MaryAnneJohnana
11-29-24, 12:15 PM
I had the pleasure of speaking to a former movie forum discussion user tuned director name Caroline Lindy. Her newest film is called Your Monster and it's a genre bending, fun twisty movie that debuted at Sundance 2024 where it won audience favorite film in London and has been granted limited theatrical releasing worldwide. Caroline gave good insight on the film production and the hopes she has for indie film making.
My chat with her below!!
MAJ: Caroline , hi! Lovely to meet you. I wanted to tell you how much I enjoyed the film and the risk you you took with your debut feature. Was that always your plan?
Caroline : "I felt what better chance to take a big risk rather than my debut feature! I'm not established yet, and it's not a too much pressure. If I crashed and burned, I could get myself back up."
MAJ: Well you didn't crash at all! The film has been well received by critics and fans alike. Already listed as one best horror films by letterbox and won Sundance London Audience award. How does that feel?
Caroline : " I still can't wrap my head around all that! I truly thought the film would not go farther than my laptop at one point (laughs). We didn't aim to get any sort of award with this film, we didn't even have time to think of that. It was crunch time on set, we had 20 days and no money. We had to focus, but I am so happy with the response, and it truly makes my little movie geek heart happy."
MAJ: I'm sorry! Did you say 20 days? You made that entire film in 20 days?!
Caroline : (Laughs) "Yes. It was a passion project at the core. I had to submit my short film version to so many people to get them to consider it, and at times I got told no, then others yes. Kayla Foster (Producer/Actor in the film) saw it and loved it and was like "This needs to be a movie", I told her I had no money, and she reached out to Bombo Sports and Entertainment and Merman production companies via a friend and was able to score us $300K for budgeting, and we were picked up by Vertical entertainment to help with our distribution at the end of Sundance. So everyone in the film from the cast to production to distribution, all took a cut to make this happen, that's how much we believed in it."
MAJ: Wow. That's amazing, I can't fathom the risk it took for everyone to do that. I wouldn't guess that during my watch.
Caroline : (Laughs) "That means we did well! "
MAJ: That you did! Speaking of cast and crew, the film follows rising actress Melissa Barrera as your lead as Laura. What was it like casting someone like her who has done blockbuster films for this indie film?
Caroline : "Yeah, that was the big pitch for me. I saw Melissa in "In the Heights" (fact-that director just made Wicked!) and I thought she was a triple threat. A singer, good actress, and dancer. But I have never seen her do comedy or romance, so that was my gateway. Like many things in this film, it took a community. I got a mutual friend of ours to reach out and see if she was interested, and she was! She loved it and had no problem bringing my vision to the screen. I got very lucky. No one else could've played Laura in my eyes."
MAJ: I agree! She's gotten good feedback for this role and I feel it's one to shoot her to even higher stardom.
Caroline : " I sure hope so! She's a lovely talent and friend. I just ask she remembers me and would collaborate again" (laughs)
MAJ: Also we can't forget Monster! Who I feels is the heart of the film! What was it like casting Tommy and doing his prosthetics?
Caroline : " Tommy was a part of the short version I did for the film! I guest on a show he did, and I just watched him and thought he was perfect as a leading man. He stayed in touch with me through the development of the short to film, and he was the only pick for Monster. As for his prosthetics, It was made by legend David Anderson ( two time oscar winner!) He was so gracious to charge us little to nothing for his talents, and we went back and forth on the idea of the Monster, some forms of him were downright scary! to some, being too human. Once Dave sent me the final look he chose for Monster, that's when I really felt all my dreams come true."
MAJ: Awesome! You also had white louts star Meghann Fahy ! Truly all the stars attracted to the film.
Caroline: " Yes! She's a friend of ours who was so kind to spend a few days with us and do her scenes! She was has on with the project before it even was fully what it is now. It would feel wrong to me , to not include her. The character of Jackie has so much layer, and that's thanks to Meghann."
MAJ: So the film has been called a modern beauty and the beast and I love that but I feel after seeing it , the film couldn't be anything more different! You takes?
Caroline: " Yes I get that. The marketing was done by Vertical and that goes hand in hand with early Sundance-ending reviews, but I see the comparison, and I love all things Beauty and the Beast. It's a easy thing to say to a person who wants a one sentence rundown of the film, but at its core, it's about a woman falling in love with her inner rage and that rage just happens to take life in the form of a charming Monster who will rip your throat out! " (Laughs)
MAJ: Knowing the ending... I won't spoil but I want Laura and Monster to be together forever. I don't know if that's possible.
Caroline: "They live happily ever after! Monster loves Laura, and Laura loves him. It's not an ending of this film where they don't end up together. No matter how you view the ambiguous ending, Monster and Laura love will always be real."
MAJ: I love that and to wrap up. I'm going share this interview on movie forum discussion boards as part of my give back to the movie world. I wanted to know, what does movie forums and discussion mean to you?
Caroline: "I love movie discussions! I spent many years of my life on forums ex: (reddit, imbd , broadway disscussions) discovering new films and seeing different viewpoint for films. I think a film is good when it can cause a mass discussion and different ideas, I would not want to live in a world where everyone agrees on the same thing - in regards to films. I'm all for healthy and interesting discussion on films . Which is why I made Your Monster the way it is. It's going to be the best thing ever to some people and others are going to hate it. That's okay! That's good. Be expressive and talk about it. Spread the word and have fun."
That's all with my chat with Caroline. Her film Your Monster is certified fresh on Rotten Tomatoes and has IMBD score of 6.5/10. The film is out now in the UK and Australia! Also streaming on VOD in America.
My review of the film : On FlickFilosopher website!
My chat with her below!!
MAJ: Caroline , hi! Lovely to meet you. I wanted to tell you how much I enjoyed the film and the risk you you took with your debut feature. Was that always your plan?
Caroline : "I felt what better chance to take a big risk rather than my debut feature! I'm not established yet, and it's not a too much pressure. If I crashed and burned, I could get myself back up."
MAJ: Well you didn't crash at all! The film has been well received by critics and fans alike. Already listed as one best horror films by letterbox and won Sundance London Audience award. How does that feel?
Caroline : " I still can't wrap my head around all that! I truly thought the film would not go farther than my laptop at one point (laughs). We didn't aim to get any sort of award with this film, we didn't even have time to think of that. It was crunch time on set, we had 20 days and no money. We had to focus, but I am so happy with the response, and it truly makes my little movie geek heart happy."
MAJ: I'm sorry! Did you say 20 days? You made that entire film in 20 days?!
Caroline : (Laughs) "Yes. It was a passion project at the core. I had to submit my short film version to so many people to get them to consider it, and at times I got told no, then others yes. Kayla Foster (Producer/Actor in the film) saw it and loved it and was like "This needs to be a movie", I told her I had no money, and she reached out to Bombo Sports and Entertainment and Merman production companies via a friend and was able to score us $300K for budgeting, and we were picked up by Vertical entertainment to help with our distribution at the end of Sundance. So everyone in the film from the cast to production to distribution, all took a cut to make this happen, that's how much we believed in it."
MAJ: Wow. That's amazing, I can't fathom the risk it took for everyone to do that. I wouldn't guess that during my watch.
Caroline : (Laughs) "That means we did well! "
MAJ: That you did! Speaking of cast and crew, the film follows rising actress Melissa Barrera as your lead as Laura. What was it like casting someone like her who has done blockbuster films for this indie film?
Caroline : "Yeah, that was the big pitch for me. I saw Melissa in "In the Heights" (fact-that director just made Wicked!) and I thought she was a triple threat. A singer, good actress, and dancer. But I have never seen her do comedy or romance, so that was my gateway. Like many things in this film, it took a community. I got a mutual friend of ours to reach out and see if she was interested, and she was! She loved it and had no problem bringing my vision to the screen. I got very lucky. No one else could've played Laura in my eyes."
MAJ: I agree! She's gotten good feedback for this role and I feel it's one to shoot her to even higher stardom.
Caroline : " I sure hope so! She's a lovely talent and friend. I just ask she remembers me and would collaborate again" (laughs)
MAJ: Also we can't forget Monster! Who I feels is the heart of the film! What was it like casting Tommy and doing his prosthetics?
Caroline : " Tommy was a part of the short version I did for the film! I guest on a show he did, and I just watched him and thought he was perfect as a leading man. He stayed in touch with me through the development of the short to film, and he was the only pick for Monster. As for his prosthetics, It was made by legend David Anderson ( two time oscar winner!) He was so gracious to charge us little to nothing for his talents, and we went back and forth on the idea of the Monster, some forms of him were downright scary! to some, being too human. Once Dave sent me the final look he chose for Monster, that's when I really felt all my dreams come true."
MAJ: Awesome! You also had white louts star Meghann Fahy ! Truly all the stars attracted to the film.
Caroline: " Yes! She's a friend of ours who was so kind to spend a few days with us and do her scenes! She was has on with the project before it even was fully what it is now. It would feel wrong to me , to not include her. The character of Jackie has so much layer, and that's thanks to Meghann."
MAJ: So the film has been called a modern beauty and the beast and I love that but I feel after seeing it , the film couldn't be anything more different! You takes?
Caroline: " Yes I get that. The marketing was done by Vertical and that goes hand in hand with early Sundance-ending reviews, but I see the comparison, and I love all things Beauty and the Beast. It's a easy thing to say to a person who wants a one sentence rundown of the film, but at its core, it's about a woman falling in love with her inner rage and that rage just happens to take life in the form of a charming Monster who will rip your throat out! " (Laughs)
MAJ: Knowing the ending... I won't spoil but I want Laura and Monster to be together forever. I don't know if that's possible.
Caroline: "They live happily ever after! Monster loves Laura, and Laura loves him. It's not an ending of this film where they don't end up together. No matter how you view the ambiguous ending, Monster and Laura love will always be real."
MAJ: I love that and to wrap up. I'm going share this interview on movie forum discussion boards as part of my give back to the movie world. I wanted to know, what does movie forums and discussion mean to you?
Caroline: "I love movie discussions! I spent many years of my life on forums ex: (reddit, imbd , broadway disscussions) discovering new films and seeing different viewpoint for films. I think a film is good when it can cause a mass discussion and different ideas, I would not want to live in a world where everyone agrees on the same thing - in regards to films. I'm all for healthy and interesting discussion on films . Which is why I made Your Monster the way it is. It's going to be the best thing ever to some people and others are going to hate it. That's okay! That's good. Be expressive and talk about it. Spread the word and have fun."
That's all with my chat with Caroline. Her film Your Monster is certified fresh on Rotten Tomatoes and has IMBD score of 6.5/10. The film is out now in the UK and Australia! Also streaming on VOD in America.
My review of the film : On FlickFilosopher website!