5 Questions with Amy Zimmer

Digging deep into the underbelly of “this town,” a weary reporter searches for the truth while drinking Nesquik. We asked the writer/star of “A Riveting Thriller,” Amy Zimmer, how the project started, where this character comes from, and a recent film she’s loved…

1) Can you talk briefly about your background, and how you first got interested in filmmaking and/or comedy?

I'm a writer who for a long time felt a strong pull to performance and comedy, but the idea of doing it didn't "click" until years later. I started performing at first really to learn if I could– seeing how much I could express in a form I wasn't used to, and to see if my writing could stand on its feet. I think my interest in filmmaking has grown out of my interests in comedy--I like playing with form and tone, and in exploring very small tells, and you can have a lot fun exploring that when making something visual.

2) What was the original inspiration for this project, and what were some of the first steps to get it going?

Doron and I knew we wanted to work together on something, and I had talked to him a bit about this character, and I remember we were talking and I explained her monologue, and he said what if she's delivering this saga and at the end she's in workout leggings? And we laughed for what felt like a couple minutes. As NoBudge is well aware, Doron's a genius, with such a clear vision, and a wonderful director to collaborate and work with. He immediately understood where I was coming from. After that, it came together very quickly. Eric Schleicher, another brilliant mind, did such a beautiful job shooting it that I burst into flight when I saw the footage. We shot it the day Uranus went into Taurus. Take from that what you will. And of course without revealing too much, the leggings were crucial to it all.

3) There's so much more I'd love to know about this character and the "town" she inhabits. Where she's coming from / where's she's going. I guess just anything. Tell me more!

She is, I hope, deep inside us all! She's inscrutable, and she's one way I wanted to write around the tropes of a female anti-hero. The quality of her mystery is something I had fun playing with– is she deep in the pursuit of a psychological revelation, a step toward cracking the case? Or is she just drinking a Nesquick? Both can be true! I'm realizing I like characters who are deeply determined, and when they look up from their striving, their motivations are deeply absurd, or their personal stakes are so far higher than their reality. But they don't have time to think about them. Not when something's up in this town.

4) What’s a film you’ve seen recently, new or old, that you really loved and why?

I feel like you're absolutely setting me up to lose my mind over DIANE (2019). I went to BAM one day trying to see a movie and it was sold out by the time I got there, so I bought a ticket to Diane, knowing nothing about it, other than it was playing at the same time as the sold out one. What I sat down to proceeded to emotionally shred me from all sides. I wept and felt so deeply connected to the movie, how it very beautifully renders people who build their lives from the care they give others. It hit me on a deeply personal level. And Mary Kay Place has this scene where she's very drunk, and outside of Gena Rowlands, it's some of the best drunk acting I've ever seen in my life. I've been on a personal campaign to make everyone see it, in a way that makes me laugh because people do not understand what's gotten into me. If Kent Jones is reading this, know I will buy multiple For Your Consideration billboards for DIANE. I believe this film should win an EGOT.

5) What’s next for you?

Well, I just had my first Impossible Whopper so you're catching me at an invigorating and optimistic time. I'm writing and performing, acting sometimes, always working toward new things to make. I co-host a monthly show with Lorelei Ramirez and Ana Fabrega called Not Dead Yet that's on the 27th, and I'll be doing a show with Spike Einbinder in October. Outside of that I'm hoping to buy Impossible Whoppers for all of my loved ones immediately.

Contact Info:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/oneamyzimmer

Instagram: @aezimmer_