Movies You Made: “How to Break Up with Your Mother”

March is Movies You Made month at Go Into The Story where we feature the work of some independent filmmakers.

Today: How to Break Up With Your Mother.

Production notes from writer-director Lawrence Zoeller:

“How to Break Up with Your Mother” is a dark comedy made in 2011. The film played a dozen festivals across the country including the Los Angeles Comedy Festival, Art of Brooklyn Film Festival, Manhattan Film Festival, West Chester Film Festival, IFQ Festival and more. The script was runner up for Best Short Comedy Script at the Woods Hole Film Festival.

For a 20 minute short it was shot in 3 days with a skeleton crew of 5.

CAST: 
Michael Satow (Fred), 
Cassandra Paras (Jenell), 
Gloria Rosen (Mother), 
Christopher Akpobieri (New Man)

CREW: 
Lawrence Zoeller (writer, director, editor), 
Lindsay McCray (Producer), 
Victor Tadashi (Director of Photography), 
Ryan Dilmore (Music), 
Andrew Reardon (Sound), 
Kaela Dobson (Special Effects Make-up), 
Taylor Baltimore (Wardorbe & Make-up),
Larry Zoeller (Executive Producer),
Adela Zoeller (Executive Producer).

PRODUCTION NOTES:

* Shot in 3 days w/skeleton crew in New York City & Hudson Valley, New York. 
 
* Shot on Sony NEX-FS100 camera with Zeiss Lenses

* Most common question I get is “What was your mother’s reaction to the film?” to which I answer “She sees it as a cautionary tale.”

Here is the 18 minute film How to Break Up With Your Mother:

I asked each of the filmmakers in this month’s series to answer this question: What inspired you about this particular story to make it a movie? Lawrence’s answer:

This story came to me while in the middle of reading Julia Cameron’s The Artist’s Way, which I find to be an amazing source for helping artists reconnect with themselves. While doing the exercise I had what I thought was a funny idea of a breakup scene but between and mother and son as opposed to a dating couple. I wrote and made this movie for that scene. Having that scene as my midpoint the writing was easily broken down to Act 1 was about building to that moment and Act 3 was about taking that set up to its natural and ultimate conclusion.

Lawrence’s website for Pleasantly Depressing Films here.

Drop by Comments to give some feedback on How to Break Up With Your Mother.

Tomorrow: Another Movie You Made.

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