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The Things We Tell the Ones We Love (short film)


“THE THINGS WE TELL THE ONES WE LOVE” is a satirical sci-fi thriller about a designer virus that attacks the pre-frontal cortex of select humans, causing damage to executive functions. Those infected enter into a Frenetic Random Activity Period, in which they temporarily lose inhibitions, act on impulse and do dangerous things. The film is set a few years in the future, in Central Freedom Zone 2, an area of the midwestern United States with no taxes, no public services and no regulations.

Billy has become estranged from his wife Sabrina after she contracted the virus, and lives with his mother Mary and 18-month-old daughter. Sabrina suffers an outbreak and attacks the house, obsessed with stealing back her daughter. With the help of his mother and sister Ashley, Billy defends their house from multiple FRAP invasions by Sabrina and her Syncro, Bunny Clown Dude. Unwilling to pay for private police service or the outrageously-priced anti-dote, Billy’s mother Mary is ready to solve the problem the old-fashioned way.

  • MATT WILKINS
    Director
    MARROW, BUFFALO BILL'S DEFUNCT, INTERIOR LATEX, MCMULLEN'S MACHINES
  • MATTHEW WILKINS
    Writer
    BUFFALO BILL'S DEFUNCT, INTERIOR LATEX, THE GODS LOOKED DOWN AND LAUGHED
  • Matt Wilkins
    Producer
    MY 600 POUND LIFE, FOG OF MURDER, MY MURDER STORY
  • Alan Pruzan
    Producer
    Frank vs. God, Marrow
  • Stan Mastalerz
    Producer
    Marrow, Umps vs. Drunks
  • Chris Ostrowski
    Key Cast
    "Billy"
    GLASS MENEGERIE, EVENING WITH STEPHEN CRANE
  • Kitty Mortland
    Key Cast
    "Sabrina"
    "King Lear", and “Hamlet: The Series.” "Measure for Measure,” “The Tempest,” “Oddity,” ”As You Like It,” "Richard II,” and "Romeo and Juliet.”
  • Frances Hearn
    Key Cast
    "Mary"
    THE SEAGULL, IPHEGENIA AND OTHER DAUGHTERS, MARROW
  • Peyton Michelle Edwards
    Key Cast
    "Ashley"
    Valer, She Came from the Woods, Goodbye Honey, and You Look Great.
  • Marek Brave
    Key Cast
    "Bunny Clown Dude"
    WWE Professional Wrestling
  • Amelia Tague
    Key Cast
    "Baby Shelly"
    She's just a baby
  • Aaron Castillo
    Director of Photography
    Hoarders, Ultra Low
  • Marek Brave
    Stunt and Fight Coordinator
    WWE Wrestling
  • Genres:
    Sci-fi, Drama, comedy, satire
  • Runtime:
    19 minutes 57 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    August 1, 2020
  • Production Budget:
    20,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    2:1
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - MATT WILKINS

Matt Wilkins started Sisyphus Productions 32 years ago in Davenport, Iowa. Since then, he has made over 20 shorts and 2 features, including MARROW, BUFFALO BILL'S DEFUNCT, INTERIOR LATEX, MCMULLEN'S MACHINES, THE GODS LOOKED DOWN AND LAUGHED and THE THINGS WE TELL THE ONES WE LOVE. He has received 14 grants and fellowships from 4Culture, Artist Trust, MOACA, NWFF and The Allen Foundation for the arts. His films have played Seattle International FF, Cinequest, Portland FF, Central Standard FF, Italian RAI Uno, W.O.R.M. in Rotterdam, New Filmmakers NYC, Smithsonian Institute, Sundance/$5 Cover, among others. He has worked as a Field, Story and Supervising Producer on TV shows like HOARDERS, INSIDE HOMICIDE, MOUNTAIN MEN, MY 600 POUND LIFE, TWISTED SISTERS, TWISTED LOVE and currently works as a Supervising Producer on FOG OF MURDER.

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Director Statement

We shot this in March of 2019 in Davenport, Iowa, and the whole damn thing came true before we could even finish it! Well maybe not entirely, as our fictional Herpes 8F1 virus is a little more fun than SARS-CoV-2, but I’d say we nailed the nature of the government response!

This is a B-movie as social commentary, inspired by tv shows, films and books like “The Twilight Zone,” Godard’s “Alphaville,” which I always admired because it was a futuristic movie shot in a present-day world. “Dr. Jeckyll and Mr. Hyde” for the temporary loss of self-control. “Flowers for Algernon” for transformed mental states. “Brave New World” and “1984” for their satirical visions of society. Juan Felipe Herrera’s “Exiles of Desire” where the children rotate in soundless collisions. “Rocky” for us losers that can take a beating, and “Shaun of the Dead” for the obliviousness to the horror around us.

The title, "The Things We Tell the Ones We Love" refers to how people cope with life in a disintegrating society, and the courage the average person displays when confronting the unseen but overwhelmingly powerful political and corporate forces that control our lives. They can beat us up and bleed us dry, but we'll never quit.

I want to thank the great cast and crew, who came from Seattle, New York, Los Angeles, Wisconsin, Missouri and Iowa. I made my first film in Davenport 30 years ago, and I finally got a chance to make another there, and the support from my family, friends and the Davenport community was phenomenal. I can’t thank everyone enough! That was a blast!