Derick Martini makes his directorial debut with Lymelife, a humorous tale about the dark side of suburban paradise and the loss of innocence centres on two deeply troubled, dysfunctional families during the late 1970s.
Collaborating with his brother Steven, he based the script on their experiences growing up on suburban Long Island. Produced by Alec Baldwin with Martin Scorsese as executive producer, Lymelife premiered at the Toronto Film Festival where it received the coveted Prize of International Critics for Discovery Award.
Men always use the line: (as does Rory in the film) “I didn’t lie, you just didn’t ask me the right questions.” It’s like it is part of the male genetic make up. When did you last use that line?
Ha! At 34-years old and as the father of a one-year old girl, I officially stopped using that line. Although in that line’s defence, there is a certain logic to it. The last time I used it, I received a hell of a kick in the pants, so I don’t recommend it.
You wrote the film with your brother and you said that you have ‘sold your family secrets for a couple of bucks.’ Were there demons lurking deep down within and was it a cathartic experience?
Did I say that? I probably did. However those “couple bucks” never materialized! Welcome to the independent film business I guess. And as for the demons, they must have been there because I wound up writing a very broad comedy for Paramount Pictures right after I finished editing Lymelife. Demons be gone!
You deal with some strong issues in the film. What made you focus on these issues and what do you hope people will take away from the film?
Keeping a family in tact, the duality of love as opposed to lust and the duality of the ‘American Dream’ are all important issues to me that I hope come across in the film. In the end, I’d like people to come away feeling hopeful that they can achieve their dreams without sacrificing love or family.
Why Lyme Disease?
At the time, Lyme disease was a big mystery. The character that Tim Hutton plays, the only one stricken with the disease, represents an even larger mystery to me. Why did he wind up with the debilitating disease and how did the thriving character Alec Baldwin plays avoid it? Who decides who is going to achieve their dreams or have them come crashing down? It’s a life question and existential. If I’m Tim’s character I’m wondering ‘How, when I’ve made all the right choices in life, did I wind up like this?’ And if I’m Alec’s character I’m thinking ‘Boy, am I glad I’m not Charlie [Hutton’s character]. I never want to be that guy.”
Remember, backstory-wise, Tim and Alec’s characters were together on the same hunting trip, sitting right next to each other. Tim contracted the disease from a tick and Alec didn’t. So why Tim and not Alec? Bad luck? A bigger picture? I don’t know, but I find it to be an interesting question.
Lyme disease, gone untreated, erodes or corrodes your entire system. It breaks you down. A big rift in a relationship, gone untreated, also erodes and corrodes the entire relationship.
So, to answer your question, this disease became a metaphor and connected many things for me as a storyteller. Some viewers are moved by it, others never make the connection and still enjoy the story. And truthfully, I don’t really care if those subtle connections are made, I’m just happy if the audience to enjoys the film.
Why was the movie set in the 70s?
The music. The colour palate. The fact that the medical community had no clue what Lyme disease was and would mis-treat it all the time, as in Hutton’s case. I’m no authority on the 1970’s, I was born in 75, but my impression of the closing of the 1970’s in America was that it was the onset of what we now know as the gluttonous 1980’s. The beginning of the end of the American Dream for a while. The final gasp of innocence, as seen in the final frames of the film where Rory and Emma quietly ride together on the bus on their way to school.
You have a fantastic cast with give some strong performances. Can you tell FilmJuice about your casting choices?
First of all, thank you. I love my cast. I could not have delivered this kind of film on a 22 day schedule without all of them being as committed as I was. Rory Culkin can convey a page and a half worth of dialogue with one look. It’s incredible. Alec Baldwin is a force of nature. Lightning in a bottle. Kieran Culkin is a live wire and a perfectionist. He always has another take in him.
Emma Roberts, oh Emma, how I miss her. She surprised people (not me because I knew she could do it) with her performance in Lymelife. She converted the doubters who saw her as a limited child actor. And she converted them with a vengeance. Jill Hennessey is another actor who flourished with the freedom to make her character her own and take chances performance-wise. Those chances paid off. Tim Hutton is a force to be reckoned with talent-wise. Simply put, he makes your movie better. And Cynthia Nixon is the consummate professional. I am extremely proud of them all.
How crucial was Alec Baldwin in getting it made?
Alec was there at the beginning and hung in there until it finally got made. 'Crucial' is an understatement when it comes to Alec’s importance in getting this film made.
The film has been incubating for five years. Why so long?
The doldrums of getting an independent film financed. It was only when I cut the budget down to 1.5 million American dollars were we able to get the green light.
What are you working on next?
In the current climate as a writer director, you have to have several projects you are developing because you just don’t know which one is going to film first. I have a script at Paramount that I wrote, Montecito Pictures is producing and I’m going to direct it. I also have an independent film the producers are trying to get off the ground…on and on it goes!
Congratulations on a great movie. What has been the general response?
Thank you again. I’m flattered that you enjoyed the film. The response at the Toronto Film Festival and Sundance were very positive. The critical response has been equally as flattering. There are always going to be people who don’t like the film. It’s impossible to make everyone happy all the time. I’m relieved that most people who see it enjoy it. I feel like I did my job.
