Interview with WEAK SPECIES' Director Dan Faltz

Provocative and, at times, gruesome, Weak Species offers a thoughtful, yet brutal, glimpse into two troubled teen lives that caused audience members to faint during a screening at the Inside Out Toronto Lesbian & Gay Film and Video Film Festival. This powerful short is sweeping the 2009 film festival circuit and has also captured a couple of awards for Best Short at the Honolulu Rainbow Film Festival and Best Narrative Short at FilmOut San Diego.

The film follows two high school students - with wildly contrasting perspectives – on a self-destructive, sex-driven downward spiral. Steve (Brendan Bradley, Redwoods [see Scott Cranin's review here]), a self-obsessed artist with high aspirations, seduces and dumps other gay classmates in an effort to feel superior. George (Erik Scott Smith), a drug-addled loner, uses sex as a way to escape reality – hooking up with anonymous older men for violent encounters.

HOMOPOP.com's newest contributor Robby O had a chance to catch up with the talented director Dan Faltz who brilliantly taps famed-writer Dennis Cooper for this gritty short film.

RO: This film is based of the writings of Dennis Cooper(who also wrote Frisk and contributed to the film Luster.) What draws you to his work?

DF: Closer made an impression on me upon reading it back in 92 or so, particularly George's story - that a struggling kid goes to extraordinary lengths in order to feel something, what he feels is terror and pain, but he values himself and his life for the first time. And Steve, obsessed with perfection, learns to see the beauty in someone's flaws. I found it startling, but really beautiful. There were two early poems I wanted to use as dialogue, which seemed to tie the stories together thematically. His writing is incredibly sparse, focusing on small details that make the world clear. I wanted to shoot the film in a similar way.

RO: How involved was Dennis in the process of making the film?

DF: Dennis was very enthusiastic. I'm still in disbelief he let me use his amazing story. I described in detail which parts of the novel I wanted to use, and how I wanted to include the poetry. Dennis liked that I was not trying to translate the novel, but was creating something specifically for film.

And No-Man (Proto-Trip hop/Ambient/Electro-Pop styled music) were similarly encouraging; they allowed me to use whatever music I wanted - their lush sounds really complete the world of the film, like sonic wallpaper for the characters.

RO: Tell us a little about the casting process. Erik Scott Smith, as George, gives a remarkably brave performance. Was it difficult finding actors that were willing to take on such dark and unnerving subject matter?

DF: Erik is ridiculously talented - he does amazing things with his eyes, and has the ability so say something as if it's off the top of his head. We talked at length about the sexual elements; Erik was concerned the sex would be graphic. But once I made my ideas clear, he committed to the film completely. And working with him was incredibly rewarding.

RO: What was the mood like on set when you were filming the more violent and sexually-driven scenes?

DF: I was concerned with faces, with feelings, revealing what each character was communicating to the other during those scenes. And the actors were fearless, ready to be vulnerable, really open up and show those feelings. Everyone really brought a lot each time; cast and crew alike. I'm lucky to have had such a great cast.

RO: The film is greatly concerned not just with action, but with the psychology of its characters. What research did you do to delve into their psyche?

DF: In Dennis' writing, the sex and the violence is very meaningful to the people involved; the killers or molesters find it spiritual, or like solving an important mystery about a person. And the kids who sign up for it are just as invested - wanting to feel, or to desperately believe they are special. So each actor and I talked about what sort of ritual or dynamic was taking place, and why.

RO: I read that you’re working on adapting Weak Species into a feature-length film. How is that coming along? What stage of development are you currently in?

DF: I was incredibly nervous when I screened the film for Dennis, and the first thing he asked was whether I'd thought about making a feature film. So it meant a lot to have his vote of confidence. And No-Man wants to create original music for the film, which is amazing.

I've optioned the poems and novel Closer, and also one of his earliest short stories, and have just finished the feature script. The story is richer, funnier and scarier. It's exciting that a feature length gives me perfect places for all of Dennis' words - as dialogue, screen direction, or just description. I feel his voice is all over the script.

Lotti (Pharriss Knowles, Producer) and I are hoping to find an executive producer to really champion the film and take care of it.

RO: Do you hope to cast the same actors in the feature-length film?

DF: Of course, I would love for Erik to expand upon his George, if he was up for a second round. The characters in the feature are much closer to the book; Steve is a very different character, and there are two additional boys that are very unique. And the adult roles are much expanded as well, so it's a very different animal in many ways.

RO: The short has been accepted to at least 13 different film festivals. It’s received multiple awards. How has the festival experience been?

DF: As a student filmmaker, it's rewarding when anyone looks at your work, so to have such a great reception goes far above and beyond. I'm very grateful to have my film seen, and to have such appreciation from festival juries is really encouraging and humbling.

RO: Is it true that two people fainted during a screening? What have been some of the strongest reactions from audience members?

DF: Yeah, I got an email for ma buddy in the audience, and the program director confirmed. Dennis appreciated that, I think. Audience feedback has been very moving. We've had kids tell us how much they identified with the characters. In San Francisco, we got some boos and hisses along with the laughs and applause - I didn't expect that reaction. But it was clear that either way, folks were definitely engaged in the film. I wished those guys had stayed for the Q&A, because I really wanted to hear their thoughts. I think we all have ideas about what films should do or be about, and was hoping for a lengthy discussion.

RO: What do you hope the audience will take away from this film after the final credits roll?

DF: In Buddhism, they say that poison becomes your medicine; both characters come out of the trauma with new understanding. One learns to value himself, the other learns to value others. I think it's rare and precious to connect with others, and the two see each other for the first time, with new eyes.

RO: Are there any other projects – aside from the feature-length adaptation – that you’re working on?

DF: I have a feature script, loosely inspired by the murder of Gwen Araujo, which has been circulating. And I'm working on a Noir script about a hard-boiled detective with a secret life of sex with men.

Aside from those, I'm hoping for representation - directing actors makes me fizz, it's just my favorite thing; talking quietly and finding how to get to that place and reveal those feelings. So rewarding, there's nothing like it.

Weak Species (produced by the POWER UP Fiscal Sponsorship Program), a new film from director Dan Faltz is proving to be one of the most talked about gay shorts of the year. Check it out at these upcoming film festivals:

Philadelphia QFest: July 12th
Outfest, Fairfax Theater: July 17th
GAZE Dublin Int. Gay & Lesbian Film Festival, Ireland: August (specific date TBA)
North Carolina Gay & Lesbian Film Festival: August (specific date TBA)

For all of you Dennis Cooper fans, he has a new book out Ugly Man that delves more into the psyche of his subjects with satirically haunting prose.