Sarah Adina Smith’s first feature, “The Midnight Swim,” won six top prizes on the festival circuit, including the breakthrough audience award from AFI FEST. Smith was the only female director to participate in the horror anthology film “Holidays,” headlined by Kevin Smith. Her sci-fi thriller script “The Colony” was a semi-finalist for the Nicholl’s Fellowship and earned Smith a fellowship at the prestigious Screenwriters Colony in Nantucket. This fall, she’s set to direct two episodes of the new HBO show “Room 104,” created by The Duplass Brothers.
“Buster’s Mal Heart” will premiere at the 2016 Toronto International Film Festival on September 12.
W&H: Describe the film for us in your own words.
SAS: It’s the story of a man split in two. Each side demands a conversation with the unnameable forces of the Universe. I like to think of it as a comedy because there’s nothing more absurd than screaming into the void!
It’s funny and sad and sweet. And Rami Malek’s performance is truly stunning. It’s his first lead in a feature film and it was a monster feat — he plays both versions of the lead character, but also plays the younger version before he splits in two.
W&H: What drew you to this story?
SAS: I had an ear-worm I couldn’t get rid of. It was just this phrase that came into my head that I kept repeating over and over: “One by choice, two by ship.”
I think that we live in a world guided by fate but propelled by heart. In other words, our will is the fuel that feeds the machine. I suppose a “healthy” existence means learning to embrace this paradox — the paradox of free will. An unhealthy mind rebels against it.
I tend to have an unhealthy mind. I use the word “unhealthy” only because it’s incredibly painful and clumsy to try and swim against a tidal wave. It’s a lot easier and more fun if you can learn how to surf.
W&H: What do you want people to think about when they are leaving the theater?
SAS: I suspect there will be many different interpretations of the movie, but that’s not because I didn’t have my own very clear ideas about it: it’s because there are many different outlooks on the human condition, freedom, sanity, and God, or lack thereof.
My hope is that the audiences will leave with a feeling peace. A rare and special peace, however fragile or fleeting.
W&H: What was the biggest challenge in making the film?
SAS: I suspect that directing movies might be a lot like being a professional athlete. You have to keep your head in the game and your eye on the ball. And you can’t waste time mourning losses or celebrating wins — at least not until the game is over. Stamina, patience, precision of judgment — these are all the things I love about the job!
We had an extremely ambitious production. We did everything from shooting on the ocean in open water to scaling mountain sides near Glacier National Park. The entire project was an epic challenge and, for that reason, incredibly satisfying.
W&H: How did you get your film funded? Share some insights into how you got the film made.
SAS: We were lucky to have excellent, unwavering support from a combination of investor groups. The majority investor was Gamechanger Films. They have a history of choosing sharply intelligent, unconventional material to support and I was thrilled to come under their banner.
W&H: What does it mean for you to have your film play at TIFF?
SAS: I think it’s a great home for us. A lot of people warned us that we might get lost at TIFF because of its size, but our movie is bold enough to rival the biggest titles there.
W&H: What’s the best and worst advice you’ve received?
SAS: Lately? Or in my whole life?
Lately, well, I’m really, clinically bad at taking red carpet photos. But I got some great advice from a friend recently about how to enjoy that incredibly awkward experience. We’ll see if it works this time around.
The bad advice I’ve received on that same subject of red carpet photos is “be yourself.” I have no idea what that means — that’s why I make movies in the first place.
The best advice I’ve received in my whole life is from my father, who always says “go to sleep with a clean conscience.” If something is festering in your heart, you need to address it and recalibrate your inner compass to true north.
The worst advice I received in my life was from a high school science teacher who told me the way I’d be most successful is to marry rich.
W&H: What advice do you have for other female directors?
SAS: My advice is to any filmmaker, male or female, is to only make movies if there’s nothing else you can possibly imagine yourself doing with your time here on earth. And then, if it is the case that you need to make movies, then make them. Don’t wait for anyone to help you our or open a door: just make them with whatever resources you can grab by your teeth.
W&H: Name your favorite woman-directed film and why.
SAS: Lynne Ramsay’s “We Need to Talk About Kevin.” It’s a perfectly directed movie, in my opinion.
W&H: Have you seen opportunities for women filmmakers increase over the last year due to the increased attention paid to the issue? If someone asked you what you thought needed to be done to get women more opportunities to direct, what would be your answer?
SAS: There’s been a very real effort to hire more women directors in the TV world. In film, I think financiers and studios need to take risks on women filmmakers the way they take risks on male filmmakers. Find the right ones, then trust them.
