Director's Statement:
January 2009, my dad killed himself. It viciously shaped not only my future, but my way of thinking. Had I perhaps been older or wiser, I wouldn’t have allowed it to have the strength of effect it did have on me. I too have had personal involvement in suicide attempts and various forms of mental health treatment over the past nine years, retrospectively teaching me invaluable lessons in the understanding and creating of convincing human traits and characteristics. Although there hasn’t been any deviation from my childhood dreams of becoming a film director, what I make and the topics and stories I cover has shifted as I continue to experience and learn more. Much of the script is semi-autobiographical and I wanted to see if I could weave together some of my past into a story I feel I know and into characters who convinced me of their feelings. In Grasslands, suicide and depression are both a daily factor and an almost inevitable destination for Frankie and Noah, the struggles and pain they experience, alone and as one. The film does act, in part, as a self-research tool, an attempt at a deeper understanding of my own situation and that of others, in aid of an uncompromising, faithful film. It acts as my voice, saying what I don’t feel I could ever verbally articulate. It allows me delve into my past unlike anything else and visually discuss my feelings with the audience and those around me. But most importantly, it’s the film I want to make and I believe I can make. I want to challenge myself to use all parts of me to fully craft a film that seeks to be just in it’s representations and directive.