Tuesday, October 21, 1997
Beckett redefines romance with stronger female roles
FILM Young filmmaker provides refreshing view on love in the
’90s
By Sam Toussi
Daily Bruin Contributor
How many movies have there been about love in the ’90s where
everybody smokes, at least one character is a starving artist and
everybody is in their 20s?
Every once in a while, however, a film about love in the ’90s
knocks you off your feet.
And refreshing is the only way to describe up-and-coming
filmmaker Joshua Beckett’s "Always Say Goodbye," a finalist in the
first Hollywood Film Festival. The film, which he also wrote,
produced and starred in, marks Beckett’s directorial debut.
The film revolves around a young photographer (Beckett), who
tries to keep his professional, personal and romantic life in
order.
Sounds familiar, doesn’t it?
"Every one of the characters is alone in some way and the film
deals with the different ways of dealing with that solitude and
that loneliness," Beckett says in explanation of his theme.
Indeed, every character in the film has some sort of void in his
or her life, and they are all either starting or finishing a major
period in their lives.
The main character, Nick, has a recently divorced mother (Liz
Sheridan); a sister (Polly Draper) who is about to become a single
mother; and a best friend (Phillip Brock) who is nearing the end of
his dreams of becoming a writer.
Meanwhile, Nick meets fashion designer Anne (Marcia Cross).
Still sound familiar?
In many angsty romance pictures, the man is the center of the
movie and the women play either stereotypical girlfriend or wife
roles. "Always Say Goodbye," on the other hand, strives to create
strong female characters. Nick is still the focus, but the women
drive the picture.
In particular, Anne’s strength is a vital part of the film.
Casting the actress who would play Anne became extremely
important.
"I was very stubborn about one thing with my casting director
and that was that the only thing that mattered was the acting
ability," Beckett says. "There was a strength that needed to be
evident, especially in Anne."
Beckett was most taken with Cross. "She impressed me as a
person, certainly, and there was a lot of chemistry, which can make
or break a film," Beckett says.
Cross’s character is a frustrated painter who gives up her
dreams in search of a lucrative career in the garment industry. Her
broken dreams make her all the more anxious to see Nick
succeed.
"Here is a woman who metaphorically says to this guy, ‘Listen,
I’m going to cause you some discomfort, but in the process, I’m
going to open up your mind.’" Beckett says. "It’s about a strong
woman who kicks his ass at a time when he really needs it."
Beckett speaks from experience. Though the film is not
completely autobiographical, many elements of his life found their
way to the screen.
"The stranger the circumstance, the more certain you can be that
it is actually autobiographical," Beckett laughs. "I was really
interested in creating a character who I used to be and show what I
had learned from my relationships with strong women."
The film’s autobiographical tone and sharp dialogue now have
many people comparing Beckett to Woody Allen, which suits the young
filmmaker just fine.
"I’m absolutely wild about Woody Allen," Beckett says. "He’s one
of my few film idols and I’m nothing but flattered to be compared
to him."
Like Allen, Beckett was a quadruple threat for the film by
writing, directing, producing and acting. And overall, he found the
experience very rewarding.
"I had a lot of fun," Beckett says. "The more responsibility I
have, the better I perform. I’d rather be running on 92 octane than
86 octane."
After the Hollywood Film Festival, Beckett hopes to continue
screening "Always Say Goodbye" at festivals and maybe even get a
limited distribution. Either way, Beckett is ecstatic about the
film.
He says, "This is a win-win for me. Whether it gets another
festival or distribution, I have a film under my belt and I made
the film I wanted to make."