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| Cast and crew, taken by Andrew Callaway in moonlight. |
Many years ago, during a family trip to
Joshua Tree National Park, I felt an impulse to veer from the trail and
hike up a colossal heap of rocks. Upon reaching the top, I descended
into a valley of pink and ochre stone, scrub oak, dwarf pines, mesquite,
dead twisted trees, cacti, and washes of white sand, all artfully
arranged as if by the hand of a divine gardener. Since then I visited
the valley many times, often alone, to escape the ugliness and banality
of everyday life. The austerity and formal harmony of the place never
failed to act as a balm, and put my petty woes into perspective.
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| After digging a hole to lower the tripod for the next day's shoot, taken by Andrew Callaway in moonlight. |
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| Self-portrait by Director of Photography Andrew Callaway, taken in moonlight. |
Shortly after switching media from dance
to filmmaking, I decided I wanted to make a film here, one as simple and
essential as the place itself. I wanted to glimpse what would happen if
a man and woman were to meet outside the politics, mores, trends, and
constructs of society. What atavistic instincts would manifest
themselves? What dark desires would wend their way from the primordial
muck to the light of day, if only we could be spared for a time the
smirking, judgmental leers of our neighbors?
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| Female lead and 2nd Assistant Director Diana Oliphant, taken by Andrew Callaway in starlight. |
The original premise, in which an older
man initiates a young girl, was abandoned during a visit to the valley
in the Fall of last year. Having eaten a small dose of mushrooms that a
friend had procured, I wandered around at sunset, trying to visualize my
story taking place in this surreal landscape of sensuously curved stone
and prickly flora. I couldn’t, much to my disappointment. I went to
sleep believing that my dreams of realizing a film in this magical place
were in vain. At sunrise I set out again, and I began to see a
different story: one in which a strong yet feminine woman character
would embody the essence of this valley. The initiation would be
undergone by the man. Perhaps he was a young man, disillusioned by the
hollow promises of an empire gone to seed, seeking a higher truth in the
brute austerity of the desert. He would find more than he bargained
for. The woman would guide him on a sexual odyssey that would lead to
self-discovery, and the absolution of that obscure feeling of guilt that
has been gnawing at the entrails of our civilization for two thousand
years.
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| Male lead Andreas Blair, taken by Andrew Callaway in moonlight. |
Likewise, the cast and crew were gradually
revealed to me, as though the Place itself were working behind the
scenes, creating the circumstances in which the right people for this
unique labor would come together. After a long and fruitless endeavor to
cast the leading lady through the usual channels, I was invited out of
the blue to screen one of my films at a festival in Seattle. I decided
to run an ad on Craigslist and met Diana over an espresso on a rainy
Seattle afternoon. On the flight up, I chanced to be seated next to a
very pretty and friendly young girl. I asked if she lived in Seattle or
San Francisco. She told me she was from Joshua Tree. Phoebe became our
production assistant, an extra in the film, and introduced me to her
friend Sarah, an aspiring stylist who would become our Art Director.
These girls, together with a few local friends of theirs, were
instrumental in keeping us alive, sane, and relatively comfortable for
ten consecutive days in this stunningly beautiful yet inhospitable
environment.
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| Sound recordist and designer Mike Harrison, taken by Andrew Callaway in starlight. |
Last week we returned for four
more days of shooting. I had thought at least some in our group would
have had their fill of arduous work beneath the blazing sun, and
plucking cactus needles from their behinds; but no one could wait to get
back.
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| First Assistant Director and 2nd Sound Recordist Nina Perlroth, taken in starlight by Andrew Callaway. |
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| Writer, Director and Editor Joshua Bewig, taken in starlight by Andrew Callaway. |
Even if there were no film at all, the experience of
living communally in this place, isolated from the banalities of the
work-a-day world, chasing the sun and moon which - aside from LED
headlamps - were our only sources of lighting, straining the outer
limits of our resources, both material and internal, was unforgettable.
May our little film manifest the magic and devotion that went into its
making.
