Writer, Director, Actor Seth Fischer’s film ‘Blumenthal’ (2012) held its North American premier this month at the 28th Santa Barbara International Film Festival. Set in NY, the story starts with the death of playwright Harold Blumenthal (Brian Cox) who dies from a heart attack while laughing at his own joke. His brother, Saul, has a hard time coming to terms with Harold’s death, which results in a domino effect on his immediate family where each of them –Saul, his wife Cheryl and their son Ethan- are forced to confront their own existential trials and tribulations.
Read my interview with Seth Fischer here:
ME: Where did you get the idea to write a story about two brothers, one dying of cardiac arrest and the other with constipation? It's a brilliant theme.
SETH: Thank you. There is a very real link between the two, I think. Harold dies laughing at his own joke. He is brilliant in everyone's eyes, even his own. That wears on his younger brother and fills him with all sorts of emotional baggage that can clog the pipes. Physical manifestations of emotional states interested me and it ends up being a theme in both Cheryl and Ethan's journeys as well. Ethan is a drug rep for women's health and literally knows nothing about women, and certainly not how to take care of them.
ME: Can you tell us why you think it seems more like the dead brother is more alive in the film (via the talk show) while the one alive is more dead (via constipation)? Is there a motif here you want to say about the family or their lives at large?
SETH: Harold is the only happy person we see on screen. He was content with his world, and that sense of self-satisfaction seems to have infuriated his surviving relatives. They can't escape him, like he's laughing at them from the grave. The motif is really that the Blumenthals feel entitled to happiness (as Harold puts it). Anything less than ideal just seems like failure to them.
ME: What was it like to work with Brian Cox and how did you get him to play this role? He is perfect!
SETH: Brian was awesome. He's a wonderful guy and we had done a play together on Broadway a few years back. For a Scotsman, he has a strangely rabbinical quality about him, especially with that beard.
ME: How long did it take you to raise the money for this film, which is largely your vision as you wrote, direct and star in it? Was it quick and easy or long and took many years?
SETH: When I started writing the film, I started a blog www.WatchMeMakeaMovie.com. That blog built a bit of an audience over a five-month period, after which we launched a Kick-Starter campaign where we raised enough money to begin shooting the film. Once we started shooting, we were able to bring an actual investor on board so we could see the thing through. I started writing the film in August and we were shooting the movie in June. Post took a bit longer. I was editing the film on my laptop and waiting long periods in between color and sound sessions. I was also on the other side of the country, so there were long breaks in between as well.
ME: Can you tell us about your history in film? Did you always know you wanted to be a filmmaker? How did you go about getting into it?
SETH: I've always had an interest in telling stories. I came to filmmaking through acting. I went to drama school and learned how to analyze scripts and character. When I did my first play after school, it was Julius Caesar with Denzel Washington. Another actor in the show, Colm Feore, taught me how to use an old still camera. He told me that if I wanted to work in film, I had to understand this little machine related to action. I was hooked. While I hustled as an actor in the NY theatre scene, I started writing and directing short films, and working as a photographer. Eventually, I started to like what I was doing and began identifying my own taste and style as a writer. Filmmaking for me is just the perfect combination of art forms used for storytelling. Writing scripts, dramatizing action, and taking pictures. Good stuff.
ME: Since you are writing, acting, directing, producing, is there one hat you like more than the others or do you want to continue doing all?
SETH: I like all my hats, but maybe not all at the same time. Right now, writing and directing are taking up most of my time.
ME: In the film, Blumenthal had a ghost writer (his wife). Did you also have a ghost writer? Or is there someone who inspires or helps you?
SETH: I wish I had a ghostwriter. I'd get so much more done around the house. I'm inspired by everyone I talk to, every experience I have. I'm inspired by the ridiculous conversations I have with my friends, by my family, by books, and by pictures.
ME: What did Blumenthal want to say at the end when the film cuts?... "Life is..." Superb end note btw!
SETH: Thanks! Spoiler alert! I'm not sure that he even knew what to say. Maybe Harold is finally speechless. Yeah. I like that.
ME: What are you working on next?
SETH: I have another small feature and a bunch of TV scripts in the works. Other than that, my wife is having a baby next month. Yes, it's a boy.
ME: What was it like to have your film at Santa Barbara FF? And what's next on the festival circuit for you?
SETH: Santa Barbara was awesome! It's beautiful, the theaters are packed, and the people are awesome. It's amazing to screen your film at all, but SB was special. Up next, we are doing our NY premiere at First Time Fest on March 3rd. It's a new festival/competition dedicated to first time filmmakers. Come and see BLUMENTHAL if you're in NY!
Interview with Seth Fischer by Vanessa McMahon
