White Reindeer, a Twisted Christmas: An Interview with Zach Clark
Interview by Briege McGarrity
White Reindeer is written and directed by Zach Clark, an edgy New York filmmaker best known for his indie hits, Vacation and Modern Love is Automatic. Appropriately, White Reindeer is set at Christmas time but eschews the festive film formula.
Audiences are introduced to Suzanne and Jeff, a seemingly happy couple living in suburban Virginia and gearing up for a big move to Hawaii, just in time for the holidays. Following Jeff’s brutal murder by an intruder, Suzanne navigates her grief and finds herself in unexpected situations, including shoplifting, drugs, strip clubs and a swinging couple’s housewarming party!
With spot on acting, witty dialogue, superb casting and stand-out performances by Anna Margaret Hollyman as a convincing Suzanne and Laura Lemar-Goldsborough who plays Fantastia. The pair develop a strangely touching relationship after Suzanne discovers she had an affair with her husband.
White Reindeer has already snagged Best Feature at the Boston Underground Film Festival and premiered at the 2013 SXSW. White Reindeer was an Official Selection of RiverRun International Film Festival, Sidewalk Film Festival, BAMcinemaFest, OffPlus Camera Film Festival, Oak Cliff Film Festival and Maryland Film Festival. Upcoming festival screenings include: Raindance Film Festival, Arizona Underground Film Festival, Brisbane Underground Film Festival and Revelation Film Festival. IFQ’s Briege McGarrity enjoyed catching up with Zach to learn more about his latest film that’s making the rounds on the festival circuit.
Independent Film Quarterly (IFQ): Congrats on your new film! It’s not exactly your average feel good Christmas film. What was your thinking behind the project?
Zack Clark (ZC): I wanted to make a feel good Christmas film!
IFQ: Jeff’s unexpected and brutal death made audience realize this was going to be a Dark Christmas. Is a darker comedic film harder to write and in particular direct?
ZC: I don’t think of the movie as a dark comedy. I prefer “sad comedy.” Dark comedies always make me think about movies like Very Bad Things or Shallow Grave or Death Becomes Her. Not that I don’t love Death Becomes Her, it’s just a different thing.
IFQ: It was unique how Suzanne’s suburban life started to become experimental and risqué as she coped with the loss. How did you go about developing her character and the erotic elements in general?
ZC: Suzanne’s story is very personal to me. It’s autobiographical, but I haven’t done anything that she does in the movie. I’m a big fan of the exploitation films of Joe Sarno and had a half-finished script about wife-swapping in the suburbs sitting around. I used the best elements of that to develop the neighbor couple and their storyline. I stole some costume ideas directly from Sarno’s Sin in the Suburbs.
IFQ: Was it hard finding the right actor to play Suzanne? Anna Margaret Hollyman really nailed the part. I predict audiences will love her performance.
ZC: I wrote most of the roles in the movie not knowing who would play them. We had considered a few actresses for the lead who didn’t work out for [one] reason or another. As soon as we auditioned Anna Margaret Hollyman, we knew she was perfect for the role.
IFQ: Is it a story of grief, loss, obsession and female bonding on Christmas. What message do you want audiences to walk away with?
ZC: I don’t believe in messages. I just believe in Christmas.
IFQ: Overall the casting was spot-on especially the friendly, kinky neighbor and Jeff’s ex-lover Fantastia.
ZC: Thanks! I wrote the role of Patti specifically for Lydia Hyslop, who’s in my last two movies as well and is one of my favorite actresses. We considered a few actors for George, but when we started thinking about Joe Swanberg in the role it was too perfect to pass up. We met Laura, who plays Fantasia, in a divey gay bar in Atlanta. I saw her across the room and thought she looked exactly like the character and went over and talked to her. This isn’t just her first movie but her first time acting. It’s been great to see how much people respond to her performance.
IFQ: Do you like Christmas time yourself?
ZC: I love Christmas with all my heart.
IFQ: How has reception been on the festival route?
ZC: Positive! Not sure if there’s a novelty factor, or if festival audiences love Christmas as much as I do. I always tell audiences beforehand that they’re very brave to come see a Christmas movie off season, and I mean that.