5 Questions with Max Lakner
“TBFA” is a satire on the world of narcissistic movie directors, prone to emotional manipulation and abuse. We asked director Max Lakner how the project started, what the biggest challenge was, and a recent movie he’s loved…
1) Can you talk briefly about your background, and how you first got interested in filmmaking?
I grew up in New York City, next door to a Kim’s video (rip), that I frequented with my father. One of my first memories of wanting to be a filmmaker was upon encountering the director character in 8 1/2. His elegance and depression combined with the beauty of that movie had a very powerful effect on me.
2) What’s the backstory here - what was the initial idea and how did it evolve from there?
I was working as a cinematographer and occasionally got myself mixed up in artsy film projects directed by young men. Typically such directors had only a loose script, and wanted to harness the power of capturing “real life” in a verite style. Leah Hennessey, the screenwriter of TBFA, was also passionate and angry about this trend. It was written with Arabella Aldrich in mind to play Fiona. All the actors in the film are not actors by training or profession, and they were marvelous.
The film traces the story of Fiona breaking free from Caleb, and how he pushes her to that point. Would she have left him if he hadn't pushed her so far? How long would it take? What about Caleb attracted Fiona to him? I wanted Caleb to be energetic and diabolically charming enough for the relationship to make sense. As Fiona says "doing something shitty is better than nothing", and Caleb is always doing something shitty.
Visually and emotionally I was very drawn to the film set as a place to set a movie. The languor of film actors waiting on set is very decadent and romantic. So much waiting while all types professionals work to construct a world for them to act in.
3) What was the biggest challenge in making this film? And generally what part of the creative process do you enjoy the best, and the least?
TBFA was my first directing project, and, at the risk of being very vague, my own inexperience was what I was most up against. The learning process for me is increasing the amount and depth and clarity that I can pre visualize in planning the movie. In retrospect my plan for TBFA had many gaps and rough edges.
In TBFA, Caleb’s plan for his movie is almost all gaps, and gaps in planning result, most of the time, in either nonsense or cliche.
4) What’s a film you’ve seen recently, new or old, that you really loved and why?
Get Out was my favorite movie of the decade. It deals with the issues of today in a way that is so deeply rooted in the film history that I love, and it is perfect.
I loved Unsane, for being absolutely thrilling and scary, and for dealing so well with mental illness in our society, and for starring Claire Foy. It was shot on an iPhone in a unique and beautiful way. The horror sets in when the main character begins to question her own sanity. Unsane feels rooted in film history in yet another way, which is that it was made extremely intelligently, quickly, and on a budget, and dealt with an important topic in society that I care about deeply, all without trying to reinvent filmmaking. It feels like an old studio picture in that way.
Moonstruck I loved because my friend recommended it to me and she reenacted the whole movie, shouting every line with a vague Brooklyn-Italian accent, and the movie was exactly the same as the reenactment.
5) What’s next for you?
I’m writing a moody action short film, set in New York City.
I'm DPing short films and music videos, and season two of the webseries Zhe Zhe.
Contact Info:
Website: http://www.maxlakner.com
Instagram: @maxlakner