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VIATICUM

Genre: Black Comedy

Logline:
A priest performing Last Rites is challenged by a hospice nurse who believes her patient should not be absolved of a deadly sin.

Tagline:
A dip in the road to redemption.

Synopsis:
The life of Albert Lewis has reached its final station, and his son, Jason, an amateur saucier, is preparing him for the journey across the Great Divide. He invites a local priest, Father Kettinger, to perform the Last Rites, and during the confession, Albert reveals that he killed a man in his youth, a crime for which he escaped punishment. Albert’s hospice nurse, Regina, pleads with Father Kettinger to notify the police, and when he refuses, the two engage in a fierce tete-a-tete about the nature of sin. In dispensing the viaticum (Latin for “that which you take on the road”), the priest honors a most unorthodox request from Jason, agreeing to dip the body of Christ in some of his homemade barbecue sauce. Unwilling to accept the murderer’s tasty absolution, Regina performs her own Last Rites on Albert—and awakens him to the monster of evil.

  • Derek Frey
    Director
    Kill the Engine, Awkward Endeavors, The Ballad of Sandeep, Pangea, God Came 'Round, Sky Blue Collar, Motel Providence
  • David Amadio
    Writer
    Awkward Endeavors, Kill the Engine, The Ballad of Sandeep, Motel Providence, The Book Club For Men
  • Steve Kuzmick
    Writer
    Motel Providence, Kill the Engine, The Book Club For Men, Awkward Endeavors, The Ballad of Sandeep
  • Gil Damon
    Writer
    The Book Club for Men, The Ballad of Sandeep, Kill the Engine, Sky Blue Color
  • Derek Frey
    Producer
    Dumbo, Big Eyes, Alice in Wonderland, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, Sweeney Todd, Corpse Bride, Frankenweenie, Dark Shadows
  • Steve Kuzmick
    Key Cast
    "Father Kettinger"
    Motel Providence, Kill the Engine, The Book Club For Men, Awkward Endeavors, The Ballad of Sandeep
  • Kathleen Kozak
    Key Cast
    "Coach Auerbach"
    Awkward Endeavors, The Book Club or Men
  • David Amadio
    Key Cast
    "Jason Lewis"
    Motel Providence, Kill the Engine, The Book Club For Men, Awkward Endeavors, The Ballad of Sandeep
  • Gil Damon
    Key Cast
    "Albert Lewis"
    Motel Providence, Kill the Engine, The Book Club For Men, Awkward Endeavors, The Ballad of Sandeep
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Genres:
    Dramedy, Comedy, Dark Comedy, Black Comedy
  • Runtime:
    14 minutes 10 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    August 25, 2024
  • Production Budget:
    3,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States, United States
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital 4K
  • Film Color:
    Black & White
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • BERLIN INDIE FILM FESTIVAL

    BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
  • ONIROS FILM FESTIVAL

    BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
  • ONIROS FILM FESTIVAL

    BEST DARK COMEDY FILM
  • ONIROS FILM FESTIVAL

    BEST ACTING ENSEMBLE
  • ONIROS FILM FESTIVAL

    BEST EDITING
  • NYIFA

    BEST DARK COMEDY FILM
  • NYIFA

    BEST EDITING
  • NYIFA

    BEST ACTING ENSEMBLE
  • VEGAS MOVIE AWARDS

    BEST ENSEMBLE
  • VEGAS MOVIE AWADS

    BEST PRODUCER
  • VEGAS MOVIE AWARDS

    BEST ENSEMBLE
  • Los Angeles Feedback Film Festival
    Los Angeles
    United States
    Best Short Film
  • Bloody Hats Film Festival

    Best Editing
  • World Film Festival in Cannes
    Cannes
    France
    Best WTF Film
  • Wildsound Film Festival

    Best Short Film
  • Golden Swan Zurich Film Festival
    Zurich
    Switzerland
    Best Director of a Comedy/Musical
  • South Film and Arts Academy Festival

    Best Director of a Short Film
  • South Film and Arts Academy Festival

    Best Screenplay - Short Film
  • South Film and Arts Academy Festival

    Best Comedy Short Film
  • Indie X Film Festival
    Los Angeles
    United States
    Best Ensemble
  • Indie X Film Festival
    Los Angeles
    United States
    Best Dark Comedy Short
Distribution Information
  • Lazer Film Productions
    Distributor
    Country: Worldwide
    Rights: All Rights
Director Biography - Derek Frey

Derek Frey is a passionate and prolific filmmaker with twenty years of leadership experience producing live-action and animated films for the major studios and serving as director, editor, and cinematographer on a number of award-winning independent projects. He has been an integral member of filmmaking teams on an array of blockbuster projects from initial development and pre-production, through post and release. He has had the pleasure of assembling some of the most renowned talent both in front and behind the camera.

Frey is currently producing Zero, an animated action/adventure/comedy feature for Warner Bros. Pictures Animation as well as Toto, an animated musical retelling of The Wizard of Oz, told from the perspective of Dorothy’s loyal dog. Frey previously served as Producer of Dumbo (2019), Executive Producer of Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children (2016), Executive Producer of Big Eyes (2014), Producer of the Here With Me music video for The Killers (2013) and Co-Producer of Frankenweenie (2012). Derek also served as Associate Producer of Dark Shadows (2012), Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter (2012), Alice in Wonderland (2010), Sweeney Todd – The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007), Corpse Bride (2005), and Charlie and The Chocolate Factory (2005). Films Frey has worked in a producer capacity have earned over $2.9 billion at the box office.

Frey progressed within multiple positions for Tim Burton Productions, joining the organization in 1996, and quickly advancing to the head of the organization. Frey also oversaw an in-house graphic design, photography and writing team for the creation of high quality consumer products, merchandise and publications related to Burton's projects and artistry. In 2009 Frey worked closely with curators from the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) for the formation of the popular The World of Tim Burton exhibition which has made record-breaking stops around the globe.

Frey wrote the Frankenweenie-based short film Captain Sparky vs. the Flying Saucers (2013). He also edited the award-winning publication The Art of Tim Burton (2009) and produced the documentaries In Search of Tomorrow (2022) and A Conversion with Danny Elfman and Tim Burton (2011). Derek served as Production Coordinator of the animated series The World of Stainboy (2000) as well as the music video Bones (2006) for The Killers. Early in his career, he assisted Burton on Mars Attacks! (1996), Sleepy Hollow (1999), Planet of the Apes (2001), and Big Fish (2003).

Frey has also directed numerous indie featurettes, shorts, documentaries and music videos with wide success on the film festival circuit including Awkward Endeavors (2022), Pangea (2018) and God Came 'Round (2017). His dark comedy, Kill The Engine (2017), won 45 awards including Best Comedy and Best Director at the Los Angeles Independent Film Festival Awards. His horror featurette Green Lake (2016) won 50 awards including Best Short at the Honolulu Film Fest and Best Short, Director, and Cinematography at the NYC Indie Film Awards.

Other acclaimed projects include Motel Providence (2014), Sky Blue Collar (2013), and The Ballad of Sandeep (2012) in addition to music videos and documentaries featuring music by Professor T & the East Side Shredders, The Killers, Technical Difficulties, Delight Talkies, Witching Hour, and The Mars Patrol.

Derek started his career as an Assistant for the Entertainment Industry Development Corporation and Production Assistant on the sitcom The Faculty (ABC Television).

Frey graduated with honors from West Chester University in Pennsylvania and holds a Bachelor of Arts in Communications Studies with a concentration in Journalism. He is also a member of the Producers Guild of America, British Academy of Film and Television Arts, British Film Institute, and American Film Institute.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

Throughout our eight previous collaborations, the Minor Prophets and I have weaved tales of overbearing coaches, parents, bosses, and stalkers. Characters have contemplated infidelity, suicide, and gravy. We’ve explored workforce woes, crossed collar lines, and strived to walk the paved road. We’ve depicted nationalism gone astray and followed the trials and tribulations of men gathered to discuss literature without the threat of ridicule or embarrassment. It has been a diverse, creative journey but strikingly we’ve never squarely dealt with the great equalizer: Death.

When confronted with their own mortality, many seek absolution in the form of religious ceremony, the most well-known being the Catholic church’s performance of Last Rites. But what if the dying person has committed a sin so egregious that it calls into question the church’s own moral underpinnings? And what if that same individual, in the delirium of death, makes an absurd request that threatens the ritual's sacred orthodoxy? The Minor Prophets and I wrestle with these questions in Viaticum, a black comedy with twisted sensibilities. The goal was for it to be comedically measured, repressed, and at times shocking. Tonally I compare it to one of my favorite films, Blood Simple, by the Cohen Brothers, which is brutally violent and shockingly funny in equal measure.

As a visual reference to represent the themes, I drew inspiration from Ingmar Bergman’s Wild Strawberries, a masterful and definitive take on reflection at the end of one’s life. I was also excited to shoot in black and white, which served as a solid parallel to the moral battle that unfolds – and the grey area the story often occupies.

I’ve also admired the work of artist Andrew Wyeth, ever since I first visited the Brandywine River Museum as a child. His work occupies an inviting space between the light and dark and comes alive in the shadows. Though subtle, I used his work as inspiration to keep the static camera shots alive through the lighting while evoking a sense of solitude. Filming Viaticum in Chester County, Pennsylvania, close to environments that inspired Wyeth, helped to infuse aspects of American Regionalism in the exterior glimpses.

In summary, Viaticum is a multifaceted chamber piece, occupied by offbeat characters, that cannot be easily categorized into a specific genre. My hope is that it challenges viewers to experience a wide range of emotions by exploring relevant truths through a comedic lens.

Through humor and satire, I enjoy imparting complex topics to audiences and it’s within this warped cinematic realm that I feel creatively most at home.

Footnote: For anyone concerned about Gil's health, based on his appearance in the film, do not fret. Through a combination of makeup and VFX we were able to age him approximately 20 years.