A Question For Keith Gordon

Hi!

Some quick answers;

1. I had a terrific time making the film. Not only were Mark and I very close, but Lily Knight (the waitress) is one of my oldest friends, Eugene Lee (the bus driver) another. It was a great group of people (I just worked with Jeff Jur, the DP, on Dexter 28 years later!! - we had a lot of fun). The whole crew and cast were so into it in a way it's hard to find on bigger budgeted productions. Making it was all of what a labor of love should be about.

There are always tough moments, and disappointments, but they mostly involved raising the funds (like the guy who promised us the money (spoiler alert!) if we showed Ernie in heaven surrounded by topless women), or the frustration of getting such limited distribution in the US, and some of the bad luck that went with that (Sheila Benson, who was then the head critic of the LA Times loved the film, and gave it a rave in a blurb from a film festival, but when we opened in LA she was on vacation, and we ended up with a short, luke warm review from a much less well known critic)


2. I still hold great affection for the film. I think it has it's flaws, as any first time film made by a bunch of young people might. But I also think Mark did a terrific job with both the look and the actors, and that the whole thing is pretty inventive and original. I'm really sorry Mark has decided he dislikes the film - I think he short-changes himself.


3. I haven't kept up much with Mark in recent years, but I still think of him as a friend, and we do talk and email from time to time. I think he's a remarkably talented man, and wish he got to make more films!

All my best,


Keith