emotional landscape that governs them all…
A P A R T F R O M THAT
A FILM BY RANDY WALKER AND JENNIFER SHAININ
USA-120 mins-super 16mm - Color -1:78- Stereo
www.foreignamericanpictures.com
“Each performance is disarmingly candid...
“ ...an original and resonant feature debut ”
...enormously memorable.”
- Robert Koehler, Variety
- Belinda Acosta, The Austin Chronicle
“ ...as real and honest as that of an old Cassavetes film.”
- Michael Ferraro, Film Threat
F I L M M A K E R C O N TAC T:
RANDY WALKER
JENNIFER SHAININ
FOREIGNAMERICAN PICTURES, LLC PH: (360) 941-0137
randy@foreignamericanpictures.com
jennyforeignamerican@mac.com
N Y P U B L I C I T Y AG E N CY:
JESSICA EDWARDS
MURPHY PR
PH: (212) 414-0408 jedwards@murphypr.com
FULL SYNOPSIS
“It’s just what happens, and what you expect to happen, and nothing in between.”
—Peggy
THE CONCISE SYNOPSIS
A Native American road striper, a student beautician, a Vietnamese banker, his
adopted American son and an elderly exhibitionist attempt to find their footing in
a world of miscommunication, denial and unmet expectations. APART FROM THAT
examines the anatomy of human vulnerability and love in three relationships that
share common emotional difficulties.
THE LONGER VERSION
Ulla rents a room in Peggy’s home, and they don’t talk much. They have very little
in common, so it seems; Ulla is an introverted student beautician who drives a Buick
that doesn’t belong to her, while Peggy has become too old to keep her driver’s license
and too lonely to care about her own reputation. In want of company, Peggy makes
emergency phone calls to local fire departments, and when there is no fire to put out,
she offers coffee and nudity in consolation. Meanwhile, when Ulla is recruited into
an intervention for a fellow classmate of hers—someone whom she hardly knows —
she is thrown into a new set of circumstances that derails her role as a guest
in a foreign home full of sound and silence.
Leo, a Native American road striper for the department of transportation, remains
haunted by something he can’t talk about. While all of his co-workers come to him
with their constant litany of everyday dilemmas, Leo chooses to avoid his ghosts in
silence. Plus, he’s afraid of cows. Leo’s inability to face the impending death of his
best friend is only frustrated by the seemingly endless army of distractions that he
sets up for himself. In the end, when it becomes too late, what remains is not only
regret, but also a strange glimpse at hope.
Sam works for a bank and is asked to fire Lee, a coworker who manages the
marketing department. When Lee tries to explain to his family that he no longer
has a job, Sam’s son Kyle is stuck in the middle. Having lost Lee’s son as a best friend,
Kyle confronts his father about Lee’s dismissal, and the divide between father and son
grows increasingly irreconcilable as Sam attempts to distract the issue.
Between Sam’s desire to move on with life and Kyle’s unrelenting efforts to reverse
the events surrounding the lay-off, the pain and confusion that results cannot be
cleanly resolved.
You can taste the vinegar of human awkwardness and discomfort in the intricate
performances rendered by a cast largely consisting of first-time actors; Alice
Ellingson as the lonesome, uninhibited Peggy—a woman who searches for human
contact in unorthodox ways, Tony Cladoosby as Leo, fighting the silent fight between
indecision and strength with astonishing vulnerability, the enigmatic Ulla, a guest
who cannot find the right words—or sounds—for anything, masterfully expressed
by Kathleen McNearney, Toan Le as Sam, who dances seamlessly between his roles
as boss and father, and Kyle, played by Kyle Conyers—a boy who has to face the
consequences of adult decisions, even when the adult, his father, cannot.
DIRECTOR’S STATEMENT
There is nothing we can say in words that the film shouldn’t be able to express on its
own, visually. Put very simply, it is what it is. Any disclaimers, intentions, analyses
or opinions that we may offer are, in effect, redundant. Ultimately, its audience will
either love it or hate it, understand it or be confused, develop a connection to it or
remain detached.
We will say this, however; the film does require patience. Its story is a difficult one,
jumping erratically between five strangers and three sub-plots. It also doesn’t attempt
to reveal all the information necessary to immediately identify every motivation and
emotion touching the characters at all times. Such as in life, there are moments of
confusion, insecurity, abstraction and improvisation. The film was conceived and
executed with this in mind, and, with the help of a truly unique cast who ended up
donating much of themselves to these stories, perhaps those who view this film will,
with patience, encounter something that affects their own lives as well.
CAST
(in order of appearance)
Louise
Agnes
Ulla
Sonja
Per
Theresa
Jette
Birgitta
Kyle
Tiffer
Campbell
Lena
Stargirl 1
Stargirl 2
Stargirl 3
Stargirl 4
Starboy
Sam
Party Guest 1
Party Guest 2
Party Guest 3
Party Guest 4
Party Guest 5
Party Guest 6
Leo
Eugene
Pete
R.F.
Steen-Erik
Peggy
Molly
Chenoa
Limo Kid 1
Limo Kid 2
Limo Kid 3
Limo Kid 4
Limo Kid 5
Limo Kid 6
Limo Kid 7
Limo Kid 8
Crackerjack
Mrs. Friend
Dan
Student Beautician 1
Dorrie-Ann
Beautician of the Month Receptionist V.O.
Minerva
Student Beautician 2
Student Beautician 3
Beautician Instructor
DMV Assistant BETTY JO HANSON
ULLA WALKER
KATHLEEN MCNEARNEY
NINA KURRLE
SIDNEY IVERSON
INGEBORG STENSLAND
BETTY STOVER
PIRJO PASANEN
KYLE CONYERS
JOE ROSE
TARAN YOUNG
MADISON MELCHER
SHANAYLA YANTIS
SHAUNA WERNER
EMILY PITTIS
KATY MULLEN
CUTLER HALVERSON
TOAN LE
MARGARET KERSHAW
BRAD HANSON
JUNE THIES
CARL LIBBEY
MARY LU EASTHAM
NORMA SHAININ
TONY CLADOOSBY
TIM ROUNDS
DENNIS STOVER
LOUIS ORAVETZ
BJORN SVENDSEN
ALICE ELLINGSON
HILARY EDWARDS
CHENOA TOM
WAYNE FORNSBY
LEILA CLARK
AMELIA JOHN
CAROL JOHN
MACKY CLARK
ALMA EDWARDS
CARENE SIDDLE
LEANNA JOHN
MARIAH CLARK
JAN HODGMAN
KEVIN PAUL
JESSICA ACETI
MICHELLE SHEIMAN
STARLEE DELOURE
MARGARET RICHARD
WANDA CHINN-HANSON
SARA CHRISTINE BECK
BRAD SLOCUM
WENDY BOYD
MARK VALLEE
CAST
(continued)
DMV Test Taker
DMV Driver
Mrs. Neblett
Halloween Singer 1
Halloween Singer 2
Halloween Singer 3
Halloween Singer 4
Scottish Country Dancers
Lee
Alleyway Beautician 1
Alleyway Beautician 2
Alleyway Beautician 3
Norma
Sherman
Halloween Parade Goers
Hobo The Turtle
Awkward Cop
Deaf Criminal Damion
Stunt Driver 1
Stunt Driver 2
Stunt Driver 3
Stunt Driver 4
Street Kid 1
Street Kid 2
TV Bank Executive
Finance Fun and Sun V.O.
Susan
Peggy’s Phone Friend
Fire Captain
PAUL DEPIRO
THOMAS YOUNG
IRENE ROCHON
JESSICA BOWMAN
ARIEL BOWMAN
JOSHUA BOWMAN
MAXWELL CRABILL
DIANNA EVANS
JOANN CHAMBERLIN
MARGARET CASE
JACK HESSING
FRANCIS ORR
DAVID HYLTON
FREA WOOFENDEN
GARY SCHOONVELD
LAYELL BRADLEY
KRISTINA BRADLEY
HOLLY ROSE CARLSON
MARIANNE MEYER
BRUCE SIMON
MELISSA LIVENZ D.K. YORK D.C. JOHN WHITLOOK KAYLA MASKELL SUZI BANTA TOMME RATHBONE KOBY PETERSON ANNIE SPOELSTRA KARISSA STRUTHERS
KRISTI HARGROVE AFTON HAUER TIERRA HOUSTON
SHIRLEY DELK
HOBO OKON
RICHARD JEWETT
NATE HERTH
KWAMI TAHA
DANNY FRIZZELL
IVAN VALDOVINOS
CAROLYN NERSTEN
JOHN DEPALMA
ALI HERNANDEZ
RYAN WEBSTER
PETER WALKER
CHRIS DINON
MICHEL TYABJI
ROSA TYABJI
ERIK FORSSELL
SUSAN ALOTRICO
JULIA WALKER
PAUL HASKINS
CAST
(continued)
Fireman 1
E.M.T.
Fireman 2
Fireman 3
Fireman 4
Calvin
Tamera
Cat Show Host
Cat Enthusiast
Peggy’s Ride
Ray
Sheldon
Joan
Margaret
Dar
Banjo Camp Sweeper 1
Banjo Camp Sweeper 2
Store Bottle Lady
Java Cladoosby
Dually
A-Hole
Sculpture Kid 1
Sculpture Kid 2
Sculpture Kid 3
Toaster Kid
Harold
Male Slough Watcher
Female Slough Watcher
Dutch Clog Girl
Dutch Clog Driver
Float Rider 1
Float Mermaid
Float Rider 2
Float Rider 3
Float Rider 4
Float Rider 5
Float Rider 6
Tractor Drivers
Norwegian Singers
Parade Goers
RYAN HORVELL
KALEB BRUCH
BEN ROBERTS
DANIEL STORER
KEVIN HUSSEY
LAWRENCE CORDIER
DARLENE EDWARDS
POKI BREEDING
HOOTOKSI TYABJI
CHRISTOPHER MCNULTY
LAUREN PITTIS
DONOVAN GEORGE
JESSICA MARLOWE–GOLDSTEIN
ANNA CLADOOSBY
JUDY BEYER
EMILY NICHOLS
SAVHANNA HATLEY
GERALDINE CAULFIELD
JAVA THE DOG
DAN STOUGH
MALCOLM MCLAREN
JARRETTE CAYOU
YUANISSA CAYOU
BRETT CAYOU
JAMES CLARK
LEON CORDIER
DANA RUST
TONI ANN RUST
CASSIE DODSON
DAVE DODSON
DAVE BOCK
HEATHER BANSMER
KATE NICHOLS
BERTA BOCK
RANDY REIMER
RENEE REIMER
SHEEBA THE DOG
PAUL HIEB
HAROLD EASTBURY
GARY FRIEND
ALERD JOHNSON
LOREN DAHL
ERWIN KNAPP
ROBERT KONSTAD
ALLEN FERIS
ALVIN STENSLAND
ROBIN CARNEEN
BEN HAZELWOOD
EVELYN LIVINGSTON
MARLA QUESNELL
CREW
Written, Directed, Produced and Edited by RANDY WALKER
JENNIFER SHAININ
Executive Producer
PETER SHAININ
Director of Photography
ERIK FORSSELL
Musical Score CHRISTOPHER SHAININ
PATRICK SHAININ
BRIAN OLPIN
Production Manager
NORMA JEAN STRAW
Assistant Director
Pre-Production Assistant
Sound Mixer
Boom Operator
GINA MAINWAL
JAMIE NICHOLSON
ROSA TYABJI
MICHEL TYABJI
1st Assistant Camera MANNY MARQUEZ
Key Grip
TROY COOK
Grip JORDAN“BROGAN” BALDWIN
DOUGLAS JORDAN
Gaffer
COREY LOPARDI
SHANE GLANDER
LINCOLN LEWIS
JASON FAWCETT
NICHOLAS NAKIS
Audio Post Production
LIMITLESS SKY RECORDS
Sound Design
ROSA TYABJI
Musicians
Set Dresser and Prop Master
CHRISTOPHER SHAININ
PATRICK SHAININ
BRIAN OLPIN
HOPE WECHKIN
Assistant Prop and Set Artists
SHAWN BREEDING
AYAKO OKON
Wardrobe and Make-Up
JESSICA ACETI
Assistant Wardrobe
BIL MCMILLIAN
Still Photography
NORMA SHAININ
ULLA WALKER
BETH BLAIR
Casting and Locations
FOREIGNAMERICAN
PICTURES, LLC
Production Assistants MARGARET RICHARD
BEVERLY PETERS
THE FILMMAKERS
RANDY WALKER, WRITER/DIRECTOR
Only bits and pieces here and there are known about RANDY WALKER.
After a failed tennis career, he became a journalist and did political cartoons for
small weekly newspapers in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, including the rag that once
staffed Mark Twain. Eventually, Walker got in the habit of using the press cameras to
take pictures of coffee rings in naugahyde booths or Republicans walking in and out
of the Elks Club. I come to find out he also worked in a genetics lab for the
University of California, Riverside, sequencing the DNA of marsupials from New
Guinea. Couldn’t hold down that gig, either. As a result, he tried his hand at
advertising, staple pulling, letterman’s jacket design…but none of it would take.
Got to the point where reading poetry in jail sounded pretty good, so he set out to steal
a book on ethics from a bookstore and then never read it. Of course, this plan, like so
many earlier plans of his, never saw the light of day.
By the way, if you bring up any of this stuff he responds mostly in mumbles and
awkward gestures. But ask him about film, theatre, photography or literature and he’s
off and running. “I want to see a film written by Edward Albee, Raymond Carver and
Samuel Beckett, directed by John Cassavetes, shot by William Eggleston, lit by
Bresson, focus-pulled by Uta Barthe, scored by Daniel Johnston and set in Russia.”
This was the first thing he said to me as he opened the door to his beat-up Chrysler
LeBaron mid-life crisis. Walker is thirty, by the way.
As it turns out, he got his Bachelor’s in English at Whitman College, his Master’s in
film at the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, and was on a children’s game
show called FUN HOUSE when he was eleven.
“I lost on that, too” he added, with a smile.
FILMOGRAPHY
AGAVE (2003)
APART FROM THAT (2005)
APART FROM THAT is Walker’s first feature debut as a co-writer/co-director/
co-producer/co-editor.
THE FILMMAKERS
(continued)
JENNIFER SHAININ, WRITER/DIRECTOR
All right, there are a few things you ought to know about JENNIFER SHAININ (34).
Not the least of which involves…well, I’ll get to that later.
When I met her, she was weaving a pillow made entirely of U.S. postage stamps and
talking about giant penguins in Antarctica that stand six feet tall. She also had a way
of winking at you that made you smile even if you were trying not to. We went on to
discuss, among other things, the opening sequence to Andrei Tarkovsky’s film THE
SACRIFICE, the graphic design in American road signs and the stories in Tom Waits
tunes. I find out she got her undergraduate degree at Rhode Island School of Design,
worked on the main titles for many Hollywood films including SEVEN, BIODOME,
TWISTER and MISSION:IMPOSSIBLE, picked up her Master’s degree at the Art
Center College of Design in Pasadena, during which time she wrote, produced and
directed her own narrative short film entitled WHERE I AM. “I don’t think a good
film needs to be shot on film,” she explained. “Just like I don’t think you have to have
a professional actor in order to get a bang-up performance.”
This is where John Cassavetes and Jim Jarmusch came in; how these two filmmakers
influenced her in terms of acting, character, story, aesthetics…the important stuff.
“I think I’ll make a movie about my apartment manager,” she whispered into her cup
of coffee. She then picked up her suitcases and left Los Angeles altogether, opting
instead for the Pacific Northwest. Apparently, that’s where she grew up, just outside
Mount Vernon, doing the graveyard shift on a pea combine when she was just a kid,
telling her first stories into a CB radio while sitting under the Northern Lights.
It was when she said this that, well, maybe another time…
FILMOGRAPHY
WHERE I AM (post-production)
APART FROM THAT (2005)
APART FROM THAT is Shainin’s first feature debut as a co-writer/co-director/
co-producer/co-editor.
CAST BIOGRAPHIES
(in their own words)
ALICE ELLINGSON (PEGGY)
I’m famous for serving leftovers, making substitutions in recipes and building metal
sheds in my backyard.
I was born in September of 1928 in mid-continent Kansas, the second child of seven;
five girls and two boys. I survived the dust storms of the dirty thirties. In 1937 the
family moved to western Colorado. California or bust in 1942. I met and married on
July 29, 1945, in Long Beach, California, a sailor from Everett, Washington. We lived
in Everett for a couple of years, then moved to Bellingham, Whatcom County
Washington where I’ve lived since 1948.
When I was married at 16 I hadn’t finished high school. In 1966-67 I had a chance
to get an Adult High School diploma at Skagit Valley College. After receiving that
I enrolled at Western Washington State College (now University) and graduated in
1970 with a degree in Home Economics Education. I taught at Everett High School
for a couple of years, then received a Fellowship to attend Kansas State University
where I earned a Master’s degree in Institutional Food Service.
I’ve had a chance to do quite a bit of traveling around the United States with our local
Veterans of Foreign Wars marching drill team. I was with them for twenty-five years.
My four daughters, born between 1946 and 1951, are all grandmothers. My husband,
Neil, died in 1991, so I’m now a widow. Sorry, guys, not rich or good-looking.
My movie character, Peggy Green and I, Alice Gray, are the same person. I got the fun
part of acting as myself.
So that’s my story and I’m stickin to it.
TONY K. TIES ME UP/CLADOOSBY (LEO)
I have worn many different hats throughout my life. Starting in the work force at
age 13—work for the farm, doing all aspects of planting to harvest, then became a
fisherman, then to construction as a road builder to auto mechanic, truck driver,
heavy equipment, operator, from there to boat building (two different types of boats:
36’ commercial fishing boats and 45’ yachts). Did landscaping. Worked in factories
making K2 skis and a glass foundry making jars and bottles. Worked in the gaming/
gambling industry with a handful of jobs; bingo caller, poker dealer and poker room
manager. Now I work for our tribal housing authority, taking care of tasks like
electrics, plumbing, carpentry, painting, lead abatement, roofing. I am also an E.M.T.
with the fire department and I retail fireworks two months out of the year. Oh yes, and
now I can say I have also acted in a movie as a lead actor.
CAST BIOGRAPHIES
(continued)
KYLE CONYERS (KYLE)
Hi, I’m Kyle Conyers. I’m 12. I home school. I love algebra. Writing sucks. These are
my sports: gymnastics, soccer, fencing, backpacking, camping, snowboarding,
and skateboarding.
I live in a weird straw bale house in the country with my parents, my older sister, 3
cats, 5 goldfish, 4 chickens, and 2 ducks.
I want to be the American Ambassador to New Zealand when I grow up. And a Park
Ranger. I love cheese. My favorite music is punk rock, and I play the drums. I like
politics. Working on this movie was a blast, I loved the crew and the directors.
Oh, and I love moonlit walks on beaches and candlelit dinners...
KATHLEEN MCNEARNEY (ULLA)
Female…5’8”…5’8 1/2” with heels, Eyes: green-blue, S.S.#…
b. Massachusetts d. pending
Childhood spent on the riverbanks of West Virginia with 3 brothers; 2 adopted.
Favorite board game: CLUE
Parents divorced.
Attended small liberal arts college in Pittsburgh…
Continues to enjoy life in Los Angeles with her husband Tom.
Looks forward to being first time homeowner, but in this current crazy L.A. market
and student loans on her shoulders, she’s not holding her breath.
Go Cougars!
“Daytime jobs” suck as do freeway traffic jams, but endured anyway.
Flavor of the month: Ben & Jerry’s Everything But…
I hate to talk about myself.
Grew up on bluegrass and Beethoven in an eclectic rowdy household.
Upon graduating from Chatham College in Pittsburgh, headed for New York City to
study acting. Still loves to clog dance.
CAST BIOGRAPHIES
(continued)
TOAN LE (SAM)
Toan grew up in Saigon, Viet Nam, and at the age of fifteen escaped with his family
to the U.S. in 1975 just two days before its fall. They settled in the Chicago area, where
he spent his young adulthood and received a BFA in Painting from Northern Illinois
University. Started his graduate study at Syracuse University in Syracuse NY, and
finished with an MFA in Art Media Studies from Northern Illinois University. Before
moving to the northwest in 1993, he worked as a storyboard artist then taught
photography, video, and art & technology at the Columbus College of Art and Design,
Columbus OH.
Now Toan is a graphic designer and is struggling to find his way back to doing things
important to him; painting, writing, film making, and, his new love, acting. He lives
with his wife, Sally, on an island in Puget Sound, in a house they built with their hands
and hearts while living in a tent for three years. With three dogs, three cats, eleven
chickens, and six fish, he and his wife end the day with glasses of wine. They plan not
to have any more animals, except perhaps a horse for her and a donkey for him.
Toan believes in god but does not like him. He dreads the idea of reincarnation,
but if it were true he wants to come back as some kind of natural disaster.
SUSAN ALOTRICO (SUSAN)
Susan wonders if she will ever meet a man who smells as good as her horse.
Susan dreams of creating storytelling in the trees and is writing her own fairytales.
Susan loves to wake up in the middle of the night just so she can fall back to sleep.
She is an awesome events coordinator and loves to inspire children about the
possibilities in life. She loves trees and water.
JESSICA MARLOWE-GOLDSTEIN (JOAN)
Jessica loves real authentic magic in films and people. She is studying to be a teacher
in public high school classrooms so she can do more film and acting in theatre and
keep a roof over her head. She teaches in NYC, Alaska, Seattle, and Nepal. Leo & Joan
will survive and live 4ever.
THE INCEPTION OF “APART FROM THAT”
It is very difficult to discuss the genesis of this film without looking at the development of its characters. Equally difficult is the attempt to understand the characters
without considering the actors who filled their shoes.
When you participate in the development of people, rather than mere characters, you
have to give up something. That is to say, you have to swing with the fact that these
personalities that you present on screen never stop changing, regardless of all the
best laid plans and artistic visions you might have established beforehand. This is
true, because actual people don’t always know what they are doing, or what their
motivations might be, or even who they are. Not everyone is ambitious or in the
process of executing some singular objective or goal. Even the most determined
people in the world have several layers to them; various facets to their personas,
histories and experiences that have nothing to do with their “focus in life”. This film
is about those other aspects of a person—the small contradictions, choices and
behaviors that truly reveal who they are.
As for the story of this film, although many of the situations derived from several
shared, personal experiences drawn from the lives of its writer/directors, the film
found its true form through the dramatic contributions of its actors. Rather than
begin with a specific conceit or theme with careful attention paid to dramatic
structure, the narrative was made manifest by the decisions, reactions and conflicts
that arose amongst its characters. And, because we can’t always predict how any one
of us might behave in any given circumstance, the direction that the story might have
taken was always up for grabs.
To suggest that this was an arbitrary development of the narrative is an incorrect
assessment. Rather, by remaining flexible to the changing climate of the story and
its characters, the cast and crew alike were able to better adhere to the natural
evolution of the piece while remaining free from any forced plot points that would run
contrary to what these characters might feel or how they might act. Again, the nature
of these characters is a variable one, and it becomes extremely difficult to assign a
stereotypical understanding to a person who is constantly in motion. These are
human beings who are all changing and adapting emotionally to their equally
variable microcosms—ultimately, individual experiences within these worlds might
provide the audience with a portrait of their own small, yet shared, lives.
We knew that we wanted the film to begin with a party; a common ground, wherein
the principal characters would be introduced. But, we didn’t want them to be
immediately recognized as the “protagonists,” prominently displayed in the
conspicuous foreground. We wanted the audience to be able to reach out into that
out-of-focus, nebulous background field of idle conversationalists and learn about
their lives and problems. Then, as these five secondary characters depart from the
party, we decide to follow them home. From this point onward, the circumstances of
the story acted as small playgrounds for the actors to experiment within; although
the conflicts and events of the script remained in tact, the resolutions and true nature
of the characters and their worlds soon became subject to constant revision.
Ulla was initially an SAT test instructor. But, shortly prior to shooting, she became a
student beautician, primarily because her character, throughout several rehearsals,
began to develop into more of an observer rather than a teacher. Or, perhaps more
appropriately, Ulla had become something of a professional listener.
THE INCEPTION OF “APART FROM THAT”
(continued)
This is what guests do when they find themselves in a foreign environment—they
watch, listen and record. They also try to remain inconspicuous, often softly agreeing
to things that they wouldn’t normally agree to so as not to upset the roost. This
character development was largely attributable to the approach that Kathleen
McNearney took with Ulla. Through Kathleen’s interpretation of the role, we began
to notice the many various ways Ulla would circumvent actual human interaction.
For example, the uncomfortable, yet revealing manner by which she would have to
react to something or someone without the benefit of speech or dialogue spoke
volumes about Ulla as a human being. As this process continued, we started to
discover that Ulla shares many of Peggy’s characteristics as well; Ulla’s audio
collection of household sounds is very similar to Peggy’s collection of despised
expressions. Both have difficulties explaining themselves to other people, both seek
companionship and will do almost anything to get it, and both experience the fallout
from unmet expectations, for better or for worse.
Similarly, the character of Peggy began more as a tragic figure; a woman who would
travel from one sad, desperate attempt at affection to the next. Once Alice Ellingson
was cast in the role however, Peggy became a completely different person. No longer
a victim of old age and the DMV, Peggy soon became a cantankerous, humorous
exhibitionist who had a talent for shifting blame away from herself and onto others.
More importantly, Peggy, who resembled Alice in more ways than one (Peggy’s home
being Alice’s actual home, for example), became perhaps what we all wish we could be
as we grow older— adventurous, spontaneous, resilient, fearless and funny.
From a directorial standpoint, Peggy’s character development no longer dealt with
the issue of an older woman attempting to be young again—it had extended so far
beyond such a simplistic theme, that the notion of Peggy trying to regain her youth
is not even evident in Alice’s performance. In fact, ideally, the audience will not be
able to identify any one single, defining aspect to Peggy; they might respect her one
moment and pity her the next, laugh with her at one point, and yet understand Ulla’s
frustrations with her as well. Rather than follow the sad trials of an older woman
getting older (an exceptionally boring premise), Peggy provides us with hope and
reason to laugh at life within a world of loneliness and insecurity.
The story of Leo originated from the environment in which he lives. Having had the
opportunity to spend some time with the Swinomish tribe during the writing process,
we were able to incorporate many of the characteristics specific to the Swinomish
Reservation into our script. Knowing that this would also be where we would shoot
Leo’s story allowed us to be extremely specific with the unique nature of this
environment. One element that dramatically influenced the film was the staggering
number of deaths that the reservation suffers each year, a statistic that was ultimately
embodied by the ghost-like presence of Calvin, Leo’s fading best friend. Rather than
search for professional actors to play Swinomish natives, all auditions were held
at the Swinomish Social Services Hall, an event that itself illustrated the tightly
woven sense of community and kinship of the tribe, as all those who showed up
to the casting call remained as audience for each individual audition, providing
applause after each read. Once cast in the role of Leo, Tony Cladoosby, without any
prior acting experience, immediately applied his own extensive experiences with
death to the role. Through discussion and script revision, the story of Leo became
one that reflected deep, personal connections between character and actor.
THE INCEPTION OF “APART FROM THAT”
(continued)
At an early stage in the scriptwriting process, the topic of job termination was to be
explored not from the perspective of he who is fired, but rather through the eyes of
he who must do the firing. Typically, the boss figure is portrayed as a very
authoritarian, almost unfeeling dictator who discharges his or her employees
with little remorse. Conversely, the story of Sam and Kyle delves into the human
alternative to this stereotype; the emotional consequences that haunt a fallible and
insecure boss who is also a father. Rather than focus the narrative on the “victim”
of vocational displacement, we instead observe the world of the “executioner”, as well
as the excuses and lies he must produce for the benefit of his family. Once again, it
was through the performances of Toan Le (Sam) and Kyle Conyers (Kyle) that the story
reached new depths. Early in rehearsals, it became evident that not only was this
father/son relationship a veritable tennis match of alternating strengths and
vulnerabilities, but it had also become a humorous, yet truthful, study of a father’s
need of his son’s approval.
Sam is a character who needs to know that his son will always trust him, no matter
what. But it was Toan’s representation of this character that demonstrated this need
with a unique touch of humorous desperation; during one of their station wagon drives
in the film, Sam turns to Kyle and asks him why trees bend. He then offers to buy his
son “an oatmeal”—two entirely improvised lines that extended from Sam’s feeble
attempts at forced humor so that he may regain his son’s favor. Kyle Conyers’
portrayal of Kyle, as a young boy unsatisfied by the denials and avoidances of adults,
further frustrated his father’s attempts, while suffering from his own poor decisions.
The notion that many of these characters were intended to exist as extensions of the
actors playing them was perhaps the initial seed from which APART FROM THAT
grew. Although we attempted to offer an observation of the revealing, smaller
moments and emotions in life from our shared, personal perspectives and histories,
a certain truthfulness and honesty arose as a result of these actors placing themselves
into our stories. In this way, the blurred lines that exist between actor and character
could be further abstracted, and, through this appropriation, a truly unique story may
be expressed.
THE MUSIC
CHRISTOPHER SHAININ
This project was challenging on many levels. The three interwoven stories required
music that accompanied their different trajectories, while describing the community
as their starting point.
The conditions under which the music was created were also difficult, as I was living
in an apartment away from a studio. Most of the sounds were made with guitar, piano,
voice, and mandolin. A trap set was constructed from a soda can (thank you, Mr.
Pibb!) and chopsticks from an all-night takeout frequented by taxi drivers.
The best spot for recording in the high-rise apartment was reached from crouching
on the kitchen countertop and singing into the unplugged refrigerator, to facilitate
reverberation. The hours for recording were limited. Because of the warm weather,
construction had already begun outside, so the daytime was out. Late at night the
deaf upstairs neighbors listened to television through some kind of vibraphone,
which amplified distorted tones down through the building. This was the perfect
environment, then, to write music about people who can’t connect, even if they live
on top of each other.
The time spent on the project was special, fleeting, and full of reward. It has been a
pleasure working with such imaginative directors. Too bad they hired me just to get
to my brother.
PATRICK SHAININ
I really appreciated the opportunity to work on the score for “Apart From That”.
Jenny and Randy are very inspiring to work with. They asked for the score and sound
design to evolve and interact with the evolution of the overall production. I think
that in their ideal world, the early music sketches would serve as a soundtrack for
the filmmaking process itself, rather than the film, and would more readily help
shape the writing, acting, and production design. Only during the editing process
would the final necessary music pieces become apparent. We didn’t get to that ideal,
mostly because of other time commitments that prevented me from being on the set
during shooting, and Christopher was across the country. We did play up some fun
grooves with Kyle’s organ and a trap set during the post-production that we didn’t
wind up using, and I can see how playing those pieces for the actors, and some banjo
pieces we also abandoned, might have contributed to the direction they took the
characters during filming. It will be interesting to see the reaction of the actors to
the music, since I don’t think they heard any of it before filming was complete.
Even if we had played pieces for the actors during the shooting I doubt we would
have kept any of them in the final score, because we would not have gotten the
spontaneity we liked if we tried to re-perform the pieces later for recording.
And I found it was much easier to arrive at the right piece once all the limitations
imposed by the final edit were apparent. I wasn’t facing the open sea of possibilities
at that point. The flip side is that I couldn’t take the pieces wherever they wanted to
go at that stage. Those ideas become the starting point for other projects instead.
Q&A WITH DIRECTORS JENNIFER SHAININ & RANDY WALKER
How did you go about co-writing the script?
RW: We’d be in a café or a grocery store and so often we’d hear these conversations
between people that were so incredible and true and full of emotion, drama and
humor, that we just started listening and writing it all down. And for me, that’s a big
part of it—I’m not much of a writer, but I like to really listen to what people say and
watch what they do—how people interact with one another during the small, everyday
moments. And, from there, you kind of appropriate these behaviors and develop
characters from your environment. A lot of this film began with conversations or
small events taken out of context; Jenny and I would be in a grocery store, and we’d
see a husband and wife arguing about a cart full of fake palm trees and we’d turn to
one another and whisper “did you just see that?” We’d be elbowing each other all over
the place. Once we started collecting these little moments, these little human
exchanges, we combined them with things that have happened in our own lives.
Things that have affected us on some emotional level.
JS: We had a lot of stuff that we sort of stored up in our brains and so when we
started writing, we went off into our separate corners and each started writing our
own scenes, not talking to each other really, not knowing what was going to happen…
And then, when we were done, we got together and put all the scenes on the floor, and
we looked at them and asked, “okay—what could work from this?”
RW: Life is a long succession of little events that you never expect. That was
something we were playing with as well. I like the idea that a movie can be about
somebody and then, all of a sudden, their life can be derailed and redirected off into
some small interaction with some other person, and then we can leave that person
altogether, and then never see them again. That’s kind of how the script developed.
It sort of arose from these little “other” moments that pull these characters away
from their normal lives.
JS: We also spent a lot of time asking each other, “okay, what are the things that
really get to us?” At first, we were talking a lot about the idea that people are always
concerned with the next big event in their lives. The expectations that are never
fulfilled. How, when the event finally comes around, you’re already thinking about
the next thing, so you can never actually experience what you’re doing—you can only
experience it from the outside, from faraway. It’s always a big event when you’re not
in the middle of it. And when you are in the middle of it, it’s never much of anything.
Some people always live for that next event, and they never really enjoy their lives.
All these ideas went into the writing of the script, and, of course, we ended up tossing
most of them out.
How was the film cast?
JS: We received four-hundred some odd submissions from the actor’s callboard in
Seattle. That’s not including all the local submissions we had. And we pretty much
made an effort to call all of them—well, in the sense that we looked through all of them
and weeded out people who lived in Florida, or something. Everyone else we
scheduled an audition with, because, in our opinion, you can never cast someone
based on looks or prior work.
Q&A WITH DIRECTORS
(continued)
RW: And remember; we were co-writing and co-directing this thing. Jenny had her
ideas of what these characters were like, and I had mine. But I don’t think either one
of us thought that the physical appearance of the characters was important. I was
personally more excited about what would be different than what I expected—the
alternatives to my vision of these people…because it’s more exciting to be wrong.
We considered almost everyone who auditioned for almost every role, because it was
about avoiding any stereotypical, first impression knee-jerk casting decisions.
JS: And, out of the four hundred submissions, we only cast five or six people who had
ever acted before. Everyone else were first-time actors who were local and who were
excellent at playing themselves. And taking chances.
RW: We were mostly looking for people who could expand upon their characters, who
could do things with their role that we could never have imagined—who could take the
scene and the story in a completely different direction and accomplish something
entirely apart from our initial visions. So, in the auditions, the more surprised we
were, or the more atypical their performances were—in terms of how they fit with our
ideas about the character—the more exciting it was for us. We wanted people who
would continually surprise us and be creative with their roles. Rather than search out
actors who would meet some preconceived notion of what that character “should be”,
we wanted people who weren’t afraid to make fools of themselves and be willing to
improvise and change their roles.
JS: We didn’t care about the written word at all. If the actor wanted to change any
of their lines, they were always welcome to. Even in the auditions. Provided the
emotions were still there.
How did you approach the process of co-directing?
JS: By and large, with the experienced actors, I was very careful not to say too much
to them in terms of direction, because I knew that they were capable of bringing so
much to the role on their own, and I wanted to see what that was going to be. I didn’t
want to overload them with too much direction. And with the people who hadn’t acted
so much before, I was working more to try to get them to connect emotionally to what
was happening in the scene. And then, I wanted to reassure them that they could
express themselves in the scene in any way that they wanted to.--I wanted them to
know that they would feel free to try anything. We wrote the situations, the characters
came to life through the actors, and the actors gave us these moments that we could
never have written or planned…that’s what we wanted this film to be; a series of these
moments that were so full of energy and real emotion and uncertainty that you leave
the canvas open to enable the actors to offer their own interpretations. And you end
up getting so much more out of it because you’ve allowed them to put so much more
back into it. You haven’t controlled it.
Q&A WITH DIRECTORS
(continued)
RW: In many ways, I’m a really bad director. I think the most boring thing in the
world is to try to get actors to do exactly what you want them to do, according to your
initial intentions with a scene or a character. The more control you apply, the less the
actor is allowed to use his or her own imagination, and, in the end, the performance
suffers. This is why I tried to never tell any actor what to do, or to give them any
answers. Once an actor dives into their role, they should know more about that
character than I do. And that’s because they’re the ones that have to play the part,
not me. I just try to get the actors to experiment with the possibilities of their
characters, and then I back off. In my opinion, a good director will get the actors
comfortable enough to be willing to do anything, to try anything. I don’t ever want
to say to an actor “do it this way…”, mostly because they’ll actually try to do it. Actors
want to please directors and enact the vision of a director. But that’s not as
interesting to me as an actor taking a role and adapting it to themselves, discovering
new things about the character and digging deeper into the emotions. If there’s
a searching going on—if the actor doesn’t have all the answers, and they are
emotionally searching for what to say or feel, that’s exciting to me. I’d rather watch
a character who is struggling for a means to express him or herself than watch
someone who always knows how to react or who is always prepared with their
emotions—that’s extremely fake to me. No one is ever really prepared with
their feelings.
Please describe each other’s directing styles.
RW: I don’t think that Jenny has a style. I don’t think she goes into it thinking,
“this is who I am as a director and I’m going to approach it with this style, and I’m
going to apply this style to every character and every actor.” She’s very flexible with
each moment. And she bounces back and forth between the camera, the lighting, the
actors…she does absolutely everything. And her mind tells her that she can handle
all of those things. And so, it can get to the point at which it can be too much for her
because she has to juggle everything all at once. She has a very graphic and amazing
aesthetic, and the look of the film is very important to her. Film is really an art to her,
not just entertainment. She’s a real artist. And, I think, ideally, if she could do
everything by herself, she would. Everything. She would shoot it, direct it, light it…
I don’t think she would act in it, but she might. And she would take her time and she
would spend days and days shooting one scene. And I think that that needs to
happen more. I think this film was shot too fast—we could’ve taken a year to shoot
this film—and if we had done it the way she would have done it herself, it would have
taken forever, but it would have been amazing, because she pays so much attention
to detail. I don’t pay as much attention to what the camera sees, but that was fine,
because I trusted her attention to the aesthetics implicitly.
JS: You totally pay attention to what the camera sees! Randy focuses a lot on the
actors and gets them—I feel like he’s playing in mud. Making mud pies, when he
gets with the actors. He’s baking mud pies, and he’s so excited, and he gets them all
excited about it, and he pushes all their buttons. He can sit there and rehearse with
them for hours and hours and hours, and I like that process, but I didn’t interrupt him,
because I felt that that might be an instance in which having two directors could be really detrimental. I wanted the actors to have a comfortable place for them to be able to
grow and change into these characters—through rehearsal and getting to know each
other, really feeling it out—and I felt that after that safety area was created, and we
were ready to shoot, I’d watch them do a rehearsal and I could go up to them and say
something more general, like I’d want them to be more forceful with an issue,
or something like that…
Q&A WITH DIRECTORS
(continued)
JS: …But always using the work that Randy had done with the actors to build on top of.
And he would come in the room and look through the camera and say “It’s too straight.
We got to tilt it, we got to change it somehow…” At one point he was totally hung up
on this ring of light that a lamp was casting on the ceiling, and we spent a lot of time
trying to keep that weird halo effect in the shot, and I love that stuff too, but we look
at things in very different ways. I don’t know—I think I was really trying hard to focus
on the levels of the light and how it stacked in a room, and I was frustrated with the
fact that everything was moving so quickly and I was never quite getting what
I wanted because I had to settle with what we had, and although that can be exciting,
I wanted the lighting to reflect more about what the characters were feeling.
How has the film changed throughout the editing process?
JS: Well, we aren’t done editing it yet. But, certain things started emerging as we
worked through the first 3-hour assembly of the film. In a very loose way, what started
to come out was a certain discomfort that occurred between the characters—a real
tension. And, suddenly, these characters no longer knew what to say to one other.
Or, what little they could say would be sometimes surprisingly honest, and the other
character opposite them wouldn’t know how to react. These new uncomfortable
moments really fit along the lines of what we were originally grasping for, which was
this idea that these people are always looking for the next big event in their lives, and
often missing, in the process, the smaller connections in life that could be more
fulfilling. Eventually, each character does get to the point where he or she can make
a small connection with somebody else, but it became necessary that everyone suffer
these great uncomfortable moments first. And this strange tension between these
characters soon became the thread that binds all three stories together, in a way.
- Spring 2005 interview
Directors Randy Walker and Jennifer Shainin with actors Tony Cladoosby and Alice Ellingson
DIRECTOR’S DIARY
(excerpts from Randy Walker’s notes)
A monster of academia advised me today on the telephone that I have no right
featuring the Native American culture in our film (because me white man), and that if
I were to make a film at Swinomish, it was my responsibility to detail the horrors of all
historical and socio-economic diseases that complicate modern reservation living.
He also suggested that making a film from a humanist, personal and individual
perspective is “insufficient” and “invalid,” because it fails to address the fundamental
components of Indian life; domestic and sexual abuse, alcoholism and gambling.
Apparently, I must remind them (and the rest of the world) of these instead. I must
portray the modern Indian in this way. As a victim. That was the only alternative
offered by this Authority on Native Life from this undisclosed major local university,
who would have me further condemn these people as a whole to the stereotypes, pain,
shit and sinew that they attempt to escape from on a daily basis. Right; because there
are no individuals here. Just Injuns.
************************************************************
Entropy, sideways glances and sick disdain. The pink middle meat of Jealousy and
his bastard cousin Judgment have made their entrances, and I suspect they are high
on tungsten and nicotine. There’s no other possible explanation for the new laundry
list; Professional. Responsible. Well-Organized. Apparently, this is now what is most
important to filmmaking. The soul and spirit of this art has been confused. What we
are/what we’re supposed to be/ the purpose and essential meat of storytelling, why
we’re even bothering to do any of this: Is it about rehearsals for the crew? Nope. Shot
lists? Nope. Storyboards? Nope. Hitting marks? Nope. 3-point lighting? Nope.
Actors finding their light? Nope. Getting the words exactly right, verbatim, off the
page? Nope. Stanislavski? Nope. Plot points/ story arcs/ climaxes/ denouements?
Nope. Stars who’ve shelled out embarrassing amounts of money to take technique
classes from failed reality show extras? Nope. Master and Coverage? Nope. How
about the type of film/lens/camera/lighting package/grip truck used? Nope. What
else…uhmm…the size of your budget, maybe? Aspect ratio? Shooting ratio? Crossing
the line? Showing up to do your job without reading the script or caring about the
story in order to pick up a paycheck and go home in time to hit the bars? Is it about
drugs? Trying to get laid? Wanting to get the shot off early so you can forget about it
and have a different, separate life of temperate piety and diet coke?
HEY, I JUST WORK HERE. The new anthem to American Buffoonery.
Emotion/life/hope/regret/jealousy/perspective/art/love/fear & vomit/feeling/some kind
of truth/human being/animal, visceral, mineral/small moments that seem enormous,
crushing contradictions & hypocrisies/greed/wanting to be liked/people that you
swear you know—you know you know that person, and there they are, on screen doing
what they do in life, but wait, they felt THAT? I didn’t think they understood THAT
about me. Maybe I’m like that. Maybe.
THAT’s the stuff. Right?
Still unsure as to what to do with the Costco food. The photo on my club card looks
nothing like me, and I am well aware of their surveillance system. If they get a clear
record of my goings-on at this juncture, I jeopardize the entire endeavor. Must be
patient.
************************************************************
DIRECTOR’S DIARY
(continued)
Leo keeps surprising me. His aggression is more restrained, hibernating somewhere
inside. It’s more than merely denial or quiet suffering. Not even sure what this guy
does when the Anger sets in—I have a hard time seeing him explode (unlike Ulla).
There’s a funny irony. Imagine a field populated by Highland cows, chewing simultaneously through their echoed, guttural groans and complaints, their diplomatic eyes
fixed on the single brown bear sitting patiently among them, listening without
hearing. That’s Leo. Hell, he’s locked out of his own home and he doesn’t even ask
his wife why she’s changed the locks. Maybe he knows why. And doesn’t bring it up,
because we all know where that goes. Maybe she’s waiting for him to bring it up, and
that’s why he doesn’t. Kinda like trying to quit smoking and not being allowed to even
do THAT inside the comfort of your own home.
Pause, smile deferentially, pick up the trash on your way out, that’s it…
And then, there’s Calvin. Leo doesn’t want to talk about it. It. Him. Death. Never
mind the fact that Leo’s not even allowed to talk about any of it. Tony tells me that
every winter, anywhere from four to ten people die on the reservation. And it’s all
people he knows; cousins, neighbors, aunts, uncles, mothers. Since we’ve started
shooting, there have already been two deaths. Thing of it is, one must not speak of
death on the reservation. According to Tony, no one talks about Death when it comes.
Jesus. Where does solace fit in?
The more time I spend at Swinomish, the more I love these people. To have such a
sense of humor about life as well as such limitless generosity in the face of so many
daily difficulties—therein lies brilliance. My problems seem embarrassingly meek
in comparison.
************************************************************
Still afraid of being insipid, inarticulate, incompetent.
Some dirty Cancer shuffled through peddling this and that, didn’t catch his name.
I think he was selling moisturizer or light bulbs or hope or some such thing. Another
altercation about parking, and I’m not even sure all our permits aren’t bouncing like
dirty checks. Balls to all of that, anyway; can’t corrupt what little attention I have left
with idle, production “parking lot” issues. All the blisters are gathering new
blisters by now, and I don’t even know what to do with my days off. My pants are
getting violent with me because my body isn’t even 100% sure it remembers how to sit.
When you’re in love with your co-director, your gait slowly widens and you find
yourself shopping for arch support in grocery stores. That is to say;
you’re right, I’m wrong, let’s not get personal, why don’t you just direct this yourself
then, I didn’t mean what I just said, aren’t they all bastard complainers, how come no
one wants to blame themselves, opinions are like assholes, another day another five
grand, I’m sorry, I said I love you twice now, I wouldn’t want to direct this thing with
anyone else, I need you/ I need you.
************************************************************
DIRECTOR’S DIARY
(continued)
Too tired to talk. My father is here now, and I can just make out his calm skepticism
through that fog of Kents piping through those dragon nostrils of his. Those
prodigious vents of heat and analysis—you can practically smell the comments
fermenting. But I have to love him for this, despite his selfish genes. Mom’s snapping
away, and the paparazzi have resorted to taking snapshots of each other now; a new
kind of tragedy.
I’m so close to this thing now, I don’t know which end is up. It isn’t what’s in the
script—it’s evolved from that, which is what I was hoping for, and now it’s taken the
wheel, the whole damn monster juggernaut, with all the grim centrifugal force and
determination of a tuckered-out kid trying to stay up past bedtime on a school night
just to listen to adults talk. I sense that Jen feels the same way, and it’s because we
love it so much. Heck, we’ve lived with, gave birth to, bled, loved, fought with (won
& lost), married and divorced these characters a hundred million times over, only to
watch the doing of it race by at the hands of others; the rush to push the calf through
that hole, while we’re in the middle, making sure every molecule comes out kosher,
hemorrhaging someone else’s cash all the way. So long as we’re really getting into
the heart & guts of these characters—that when people watch it, they either love it or
hate it. What I fear the most is silence.
That still, eyes-staring-at-shoes, porn-house silence.
Can’t think about this anymore. Just gotta keep pushing, fast and slow.
************************************************************
ABOUT FOREIGNAMERICAN PICTURES
ForeignAmerican Pictures, LLC is a Washington-based independent film company
involved in the production of narrative short and feature-length cinema. The
company was assembled in 2002 by Peter Shainin, Jennifer Shainin and Randy
Walker as a means of generating largely character-driven films about human beings
that might serve as a departure from the common, box-office-driven plots and effects
of the Hollywood studio machine. The unique environments and characters residing
in the Pacific Northwest, along with the spectacular diffused light and slower-paced
lifestyles that define the area, provided an extremely cinematic backdrop for
ForeignAmerican’s first joint venture, APART FROM THAT.
Although the directors agree upon the title of the company, they don’t seem to
concur on its meaning. “ForeignAmerican means strange American” explains
Jennifer Shainin “like, unfamiliar, American film subject matter.”
“Whereas I see the name as a reference to the aesthetics, cinematography, and artistic
merit of foreign cinema, brought into an American context,” argues Walker, “the idea
that we can observe familiar American lives, emotions and people through foreign
eyes.”
In 2003, ForeignAmerican Pictures completed the film AGAVE, a full-length feature
film shot entirely on digital video. Written, produced, directed and edited by Randy
Walker, AGAVE marked Walker’s first feature film. The narrative follows the journey
of a man searching for his estranged family throughout the mythology and desolation
of California’s Imperial Valley. Pending completion is Jennifer Shainin’s first film,
WHERE I AM, the story of a young woman fighting the demons of identity, marriage
and body image in Los Angeles.
CineVegas Posted: Tue., Jun. 20, 2006, 4:18pm PT
Apart From That
A ForeignAmerican Pictures presentation. Produced by Randy Walker, Jennifer Shainin. Executive producer,
Peter Shainin. Directed, written, edited by Randy Walker, Jennifer Shainin.
Ulla - Kathleen McNearney
Peggy - Alice Ellingson
Leo - Tony Cladoosby
Sam - Toan Le
Kyle - Kyle Conyers
By ROBERT KOEHLER
The everyday mysteries of ordinary folk in a rural Washington State town form the substance
of “Apart From That,” an original and resonant feature debut by co-directors-writers-editors
Randy Walker and Jennifer Shainin. The American theme of lives lived in quiet desperation
is sensitively applied through each of the film’s elegantly woven strands, all reaching a
satisfying end without feeling neatly resolved. Euro and Asian fest dates should follow, but
the real test will be if a Stateside distrib shows courage enough to handle this outstanding if
demanding work.
Pic’s ensemble cast of regional eccentrics and multiple narratives follow a well-trod indie path. But
just beneath the surface is something plainly new, fashioned by young artists with a defiantly personal
sense of visual design and pace, along with considerable sympathy for their exceptionally human
characters. Result is a pic that may easily draw comparisons (from Jarmusch and Cassavetes films to
“Me and You and Everyone We Know” and “Old Joy”). But pic stands apart in many ways.
Five major characters are first viewed incidentally at a party; they’re unsure what to say or do with
themselves. Sequence gently leads into the pic proper as it patiently tracks this quintet the following
day, 24 hours prior to Halloween.
Ulla (Kathleen McNearney), training as a beautician, rents a room from elderly Peggy (Alice
Ellingson), who has a habit of phoning the volunteer fire department and undressing upon their
arrival.
Swinomish tribe member and highway worker Leo (Tony Cladoosby) is a family man feeling dazed by
the impending death of his close friend Calvin (Lawrence Cordier).
Forced to downsize, Vietnamese bank manager Sam (Toan Le) must fire the bank’s marketing topper
Lee (Gary Schoonveld), and contend with the fallout from his adopted son Kyle (Kyle Conyers),
whose best pal Tiffer (Joe Rose) is Lee’s son.
Each story strand carries added meaning, while visuals provide glimpses connecting these disparate
and lonely folk. While never expressed, Kyle’s driving concern about Lee’s firing suggests Kyle’s own
deep-set fear that -- as an adopted child -- he too could be “fired.”
Ulla’s tape-recording the sounds in Peggy’s house can be viewed as a means of preserving this
chapter in her life. The fact other, less-flattering readings are possible, too, reflect Walker and
Shainin’s interest in observing their characters’ quirks and faults while reserving judgment.
Because of the film’s emphasis on improvisation (drawn from a predominantly non-pro cast), some
scenes may feel like throwaways. But there are no disposable moments.
Indeed, “Apart From That” hinges on small moments that could have played as either precious or
been non-starters. Bravely, surprises abound, not least an end that doesn’t draw resolutions, but
rather conveys life’s ongoing passages.
Though Ellingson comes close to stealing the show in a frisky, flinty portrayal, McNearney is a
perfect counterpart, with her own exceptionally choice scenes. In the film’s most difficult and interior
role, Cladoosby impresses as a good man thrown off his axis. Le and Conyers create discomforting
domestic friction that conveys an emotional gulf.
Pic makes no big deal about its multicultural makeup, but it’s worth noting this is one of few Yank films
to depict Native Americans, Scandinavian Americans and Vietnamese Americans as simply everyday
Americans, but with their own ethnic identities in place.
As a tyro foray by co-directors, the film is a marvel, with a singular vision in mood, editing, design
and look. Shooting style (supported by talented, agile lenser Eric Forssell) smoothly blends wideangle shots with telephoto work. Locales in far northwest Washington State are seen as only a local
could depict them, from gritty back alleys to fecund pumpkin patches and forest glens. Further magic
comes from composers Christopher and Patrick Shainin and Brian Olpin, who fuse a folkie touch with
jangling atonal sounds.
Pic’s credits list 153 cast members. Filmmakers plan for a 35mm transfer print from Super-16 original,
but are currently showing the work in vid transfer.
Camera (Alpha Cine color, Super 16mm), Erik Forssell; music, Christopher Shainin, Patrick Shainin, Brian
Olpin; production designer, Norma Shainin; costume designer, Jessica Aceti; sound, Rosa Tyabji; assistant
director, Gina Mainwal. Reviewed at CineVegas Film Festival, Las Vegas, June 15, 2006. (Also in SXSW,
Seattle film festivals.) Running time: 120 MIN.
With: Gary Schoonveld, Jessica Marlowe-Goldstein, Susan Alotrico, Joe Rose, Michelle Sheiman, Kwami
Taha, Judy Beyer, Wanda Chinn-Hanson, Dan Stough, Lawrence Cordier.
http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117930881?categoryId=31&cs=1
APART FROM THAT
by Michael Ferraro
(2006-06-19)
2006, Un-rated, 120 minutes, ForeignAmerican Pictures
Apart From That is an incredibly rich portrait of a group of various characters living their lives
in a rural area of Washington. The opening credits sequence sets up the rest of the film for
the audience in a way that few films ever do with a simple gathering of friends. Here, we are
exposed to the naturalistic direction with equally effortless performances to compliment it. The
dialogue is candid, almost with an improvised feel, it’s as we are finally opening the shades to
a window not yet opened that exposes us to this eccentric group of people.
There is an elderly woman named Peggy who rents out one of the empty room of her house
to a single and shy woman named Ulla. Peggy is a lonesome sort who often resorts to setting
her smoke alarms off in an attempt to gain some affection from the local firemen who keep
returning to her house call after fake call (and dealing with having to see her in revealing
clothes). Ulla is captivated by Peggy’s lifestyle so much that she tape-records every sound
she makes. “This is the sound of Peggy reading a magazine,” then proceeds to flip the pages
so she has every noise documented for some unknown purpose.
Also in focus are a Vietnamese banker, Sam, and his adopted son Kyle. Their close
relationship becomes tumultuous when Sam is forced to fire the father of Kyle’s best friend.
Kyle’s youthful curiosity wants to hear about the scenario in great detail when his friendship is
destroyed by the event.
How rare of a treat this film is. Most of the acting is done with a sort of brilliant perfection not
usually seen with a group of mostly first-time actors. First-time filmmaking team Randy Walker
and Jennifer Shainin wrote, produced, directed and edited the film like pros. It’s a film as real
and honest as that of an old Cassavetes film. Apart From That is a definite must see.
http://filmthreat.com/index.php?section=reviews&Id=8728