The Sympathist
When feeling too much for others becomes unbearable for a young man he seeks help. But is there really a cure for caring...?
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Benjamin FontDirector
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Benjamin FontWriterSex/Absurd, MF
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Benjamin FontProducerSex/Absurd
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Jennica SchwartzmanProducerGordon Family Tree, Before The Lights Come Up, 140 Miles, The Man In The Trunk
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Ryan SchwartzmanProducerGordon Family Tree, Before The Lights Come Up, 140 Miles, The Man In The Trunk
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Benjamin FontKey CastSex/Absurd
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Jennica SchwartzmanKey CastGoon, Gordon Family Tree, Before The Lights Come Up
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Danny BrownDirector of Photography140 Miles, The Other Man, The Announcement
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Shade DeggesMusic
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Project Type:Short
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Genres:Drama, Dark Comedy
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Runtime:18 minutes 30 seconds
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Completion Date:March 14, 2015
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Production Budget:750 USD
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Country of Origin:United States
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Country of Filming:United States
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Language:English
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Shooting Format:Digital
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Aspect Ratio:16:9
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Film Color:Color
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First-time Filmmaker:No
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Student Project:No
After moving away from his hometown of Lincoln, NE at the age of 18, Font began traveling around and writing what would eventually become a fictitious autobiography published in one vast collection called "I Am No One." Finding himself settled in Los Angeles, the self proclaimed "retired novelist" transitioned to screenwriting by adapting one of his novellas, "Sex/Absurd," into a feature film by the same name, which was directed by Kenneth Quinn Brown and starred Font as the lead.
Recently, he wrote a feature film with Robert Schwartzman, who will direct, called "MF." It stars Johnny Simmons, Amy Landecker, Frankie Shaw, and Beverly D'Angelo. The film will be produced by Mel Eslyn, and was packaged by ICM Partners, who will also handle domestic rights.
This is Font's second outing as a director, the first having been a number of super short videos in a series called "Open Letters To Celebrities," which acted as the promotional campaign leading up to his book release.
He lives and works in LA, where he continues to write. Just not novels.
In the ritual of daily life, there always seems to be this feeling of being connected, yet isolated. The Sympathist separates the two by exploring the extremes: a character that feels debilitatingly connected to others, who is then isolated by a callous world where "we're not made to feel so much for others...we're made to survive, just keep on living, that's it," only deepening his desperation and desire for a solution.
At it's heart, The Sympathist is an absurd parable about caring. What are the consequences of caring too much, or too little? And who will suffer most if we don't care at all?