Movie review and director/writer interview: Justin Hilliard for The Other Side of Paradise

by John P. Meyer

When last we visited with Fort Worth native Justin Hilliard, his wife Arianne Martin, Frank Mosley, and Ryan Hartsell of Striped Socks Productions, they were enjoying the limelight on the red carpet at the AFI Dallas International Film Festival.

Their latest film -- The Other Side of Paradise (TOSOP) -- debuted at AFI Dallas as a feature selection. At the time, I made note of a few outstanding aspects of the film and promised (threatened?) to write up a full review at a later time.

Well, this is that time. Given the fact that TOSOP has recently been selected to appear at three additional film festivals -- including one this Wednesday (July 29) at the Action On Film International Film Festival (AOFIFF) in Pasadena, CA -- any further delay would be downright criminal.

Stylistically, The Other Side of Paradise is a road trip story. It's also something of a picaresque, given that the supporting character who keeps the players together is a roughish fellow named Jamie (the aforementioned Mosley, who's nominated in the best supporting actor category at AOFIFF, up against the likes of Ron Perlman). Jamie's outrageous and hilarious antics serve to smooth over some of the rougher patches of the story, and Mosley's low-key, dangerously intense delivery never fails to steal the scenes in which he appears.

Rose (Arianne Martin) is about to host the first exclusive showing of her photography at a gallery in Austin. She's picking up her friend Alex (John Elliott) from DFW International Airport as we view the opening credit sequence, which spools out as one seamless take shown from the vantage point of a camera in the back seat of Rose's car. (There's an amusing and amazing concluding shot at the end of the segment in which the car seems to drive out from under the camera.)

Rose and Alex are old chums, it turns out, both of whom have recently emerged from the confines of separate romantic relationships in which their partners variously suspected them of being more than just friends -- which dynamic sets up the romantic tension that will serve as an underpinning of the story going forward. The two not quite lovers spend a chaste (though flirtatious) night at Rose's Dallas apartment in preparation for the drive to Austin.

Before leaving town, they pick up Rose's brother Jamie (Mosley) from the prison where he's just finished serving three years for an unspecified (though probably, given his demeanor, violence-based) criminal infraction. Mosley shaved his head and beard for the role, which succeeds in counteracting his natural teddy bear good looks. (It also helps that he never cracks a smile.)

Before the trio head south on I-35, they pay a visit to the home of Rose and Jamie's father, James (Jodie Moore, stern-faced and menacing). James has just remarried to a young lady Rose remembers from Paradise High (Susana Gibb, engagingly ditsy as Courtney): She was a graduating senior when Rose was a freshman, which makes it kind of hard for Rose to think of her as a mother figure.

During their visit with "Mom" and Dad, Rose and Jamie uncover a long-buried family secret -- one that will add another stop to their road trip.

Along the way to Austin the trio encounter a small town girl with a fondness for kissing; a redneck good ol' boy with a handy swimming pool; a surly motel proprietor who bears a superficial resemblance to Mister Rogers; a bizarre, brazenly sensuous pair of middle-aged Waco swingers; and a sleazebag bartender who preys on attractive female patrons. In a climactic and cathartic final encounter, Rose and Jamie come face to face with a key personage from their past who they've deluded themselves into thinking might hold the key to their future. (And her oddly familiar husband, named ... um ... Will.)

While Arianne Martin's affected, come-hither vocal mannerisms occasionally cross the Mae West annoyance threshold, we presume that they are intended to convey the essence of the character she portrays. For his part, John Elliott turns in a likable performance as a guy torn between an existing lover and an idealized (i.e. unreal), longed-for one. Aside from the aforementioned charm of Mosley's character, what may be the film's biggest draw for audiences are the numerous oddball and hilariously offbeat cameo players.

The film's original music comes courtesy of home-grown Texas band Stanton, which Hilliard interposes with various classical themes to interesting dramatic effect.

*******

10 Questions: Justin Hilliard

Before he took off for Pasadena, I leveraged the answers to 10 questions from filmmaker Justin Hilliard, to wit:

Pegasus News: Did you consider playing the role of Alex yourself? (And if so, what decided you against it?)

Justin Hilliard: Never ... Never ... No Way! ... I am not an actor. We had planned to cast professional actors in all of the roles from the very beginning of pre-production. You probably won't ever see me act in a film unless it's a little cameo or maybe some sort of catharsis like Steven Soderbergh's Schizopolis was to him when he got so burned out making the studio pic The Underneath ... but, it's highly unlikely.

PN: Were the locations chosen mostly from prior experience in your travels around the state?

JH: Most of the locations were chosen based on what we had written in the script. We wrote it and sought out either the actual place or a passable version of a location that was in closer proximity to our production headquarters.

PN: You wrote the screenplay in collaboration with Arianne and Ryan. What was the writing process like?

JH: It was a blast working with the two of them. I'm used to locking myself away from everybody and staying up late nights in order to get my writing done; however, with The Other Side of Paradise, I had to discover/develop a new writing process altogether. Basically, I outline out some main ideas and we go over them all together and fine tune them until I have something to tightly edit into a completed outline. After that, I start to write ... maybe 5-10 pages, maybe more ... then I get together with Arianne and pick through and edit the pages down, incorporating new ideas, updates, and changes. After the pages are pretty tight, we bring Ryan in and do the same process again ... butt heads ... enjoy some wine ... get at it again ... until I have something that we can shape and tighten even further. This process continues until the first rough draft is finished. After that, we do it all again to the entire script. I loved the writing process with Arianne and Ryan. Arianne brings such keen insight to character, emotion, and relationships. On the other hand, Ryan's worldview and perspective add a whole other layer to the depth of the humor and the drama. I love being part of this team.

PN: Is the road trip chronicled in the film a metaphor for life passages and personal transitions? (Or is the road trip just a road trip?)

JH: Of course, like any journey in a story, it can definitely play as a metaphor for both of those things. The ups and downs of life, the surprises and the unexpected all affect those transitions. What can be simply a plan of going from point A to point B is possible; however, despite the inevitable I find it much more realistic to life to have those shocks ... those moments of good and bad ... and the unexpected. And it's those moments that help a person grow, mature, gain knowledge ... major things that yes, turn into life passages and personal transitions. All that being said ... it could just be a road trip. Let it be whatever you interpret :)

PN: The character of Jamie is a fascinating one. Soft-spoken, tough as nails. He's a diminutive tough guy who's not afraid of anything. Did you write that role with Frank (Mosley) specifically in mind? Was it based on someone from your life?

JH: Jamie is a character based directly on little impersonations and characters that Frank and I did at work in the past. We'd stand around for hours, giving looks and one-liners in different personas. Jamie is sort of a hybrid of the best of them. From the beginning I wrote this role for Frank. The only requirement was that he changed his appearance (head shaved, tattoos, clothing, etc.) to look nothing like Frank. Also, there is a decent amount of personal nuances/stories to the character that directly reflect my growing up & relationship with my older sister Randi.

PN: People get into trouble from hiding things from each other. Do you see this as a major theme in your dramatic creations?

JH: I've always been fascinated with the issues of temptations, secrets, lies, and abandonment. I like the complexity of hidden truths and what the different effects could be if they are revealed. In some cases, the secret is hidden for a reason and the person that is unaware of the truth is either better off not knowing or possibly isn't equipped mentally/emotionally to handle the truth. In others, it will lead to that personal transition or passage in life. Sometimes people tell those secrets or hide those secrets because of their own selfishness. It's just fascinating. It all plays into my obsession with the theme of masculinity and identity in my projects. What makes a person who they are? How much of it is upbringing, blood, etc. etc. ... People need to label and find facts and reasons on why they are the way they are. It makes life safer and less chaotic and also in some cases, gives that person excuses for shortcomings. In other situations, it gives that person the drive and motivation to change, do better, succeed, etc. I love these ideas and I'm sure they'll always pop up in some form in my films.

PN: There are lots of driving scenes in the film. How'd you deploy the camera for shooting them?

JH: Ryan and I planned specifically which shots we wanted from a distance, from the side, outside looking in, inside looking out, etc., depending on the perspective of the scene, of Rose (or the central character in the scene), or of the perspective of the audience member being on a journey with the group. Ron Gonzalez, a brilliant cameraman, was our camera operator and he had the gear to pull off whatever shot we had in mind.

PN: What made you decide to use classical pieces as accompaniment to some of the more memorable confrontation scenes?

JH: Just always felt that way in my head. There were certain scenes that didn't need the quirky quality of the Stanton score. I always felt that the score was really reflecting Rose's or the main characters thoughts, mood, and dynamic in each particular scene. Stanton's music is almost the conscience of Rose and the main characters ... the conscious & subconscious feelings, thoughts, emotions. Also, Stanley Kubrick is my favorite filmmaker of all time. His use of classical pieces to guide and change the tension/mood in a scene is a major influence on me. His musical placement was always brilliant.

PN: Has Larry David gotten any more acting offers yet? And how about Parker Posey (Larry's sister)? Surely she's had an offer to appear in an indie pic by now?

JH: Larry David does have an agent now; however, Kibbles n' Bits hasn't called yet. Parker Posey and our newest addition Vincent Van Gogh (he's a Dutch Hound) will never make it in a film for more than ten seconds. They aren't cut out for it like Larry. There is a funny outtake of Parker that we shot for TOSOP. It might make it on the DVD extra features someday... :)

PN: How'd you go about financing the film?

JH: The film was financed by private investors. ... and if you know anyone interested in investing in our next project ... we're currently in that phase right now and always looking for more contacts!