One day, Maurice Chauvet sent me an email and a script. Title on the script -"Suicide Sam" and I laughed and I thought ... "Maurice -- WHAT?"
I have different levels of happiness all year long - just like you - and at the time he sent it I was ecstatically happy about some random thing, so the script seemed very dark and too dark for me. So I had to say - "Thanks, but no way. Too dark for me."
But, Maurice is smart. He waited a few months and then tried again. And I'm all "No... and here's why," and he's all "Come on...here's why..." and I just end up mareveling at his depth and intelligence and say yes. But not without asking...
"What is this story really about?"
"Suicide Sam" is the story of a guy (Sam) who is so good at selling, that he can sell ANYTHING -- even death. Now he's selling a governent approved home suicide unit, and Sam’s effort to convince a down-on-his-luck man named Frank that being the first human to use this machine is his last chance to do something substantial with his life.
Ohhhh... so I read it again. And then I got it. Because Frank has lost everything that was dear to him - his work, his wife, his kids, his house - the only chance for him to create what is supposed to be The American Dream for his children's future - is to be the first human to use this machine. Whoa. And I wondered - how many people might there be who kill themselves or others slowly or metaphorically on a daily basis to keep an expired life-style model alive? I've met a few.
Sam's efforts to convince said "down-on-his luck man" to be the first person to use the machine are verrry seductive. Just like ads for other things that can kill you. It's dark. And it's funny. And it's dark. And it's funny. Kinda like Dr. Strangelove.
Maurice Chauvet new comedy IndieGoGo Campaign
Maurice Chauvet is an extraordinary writer. And as writer/director - he has a skill for communicating profoundly truthful concepts which should help his career last for a really long time.
The actors are theatre actors so the film will be rehearsed as if we are preparing for a live performance. That means several weeks of rehearsal. In Maurice Chauvet's first short comedy "Three-Fifty" many festival directors, audience members and other filmmakers commented that the acting is so very real in Three-Fifty. And we felt that that was true for a couple of reasons: (1)The actors are actually that good and have all worked together for some years in live theatre (2) The film was a stage play first and the actors that played it on stage were the same actors in the film.
Suicide Sam was staged in 2002 with some people I've never met - and now we have some great new actors for the film. Since we are all theatre people, we'll be preparing the way we know best: Rehearse, experiment, discover, do this homework, rehearse some more, experiment some more, discover some more and then - bazinga - one day it's a living breathing real story. It's a process that still amazes me. There is the precious moment when you feel the character has dropped into the actor's body and is now really alive. Amazing.
And so I said "yes"
You can read about Suicide Sam here on our IndieGoGo page. We hope you'll join us in making another Maurice Chauvet short.
Maurice Chauvet new comedy IndieGoGo Campaign
