Interview with Nik Fackler, Director of Lovely, Still
I have been following this “Lovely, Still” prior to the Premiere at the Toronto Film Festival in 2008 and had spoken to Martin Landau who is the Artistic Director at the Actors Studio and I felt that it was important for me to have a conversation with this first time feature director, Nik Fackler.
IFQ: So Nik, we finally connect. I have been talking to Martin Landau about your film for the last 2 years. So tell me how you were able to get him and Ellen Burstyn.
Nik Fackler: Well, it started the old fashioned way through his agent and we did not tell them that I was 21 years old at that time and people from the Actors Studio were telling him to read the script. Producer Cassian Elwes was trying to get him to read it and finally the agent read it, liked it and sent it to Martin and after Martin read it, he said I want to meet with this guy. So we met at Art’s Deli in the San Fernando Valley and talked for 5 hours and he told me that he was an artist and so am I and we shared that. That was the beginning. I would do rewrites on his suggestions and after a few drafts we had the script we both liked best.
IFQ: Martin is helpful that way and so he helped you get in touch with Ellen.
NF: Martin told me he was very close with her, but first we should work on the script and when it was ready, we sent it to her and she loved it and so I went to meet her in New York.
IFQ: What director influenced your film? Was it is M. Night, Shyamalan as some have mentioned?
NF: Not really. I had some clues and ideas that might seem weird—something like a detective story with a twist, but also but romantic which has never done before.
IFQ: So with Martin’s character, was it based on a guy with memory loss or Alzheimer’s?
NF: In Omaha, my parents have this 50’s diner and when I would wait tables, it was my opportunity to do character study and I met this old man once who had never fallen in love and at the time I was 17 and falling in love and also wanted know how it would feel if my heart were broken. This old man had never been married, and was always alone his whole life and never had extreme happiness or extreme sadness so I was captivated by this man and had to write about him and then was the start of the character Robert Malone. So it was like a beautiful stew with all these elements which became “Lovely, Still.”
IFQ: So you investigated and studied Alzheimer’s, but Robert doesn’t really have that but everyone jumps to that conclusion because that is what we think when hear about memory loss, but something tragic could have happened to trigger that.
NF: Our minds are like little computers. So I studied the mind and strokes and this came together and talked to doctors, but I never wanted this film to be about sickness or disease. It is a love story and I did not want it to be compared to the film “The Sixth Sense.”
IFQ: Well that main character is dead and this one is alive.
NF: Exactly! A living person. I liked that you are watching the end of a love story still truthful but on a different reality.
IFQ: Well, Martin and Ellen were discussing the acting process and various takes in session at the Actors Studio.
NF: I know Ellen had to play these 2 different characters at the same time. Like what is really going on but covering that and Martin feeling that he was falling in love for the first time and then having all these flashing images. So when I was editing it was great to watch them. When you are on set everything is chaos 24/7 and you cannot really appreciate the acting even though you are watching it on the monitor. With Ellen in the editing room, I was able to see something in her eyes and you can see the truth in what she is showing but also covering the character she is playing.
IFQ: Then you cast 2 supporting actors Elizabeth Banks and Adam Scott who are pretty well-known.
NF: I wanted that element of old school and new school actors.
IFQ: Well, I remember so much how Marty was so excited to shoot this film, but it was really cold on location in Omaha.
NF: We had a 6 week shoot. We started in November and Martin stayed in Omaha for Thanksgiving and we had a big feast, and then afterwards we filmed until December 23rd. Ellen and Martin loved being on location there.
IFQ: You had some scenes like the car crashing in the garage door and the shoelace scene, which were funny.
NF: These were my personal experiences and wanted to incorporate these to give it something comical and actually Martin’s character should really not be driving.
IFQ: How did you get your director of photography Sean Kirby?
NF: I wanted to have old Hollywood look and I liked his reel after all the reels I saw and I called him up and said I want you to shoot my film. He said why do you want to do a movie about old people and we laughed and he was here 2 days later.
IFQ: I loved your soundtrack; it was different and seemed to give a certain character to the film.
NF: In the last 10 years, the Omaha music scene has been huge and it is cheap to live here and lots of musicians moved here. So I started doing music videos. Then I would tell the musicians that I had a script and they could write music for it and so all of the score was written for the film by the group Bright Eyes by Mike Magis and Nate Walcott except for the song “Sunrise Sunset” and I had the Omaha symphony because I have lots of faith in my hometown. My agents really fought for me to shoot it there.
IFQ: You were able to use lots of freebies while shooting for that small budget and making it looks so good on the screen.
NF: All the background people and the community were happy to help, even the confetti was free.
IFQ: So what is your game plan?
NF: I am just going to make my films and take my time with writing because I am here on this Earth for a certain amount of time. I live a simple life while still creating odd, simple kinds of films and hopefully inspire others. The next one is about puppetry—sort of “Planet Earth” meets “Pan’s Labyrinth,” using modern technology like a toy walking around.
IFQ: You need to do that because it allows you to maintain your originality.
NF: Right. So I am here in LA to do some press for the film and start on my next film projects, with my reps William Morris – Endeavor and Untitled Entertainment who answer my phone calls.
IFQ: I am looking forward to the theatrical release on September 10th followed by the DVD release date of November 9th, 2010.