We attended an advanced screening of Quitters at The CORE: Club Thursday July 21st.
The intimacy of the company mixed with the décor and openness of the club gave off a feeling familiar to that of an art gallery, befitting of a film that invokes as much contemplativeness and reflection as Quitters, Noah Priztker’s feature debut starring Ben Konigsberg as Clark Rayman, a teen that finds solace in adopting a new family after his tragically falls to pieces. Pritzker started writing the film in school with the intent of it being a short, but it was his fascination with the main characters complexity that led him to extend the piece “this was the first thing I wrote that I felt like there was a lot left to do and left to explore with the main character especially and it was something I wanted to keep writing, a character who is somebody I feel like I related to and encountered a lot growing up” said Pritzker regarding the film.
In the beginning we view Clark as your classic hopeless romantic searching for love, happiness, and a sense of himself following the typical coming of age formula but soon after see that he is more than willing to charm his way to get what he wants with an eerie juxtaposition of ruthlessness and finesse. “He’s not the most sympathetic character all of the time and it’s not a traditional arch…” said Pritzker of Clark, the harsh teen who to avoid going home to his family works his way into another. The film went deep as we were given a look at an implosion of a normal San Francisco family and Clark weasel or force his was to comfort, sometimes leaving us to wonder if this young man is truly our hero as he left behind a trail of sadness and despair in his wake. The character is far from a diabolical villain as he is grounded in real life circumstance, but definitely has panache in his actions, as he tries to navigate through the downward spiral that has become his life. “I don’t think he’s totally to blame for how he’s turned out given the way his parents interact with him.” Pritzker continued.
He didn’t start off with the goal of making a coming of age film, but it certainly grew into those shoes. He chuckled at the thought of a conversation with a former teacher he encountered being back in San Francisco filming, “Does he come of age?” the teacher asked him. Pritzker spoke on the reflection he hopes Konigsberg performance as Clark gives audiences, “to me it’s more important the audience’s arch and reaction to a film is more important than a character’s arch.” The reaction that can about from the character’s actions was similar to that of a fine painting in a museum. Everyone will view it differently, through lenses of his or her own, but it will definitely make us do a bit of soul searching. “I think it’s tricky thing to deal with, growing up, it’s hard and we’re all still trying to do it.”
Director Noah Pritzker was on hand to answer a few questions:
What was the writing process like?
I started writing it- I was in film school still at the time, and I actually started writing this as a short film, I was making a bunch of shorts at school and this was the first thing I wrote that I felt like there was a lot left to do and left to explore with the main character especially and it was something I wanted to keep writing, a character who is somebody I feel like I related to and encountered a lot growing up. So I kept writing and I brought Ben on because we grew up together and thought it would be helpful since I was writing about a place I grew up to have a co writer and somebody to help edit.
Would you define Quitters as a coming of age film?
I guess so, I think anyone who’s making a movie even if the shoe fits you still cringe when you hear it. So it’s like even where I hear “coming of age” I say ‘yeah of course it’s a coming of age movie’ but I don’t know if I would have thought that while I was making it. It’s funny I ran into a teacher of mine from high school actually while I was back in San Francisco making this and he asked what my movie was about and I said it was a coming of age movie and he asked doe he succeed? And I said what do you mean? And he said does he come of age?
Clark Rayman was a very complex character, with a lot of obstacles. What do you feel was the end result for him? How do you feel he was left off?
That’s a good question. And it was something Ben and I, who I wrote the movie with talked about while writing the movie was this idea that we knew it was going to be a difficult movie and that he’s not the most sympathetic character all of the time and it’s not a traditional arch, to me it’s more important the audience’s arch and reaction to a film is more important than a character’s arch. So it was a risk we were willing to make, and we knew a lot of people don’t go to the movies for that and I totally understand why somebody doesn’t go to the movies to be challenged and that’s a totally legitimate thing. The funny thing about going to film festivals is people don’t know what they’re about to watch. I think he goes through a lot and grows up a lot in the movie and I hope by the end of the movie that he has a slightly different way of trying to relate to the new people in his life and to his family, I don’t think he totally to blame for how he’s turned out given the way his parents interact with him. I don’t think he really learned the right tools to be a good boyfriend or a good guest and there’s a lot of entitlement there. I think it’s tricky thing to deal with, growing up, it’s hard and we’re all still trying to do it.
Quitters opened in select theaters and is available on VOD platforms nationwide.
-Khalil Waldron
