Experiencing Interruptions?

Concrete

Charlie has made the decision to end his life by jumping off a bridge into the empty bed of the Los Angeles river, but after he does, he doesn’t expect to wake back up.

Now, he is stuck, sprawled out on the concrete, and no one can hear him over the sounds of the city. He has a broken leg, an open wound, and is slowly bleeding out of the back of his head. With his injuries he is left with two choices: simply sit there and wait to die, or fight for his life to get out. ​He chooses the latter, and knows he needs to live. The only way he sees how is to crawl away: inch by inch.

  • Ryan Mercatante
    Director
    Monitor, Phase
  • Ryan Mercatante
    Writer
    Monitor, Phase
  • Angela Zaniboni
    Producer
    Matthew, Let Us Pray
  • Ryan Mercatante
    Producer
    Matthew, Dog
  • Douglas William Smith
    Key Cast
    "Charlie"
    Monitor
  • Kolby Ross Mitchell
    Key Cast
    "Mason"
    Mysti, Between the Sheets
  • Jaan Kristjan Utno
    Director of Photography
    The Desert Project, He Devil, China Town Story
  • Matias Piegari
    Composer
    Despicable Me 3, Minions, How to Train Your Dragon
  • Mairi Sõelsepp
    Editor
    Caretakers, Fenced, Love Letter, The Last Protestor
  • Tyler Albrecht
    Stunt Coordinator/Performer
    Beyond the Law, Independents Day, Guitars and Guns
  • Project Type:
    Short, Student
  • Genres:
    Drama, Survival, Thriller
  • Runtime:
    9 minutes 1 second
  • Completion Date:
    February 1, 2020
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    RED
  • Aspect Ratio:
    2.35
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    Yes - New York Film Academy
Director Biography - Ryan Mercatante

Ryan Mercatante is a recent graduate of the New York Film Academy, Ryan’s love for filmmaking began when he was 16 years old when he directed a documentary about violence in media titled “Disconnect” (2013), featuring Steven Ogg (Grand Theft Auto V, Westworld). Ryan has also directed music videos for artists like Danezion Mills (Rhythm’s Got Me) and Taylor Alexander (Look My Way) in 2018 while also directing, and writing short films. He is currently seeking representation to develop future feature film directing opportunities.

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Director Statement

It was about two years back when I was laying on the concrete base of the LA river when I came up with the initial idea for CONCRETE. I was on a set for another film when I started to daydream during lunch. Staring at the bridge above allowed my mind to wander, and eventually the thought popped into my head: "Could someone survive that fall?".

From that initial thought more questions came to mind. What would the injuries be? What type of person could do something like that? Who would find their body? Then finally it hit me... How would they get out? This question drove the story from an idea through the completion of the script. The idea of telling the story of one person, alone, fighting for his life after just trying to end it intrigued me immensely.

I relate to him. Unfortunately I've been in situations where I have felt how Charlie does. It's something I've struggled with for a good majority of my life. But the struggle leading up to the choice of taking ones life isn't something I wanted to focus on. Instead, I wanted to tell the story, not what got him to the bottom of that river bed, but what he does in response.