Through filmmaker Brian DiLorenzo’s eyes, sad realities are the most compelling to watch. In his feature drama Myth, a talented but unworldly teen screenwriter, Alex — who is loosely based on a younger version of himself — is fortunate enough to meet esteemed director, JP Smith, whom he idolizes. After Smith befriends Alex and the two spend quality time, Smith asks him to shoot an impromptu movie about his current life, documentary-style, for a film with a rapidly looming deadline. The one condition? Alex must keep Smith’s identity under wraps.
By Lianna Albrizio for Winter Film Awards
See “Myth” on Monday Feb 24 @6:30pm at Cinema Village (22 East 12th Street) as part of New York City’s 9th Annual Winter Film Awards International Film Festival.
As Alex embarks on what he thinks is a serendipitous life journey mingling with his crush, watching her move in on someone else, and getting into trouble, he doesn’t realize the whole experience is too good to be true until he unwittingly becomes burnt by it. But amid the ruins of falling victim to deception and manipulation, Alex — like many of us who have ever been in the throes of a dangerous game — finds that trust isn’t totally ravaged.
Lianna Albrizio: Myth views like a story within a story like a kind of distorted reality. Alex is a young, gawky screenwriter who winds up getting to work with his favorite director, which is great, but his naivete is sort of dangerous. How did you come up with this story line? Did you see yourself in the lead character at all?
Brian DiLorenzo: Yeah I did. He was definitely based in parts of myself. Just kind of that wide-eyed, hopeful naive side of yourself where you want to believe in things like your idol or your hero to sort of put him in that situation where he’s confronted with a different reality.
I was an intern and production assistant and met celebrities and famous actors. It’s a totally different experience rather than what you’re expecting. I think part of that was happening between Alex and JP.
I don’t think I was like Alex where I got to connect with my idol, but there’s people in your life too that you idolize, maybe not a celebrity, but someone that you tend to look up to even though the relationship isn’t healthy. You hold a special place for them in your life and they hold a certain power.
Lianna: To be a moviemaker, it’s important to be experienced, and it’s obvious Alex is unworldly and is preyed upon because of that. And what unfolds while working with JP Smith is not a serendipitous experience but a sad trick. Without giving away too much of the story, there is some trust that wasn’t lost after all between the two. Is that the message you were trying to get across making this film? That even in the saddest of realities there’s something valuable to be gained from the experience?
Brian: The lesson he learns in the end is in order to play the game you have to be willing to lose and to sacrifice something, so at the end he, sacrifices his innocence and his trust … maybe in return for that he gets something else. But is that “something else” worth going through the heartbreak?
Lianna: The film evokes a lot of emotions; I wanted to laugh and other times cry. I interpreted it as an example of life — when dealing with certain people, perhaps the wrong people — the experience can feel like one big myth or farce. But the truth always is revealed in the end. Is that also part of the message you wanted to get across?
Brian: Yeah, the myth kind of works across a few different levels. There is a greater truth out there when you’re presented with something that captivates you. You sort of mythologized it in a way and hold it secret and that’s what Alex does and it obscures a lot of other realities that’s out.
Lianna: Where did you shoot the film? And why did you choose these locations?
Brian: The locations were the most influencing factors on me and shaping the story. We filmed it in the Hudson Valley area… parts of Beacon and Newburgh and New Paltz, New York super close to where I grew up. We found funky locations in other parts sprinkled around in Kingston, the mall and also Westchester.
I was living at home at the time with my parents and I spent a lot of time daydreaming about life and some nostalgia for my childhood. I wanted to put a lot of my own life story into it. And it’s always great when you’re making a movie in your hometown — you see it through a new lens. It was really exciting to get to feature all these places and I really couldn’t imagine doing it anyplace else.
There’s a lot of charm I think. Small towns have a huge personality even in the simplest things — an ice cream parlor, the shopping mall. We were in a Shop Rite parking lot — places you’d hang out at as a teen. Part of it too is capturing a sort of coming-of-age essence.
Lianna: In one scene Alex gets busted for smoking weed in the woods. Is there symbolism there with having to pick up trash?
Brian: The weed sort of pops up like the oranges in the Godfather. Something bad is about to happen. It’s JP’s way of controlling them; he’s a complex character and you’re never quite sure where he’s at. The main focus is his film and he’s going to throw everyone under the bus to make that happen.
JP definitely holds himself in a higher regard; he’s got a big ego. He feels like he knows what’s best for Alex. On some level, he does want to help Alex and be that big brother figure to open his eyes, at the same time he’s doing some really mean and destructive things to him, which he doesn’t seem to mind as long as he achieves this goal.
Lianna: As the writer of Myth, why do you think JP Smith thought following Alex around would make a good film?
Brian: I think there have been other types of these kinds of films that are about the experience of making a movie. I wanted the camera to act as a symbol as well, especially with the red light shining on Alex, and I pictured these two guys running around in zany situations, and for me, that’s the movie — the two of them together. I think if it was done in a different way, it wouldn’t have been the same film.
It’s fun when people see the whole film and ask was that real? There is some ambiguous scenes that left it to your imagination. There’s a lot you can argue. There’s a lot going on that Alex isn’t aware of even before he meets JP.
Lianna: Why should people see this film?
Brian: I hope people will check out the film and hopefully it will open a conversation about choices and what you would do if you were Alex, because his limits definitely get tested in this movie.
https://youtu.be/wAttv__vNvI
Lianna Albrizio
Lianna Albrizio is a seasoned journalist and editor passionate about covering all facets of the arts from film to books, music and food. She loves interviewing people and spreading the word about their amazing work for all to enjoy.
About Winter Film Awards
New York City’s 9th Annual Winter Film Awards International Film Festival runs February 20-29 2020. Check out a jam-packed lineup of 79 fantastic films in all genres from 27 countries, including shorts, features, Animation, Drama, Comedy, Thriller, Horror, Documentary and Music Video. Hollywood might ignore women and people of color, but Winter Film Awards celebrates everyone!
Winter Film Awards is an all volunteer, minority- and women-owned registered 501(c)3 non-profit organization founded in 2011 in New York City by a group of filmmakers and enthusiasts. The program is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council and the NY State Council on the Arts.
