2015 Sundance Trading Card Series: #14. Patrick Brice (The Overnight)

Eric Lavallee: Name me three of your favorite “2014 discoveries”…
Patrick Brice: It Follows by David Robert Mitchell was one of the best cinematic experiences I’ve had in a long time. The same goes for Jan Nemec’s Diamonds of the Night. I probably listened to Black Silk by Spooky Black more than any other record this year. I’d listen to it every morning driving home after filming all night on The Overnight. It’s great music for watching the sun come up.

Lavallee: Will fans find tonal commonalities between job prospects malaise in Creep, and the challenges of making new friends in The Overnight?
Brice: I think there are some definite similarities. Both films are about the pitfalls of people trying to connect with one another. Structurally they both kinda feel like amusement park rides to me in how the plot and characters reveal themselves.

Lavallee: Did any real life folk or film reference sources serve as a starting point/inspiration when fleshing out the quartet archetypes/gender stereotypes?
Brice: Not to say any of the characters are specifically based on real people, I feel like I’ve met real-life versions of all four main characters in the movie. Kurt (Jason Schwartzman) is an amalgamation of a couple people I have met along the way for sure. Also I know it’s probably oddly specific but Justin Theroux’s absurd caricature of a performance in Wanderlust was inspirational for me. It reminded me of the freedom of tone and heightened reality that can sometimes exist in Comedies.

Lavallee: Did you research the pitfalls of becoming a new parent and the psychological, social, and sexual toll it has on the individual/couplehood?
Brice: I’d say (to get super specific) the characters in the film are just getting out of the “new parent” stage and are in the process of figuring out what the next step is after the magic wears off. I didn’t do any hard hitting research on the subject, mostly I just thought about friends who are in similar stages in their lives and went from there. I think the movie touches on a small variety of issues surrounding being in a “couple” that people will hopefully connect with.