Interview: Filmmaker Brothers Jay Duplass, Mark Duplass Advance Mumblecore Movement in ‘Baghead’

CHICAGO – The “mumblecore” movement, which is the made-on-digital-video movie revolution, has two significant practitioners: filmmaker brothers Mark Duplass and Jay Duplass.

Lauded in 2006 at Film Independent’s Spirit Awards for their first feature entitled “The Puffy Chair,” the Duplass brothers have their first major feature release in “Baghead”. It’s a funny send-up of “Friday the 13th”-type scary movies and the desperation of relationship dynamics.

“Baghead” writers and directors Jay Duplass (left) and Mark Duplass in Chicago on July 23, 2008.
Photo credit: Patrick McDonald, HollywoodChicago.com

Left to right: Steve Zissis as Chad, Elise Muller as Catherine and Greta Gerwig as Michelle in “Baghead”. Photo credit: Jen Tracy Duplass, copyright Duplass Brothers LLC

HollywoodChicago.com interviewed the two filmmakers on their recent Chicago visit. They talked about the road to their first distributed feature, the process of their filmmaking and – yes – the meaning of the term “mumblecore”.

“Baghead” is about two couples. They’re all struggling film actors in Los Angeles who decide to go to a remote cabin in the woods to create a usable screenplay.

There’s a sexual tension between Chad (Steve Zissis) that’s not being reciprocated by Michelle (Greta Gerwig). Matt (Ross Partridge) and Catherine (Elise Miller) are the other story-pitching pair.

Soon they are all torturing each other with the story of Baghead, which is a potential movie character who stalks his victims from the woods.

“When we were shooting our first feature (‘The Puffy Chair’), we had long drives between where we were staying and where we were shooting with stretches of just woods,” Mark Duplass said. “Inevitably, with eight people in a van driving through the woods, we started talking about scary stuff.”

The character Baghead in the film “Baghead”.
Photo credit: Jen Tracy Duplass, copyright Duplass Brothers LLC

Rating: 4.0/5.0

“It became the opposite direction from ‘Cloverfield,’ which had the villain the size of Rhode Island,” Jay Duplass said. “We couldn’t beat that, so we went with the most low-fi version of horror films – both small and ridiculous.”

As the Baghead legend unfolds for the four characters, the line between the fictional story and reality begins to blur.

“Obviously we’re aware of ‘Friday the 13th,’” Jay Duplass said. “The reference point for us was: ‘What if it were happening in the real world and not just the dreamy world of teenagers taking showers?’ We wanted create a situation that was real where you know these characters and introduce the scary element into it.”

“Our goal was to scare the audience, but also to make them laugh and to not take it too seriously,” Mark Duplass said. “We wanted a great experience because some things in this life are a little scary or funny or stupid.”

Elise Muller as Catherine in “Baghead”.
Photo credit: Jen Tracy Duplass, copyright Duplass Brothers LLC

One of the key features of the story is the uncomfortable rejection Chad receives from Michelle even though his plan was to get her alone at the cabin.

“With our approach,” Mark Duplass explained, “it will be funny, but you have to mine the reality of what it is and slowly let it play out. Looking at the character of Chad, you know he’s had the struggle of rejection in his life.”

Left to right: Elise Muller as Catherine, Steve Zissis as Chad and Greta Gerwig as Michelle in “Baghead”. Photo credit: Jen Tracy Duplass, copyright Duplass Brothers LLC

“Everyone has that type of rejection on a weekly basis,” Jay Duplass added.

“Our hope is of the three things going on in this movie – the relationship stuff, the comedy stuff and the horror stuff – the audience will find something to connect to,” Mark Duplass said. “It’s about the characters, and if you like them, you’ll like the film. Then we’ll make $750 million (laughter).”

The tense atmosphere in the film is heightened by the desperation of actors trying to make it in Los Angeles.

Mark Duplass added: “They represent everyone, but in our world, the epitome of the human being who wants something they’re probably never going to have is the desperate actor. It is horrifying and beautiful at the same time.”

The “mumblecore” film movement, which is a genre created out of the small digital video festivals that play across the country, is close to the hearts of the Duplass brothers.

Mark Duplass defined the term: “Mumblecore are films made really cheaply on digital video – often with improvised dialogue and unprofessional actors – that tends to focus on realism in relationships and a distinct lack of plot.”

RELATED IMAGE GALLERY View our full, high-resolution “Baghead” image gallery. [16] RELATED READING More film reviews from critic Patrick McDonald. [17]

“We are half in and half out,” Mark Duplass added. “We like more plot and use professional actors, but we do tend to focus on the relationships.” Jay Duplass added: “In ‘Baghead,’ the short film shown at the festival in the beginning is hardcore mumblecore.”

It is Mark Duplass who sums up the progression of the brother’s film journey with a reflection on coming up through the independent digital video movement.

“We made a lot of bad movies for a long time until we hit onto something that was watchable,” Mark Duplass said. “It instills a very healthy fear of making a piece of shit. That keeps us on our toes. It’s real easy to make a bad movie and really hard to make a good one.”

“The advantage is that the only limitation is yourself,” Mark Duplass said. “Money is an issue, but the reality is about honing your vision and living and growing as an artist.”

[18]	By PATRICK McDONALD [19] Staff Writer HollywoodChicago.com pat@hollywoodchicago.com [18]