Production information on Isabelle

 

Production Information

In the vein of Rosemary's Baby and The Exorcist, Isabelle is about an all-American couple whose dream of starting a family is shattered after they move into the perfect New England neighborhood.

Once settled, they soon descend into the depths of terror as they struggle to survive a genuine threat from a dark presence that appears to want to end their very lives.

Adam Brody (“StartUp”, CHiPs) and Amanda Crew (“Silicon Valley”, The Age of Adaline) star in the film, along with Sheila McCarthy (Milton’s Secret, “Orphan Black”) and Zoe Belkin (Carrie, “Degrassi: The Next Generation”). Isabelle also features Krista Bridges (“19-2”, “Heroes Reborn”), Booth Savage (“Slasher”, “Mr. D”), Alison Brooks (Downsizing, “Taken”), and Dayo Ade (“Beauty & The Beast”, “Rookie Blue”).

Isabelle is directed by Rob Heydon (director of the award-winning film Ecstacy), from a screenplay by Donald Martin (Milton’s Secret). Heydon (The Journey Home) also produces the film, with Sid Ganis (Akeelah and the Bee, Big Daddy), Joni Sighvatsson (Z for Zachariah), Rey Cuerdo (Dim Sum Funeral) and Donald Martin (Milton’s Secret) as Executive Producers. Cinematographer Pasha Patriki (Anonymous), production designer Diana Abbatangelo (He Never Died), costume designer Ruth Secord (Wet Bum), and editor Diane Brunjes (Suicide Squad) complete the creative team.

Isabelle is a production of The Wanting Film Inc., in association with Out of the Blue Entertainment and Kidlat Entertainment Inc. Ignition Media Finance is providing the bridge loan. Prescience Film Finance is providing the mezzanine financing and production financing. Private Equity is coming from Lazarus Effects and Rob Heydon Productions in Canada.

 

About the Screenplay:

A long-time fan of scary movies, Donald Martin’s screenplay is his homage to Rosemary’s Baby and The Exorcist, two classic films that loomed large in his imagination while he was growing up. “Rosemary's Baby isn’t a story about Satan. It's about a marriage. The Exorcist isn't a story about a possession. It’s about a mother and a daughter. These stories are firmly rooted in reality.”

Similarly, Isabelle is about a couple. “It’s a story that, initially, is about a woman's depression after losing a baby and her husband's inability to grasp the full emotional implications of their son being stillborn,” explains Martin. “The husband was always the person who said, "Everything's going to be all right. Everything's going to be all right."

But, suddenly, this couple finds themselves in a scenario where the husband can't say that anymore.”

Martin and Rey Cuerdo (who had served as an Executive Producer on Martin’s HBO film Dim Sum Funeral) worked together to develop the screenplay. “We went through version after version, to capture a particular mood and tone,” Cuerdo recalls. “All I can say is that Donald did an absolutely brilliant job.”

Producer/director Rob Heydon made his decision to join the team based on the strength of the script. “I just couldn’t stop reading it. I kept turning the pages, wanting to find out what happens next. Donald Martin mastered the twists, the turns and the surprises. I was in.”

Heydon describes Isabelle “as a psychological thriller about a husband and wife who lose a child, and must deal with the wife’s psychological crisis that follows; it’s about a marriage falling apart, and it’s also about the mother and daughter next door and their impact on the couple.”

Even with its mysterious occurrences, the filmmakers agree that Isabelle is at its core a meditation on grieving and longing. “Take away the scares, the shadows, the sounds, and this is about a married couple dealing with the loss of their unborn child,” offers Cuerdo.

About the Cast and Characters:

“Like any indie movie, it's often a long time before you get a project up and running,” says Executive Producer Sid Ganis. But, after two years of developing the screenplay and arranging the financing, the filmmakers were ready to “approach actors to bring these characters to life.”

The filmmakers were united in wanting the best possible cast for the project, and they knew that casting the right actors for Matt and Larissa Kane was paramount. They had many issues to consider.

“When you come up with ideas for casting, it's one of the most difficult parts because there are a lot of things at play. Do you have the budget? Who will like it?” offers Heydon.

“Adam Brody was the first name on our list for Matt. We talked to Adam Brody's agent and made an offer. Adam liked the script instantly. That was the clincher.”

When approached, Brody had recently become a parent and brought that sensibility and knowledge to his reading of the script. “The script plays with the fears and anxiety of new parents. Not only are you responsible for that child's happiness, but all your hopes and dreams go into that child. It's a weighty thing.”

Brody describes the idea of grieving that threads through the story. “The grief in this movie is visceral. You don't have to dig too hard to empathize with the characters and most people of a certain age can relate to the fear of losing a child.” The death of a beloved family dog gave Brody a glimpse into the effect grief can have, and the feelings it evokes. “There's nowhere to go but forward. That's the craziest thing about it, that there's nothing to do. In terms of grieving, in terms of fearing for a child, I can certainly relate.”

“We were so pleased that Adam liked the script, and that his team liked it, and saw that this was a wonderful role for him to play,” offers Martin. “The character of Matt truly does a heroic deed out of love for his wife. I'd rather see someone that I can identify with do something incredible because then I think I myself might be able to do it. I think audiences will easily identify with Adam Brody as Matt Kane.”

Cast as Larissa Kane, Amanda Crew welcomed the chance to play “a dynamic, layered female character, a role like this is so rare to find. There are so many challenges to playing Larissa. so to get the opportunity to play someone who has so much going on has been very gratifying.” Crew also wanted to do something different. “I love doing comedy, because it's fun, but it's also really great to sink your teeth into something and show a whole other side of yourself.”

Crew does not have children, so her research included watching documentaries about women who had suffered miscarriages, and speaking to many others as she prepared for the role. “There are so many incredibly brave women who have shared their stories to help other women. I'm grateful for that because it's helped me with the research, but I hope that, also, I am lending a voice to their experiences.”

“This is a psychological thriller, but it isn’t just a scary movie,” continues Crew. “It’s a heartbreaking and grounded dramatic story. There are so many more elements to it that sometimes I forget that it is a thriller that we're filming. Because, for me, it's just all these really heart-wrenching scenes about grieving and loss and coping and love and all of that.”

Given the complexity of the scenes between Larissa and Matt, the filmmakers knew the scenes would be effective only if the actors chosen for the roles were comfortable with each other.

“There has been such an easy rapport with us from day one. It feels like we’re old friends,” explains Brody. “Amanda has the lion's share of the emotional weight of this movie. I spend most of the movie not willing to believe, and not opening myself up to the grief. She is the opposite of that. She's got more of the heavy lifting. My hat’s off to her.”

Sid Ganis agrees. “I don't even know how to speak about Amanda Crew in terms of her talent because it's rare. She's one of those artists who's bringing it home in an amazing way.

I've been in this business for many years now, and it's not often that you see artists who have what Amanda Crew possesses.”

Ganis continues, “Adam Brody is not only a terrific actor with a sense of what he's doing that creates a reality in his performance, but he’s also making suggestions that help to elevate the material. Between the two of them, we have two big lead actors. Marketable lead actors too, because they're both popular in the community of movie-goers.”

“We're very excited to have Adam Brody and Amanda Crew as our two leads. They make an ideal all-American couple. We wanted the audience to see themselves in these two beautiful, talented, wonderful young people, to identify with them, and to ask themselves, "Oh my God. What would I do in that position?” adds Martin.

Of Brody, Crew offers, “Adam really lives up to his reputation of being a great guy and a talented actor. He brings such a nurturing side to Matt and Larissa’s relationship. He does such a good job of showing how much Matt loves Larissa, but also how he’s struggling.”

Crew appreciates Brody’s support in other ways as well. “We’re dealing with such heavy subject matter all the time that, on a personal level, it's great having him crack jokes to lighten the mood. He's a lot of fun.”

The fortunes of the Kane family undergo a major change when they move next door to Ann Pelway and her daughter Isabelle. Ann Pelway is played by Sheila McCarthy who was offered the role by her long-time friend Donald Martin. She explains, “Donald phoned me from L.A. and said “I’ve got a part for you!” This never happens, so to have a gift like this part land in my lap and not have to audition was fantastic.”

“Even though Ann does some pretty awful things, I wanted the audience to feel protective of her and feel some empathy and sympathy for her,” explains Martin. “I felt Sheila could embody that role and deliver all of the layers and textures that Ann has about her.”

McCarthy sees Ann as the catalyst for the story. “I have a very sad past with a daughter that then mirrors what’s happening next door. Every tragedy that happens in Ann’s life affects Larissa.”

McCarthy had extensive conversations with the filmmakers to prepare for the role. It’s the type of character exploration that makes acting a joy for McCarthy, and allowed her to fully explore the mother-daughter relationship central to Isabelle. “We talked about Ann’s past, her history, her Catholicism, and what she does with her daughter and marriage,” explains McCarthy. “The role of Ann is that she's twisted her love for her daughter. She's twisted her Catholicism. She's twisted her religion and she has taken it too far.”

Zoe Belkin plays Isabelle, who suffers from spina bifida. “Isabelle can’t speak or walk,” says Belkin. “The only contact she has with the outside is when she sits by her window in her wheelchair.” To audition, Belkin had to pretend to be in a wheelchair, and respond to the casting director. It was an extremely difficult process, but after watching various tapes, the filmmakers knew they had the right person in Belkin. “We were struck by Zoe's ability to take direction and change her face without any lighting,” explains Martin. “She blew us away. We all called, texted or emailed each other and said, "Oh my God, we have found our Isabelle! Zoe is a fantastic actress".

 

“It's great to see the actors so excited to be a part of the film, and they're so well-prepared. We're very lucky to be working with this talented group of actors,” comments Heydon.

 

About the Production:

Over the course of twenty days, Isabelle was filmed on location in and around Hamilton, Ontario. With a tight shooting schedule and an equally short pre-production schedule, the filmmakers and heads of departments had to work quickly to create the look and tone of the film.

Production designer Diana Abbatangelo was intrigued by the prospect of working on the

film. “I was immediately trying to figure out how we could capture the excitement and the thrill of it by creating certain environments, because that's what I do.”

Abbatangelo remembers her first conversation with the filmmakers. “They had references, artist references, and color palettes that they really wanted me to follow to help create this world.” One of the artists mentioned was Andrew Wyeth. Recalls Abbatangelo. “The palette was earthy, neutral, greens, and wheaty colors. A lot of the work was shown in the grasses, so soft greens and yellows and some blues. That’s the world we play Larissa and Matt in.”

The other artist used as inspiration was Caravaggio. Caravaggio’s influence is evident in Ann Pelway’s home. The deep dark colors are overlaid by religious iconography, and the light and shadows from the candles all help to build atmosphere and reveal character. “We had fun getting the location ready because there were so many layers of paint that we put on the walls to add character to the room,” explains Abbatangelo. “The room became this character in itself because the walls say so much.”

“Wyeth and Caravaggio are two separate disciplines, two separate mood and tones, “ adds Heydon. “That's where we worked with the design props, colors, and even the lighting.

That guided us. I think it gave everyone inspiration to come up with the right mood.”

Costume is another way to get the cast in the right mood. It certainly did in Belkin’s case.

She wears one costume throughout the entire film - an oatmeal-colored shift that covers her from neck to toe. “They showed me my dress the first day and I looked at it, "Okay, this is what it's going to be,” recalls Belkin. “However, it honestly helped me to get into character. When you put this dress on and you have that hump on your back, it makes getting into character pretty easy.”

“Shooting has been a very even, clear, calm process,” recalls McCarthy. “When that happens, so much more occurs on a set that you didn't even bargain for. I waited until I got to set to do my prep work, because I was so sure that I was in very safe hands, which really helps with dealing with such devastating material.”

In addition to the dramatic action, some of the actors were also involved in stunt work.

There were about 15 stunts in the film. Stunt coordinator Angelica Lisk-Hann describes the most elaborate. “Larissa ends up going out of a second-storey window. This was a second-storey window into a big parking lot so we had a lot of space to work with. We decided to make a box rig by layering a number of boxes covered with a sound blanket on top, and an 8-inch mat at the bottom. Our priority is always the safety of the actor and any other crew involved.”