Dinner In America: BRWC Exclusive Clip.
Welcome to the Dollhouse collides with Napoleon Dynamite (with an added dose of the endlessly quotable dialogue of Heathers) in Dinner in America – a DIY love letter to being authentically yourself, finding your voice, and being punk AF.
In a dreary Midwestern suburb, aggro punk rocker Simon (Kyle Gallner, Jennifer’s Body, The Cleansing Hour) finds himself on the run again after a bout of arson and a close call with the police. A chance encounter with the spirited and socially awkward Patty (Emily Skeggs, The Miseducation of Cameron Post, Mile 22) provides him a place to lay low. As the two embark on a series of misadventures, they begin to realise they have a lot more in common than they first expected…
Skilfully directed by Adam Rehmeier (Jonas, The Bunny Game), produced by Ben Stiller (Zoolander, Tropic Thunder) and Ross Putman (Plus One, The Violent Heart) and set to the beat of brilliant original songs, Dinner in America is an empowering and wild ride through the places and people of suburbia— in all their peculiar and chaotic forms.
Our review is here.
We have a BRWC Exclusive clip:
DINNER IN AMERICA is streaming on ARROW and available to buy or rent on all digital platforms in the UK from 1stJune – www.ARROW-Player.com
DIRECTOR’S STATEMENT
DINNER IN AMERICA is my love letter to the early 90s punk scene in Lincoln, Nebraska that served as the backdrop for my formative years. I grew up playing in bands and spent the better part of two decades 4-tracking in a series of basements, apartments, and lockouts. The DIY ethic instilled through those experiences has informed my creative process and approach to filmmaking. DINNER IN AMERICA represents the first film in which I’ve been able to showcase that spirit within a narrative.
At its heart, the film is an underdog love story about two very different characters, each marginalized misfits in their own right: Patty, a socially awkward, sheltered 20- year-old escaping her banal existence through punk music; Simon, a snarling anarchist and seemingly toxic punk seeking refuge from the law. When these two cross paths, their radically different personalities make them an unlikely duo. They are thrust together, at first by circumstance and necessity, but in short order they begin to inspire one another. An organic intimacy unfolds, eventually revealing a connection of which neither is initially aware they share.
With each new project, I try to challenge myself, to get out of my comfort zone, and a “love story” would normally be way outside of my wheelhouse. But for me, this love story is different, as it embodies my own punk rock ethos. When Patty and Simon, armed only with a 4-track recorder and a love poem as lyrics, create their song together in a process just like that of my youth, their bond is complete. This critical scene, which portrays an artist finding her voice, is perhaps my proudest moment as a filmmaker.
It was crucial to me that the song be created organically, in collaboration with the actors, in a process honestly portrayed in the film. By writing and producing the song with Emily and Kyle before filming or even rehearsing a single scene, the emotional core of the film was established. The song served as a jumping off point from which to reverse engineer the nuanced performances they brought to the film, all leading to this emotional climax.
The story ultimately concludes with a passing of the punk rock torch. It is my hope that I have created characters that audiences can rally behind. That I have portrayed an authentic creative process. That this film might inspire others to find an outlet for their own untapped talents, to discover their own processes, and to ultimately pass the torch themselves.
Stay punk, Adam Rehmeier
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