John and the Hole
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“A 12-Year-Old is Not Going to Know What an Existential Crisis Is”: Pascual Sisto on John and the Hole
Bluntly titled but mysterious all the same, John and the Hole marks the directorial debut of visual artist Pascual Sisto. Originally set to premiere at the 2020 Cannes Film Festival, the film finally premiered (albeit virtually) at Sundance this past January. Played by lead actor Charlie Shotwell (Captain Fantastic), suburban pre-teen John appears content with his suburban life. He lives in a beautiful Massachusetts home with his parents (Michael C. Hall and Jennifer Ehle) and sister (Taissa Farmiga), surrounded by nature and endless open space, complete with an underground bunker (the hole of the film’s title) built in the yard […]
by Erik Luers on Aug 10, 2021 -
“My Understanding of the Central Metaphor Has Deepened”: Editor Sara Shaw on John and the Hole
In Pascual Sisto’s John and the Hole, John (Charlie Shotwell), seemingly unprovoked, drugs his family and tosses them into a bunker where he holds them captive. Written by Birdman co-writer Nicolás Giacobone, John and the Hole is a zoomed in look at the psychology of boyhood. Editor Sara Shaw discusses the parallels between the isolation of the pandemic and the experiences of John and the Hole‘s protagonist. Filmmaker: How and why did you wind up being the editor of your film? What were the factors and attributes that led to your being hired for this job? Shaw: I loved the script and was […]
by Filmmaker Staff on Feb 2, 2021 -
“Strange to Accomplish Your Dreams in Such Times”: Director Pascual Sisto | John and the Hole
How did events of 2020—any of them—change your film, either in the way you approached it, produced it, post-produced it, or are now thinking about it? The events of 2020 clearly had a major impact on all of us, from the pandemic to the racial unrest protests and all the way to one of the most divided US elections I have ever seen. If I have to filter it within the context of my film, it’s been quite an emotional rollercoaster with a very contrasting set of emotions. On one hand it was one of the darkest years in recent […]
by Filmmaker Staff on Jan 29, 2021 -
“Box Within a Box Feeling”: DP Paul Ozgur on John and the Hole
In Pascual Sisto’s John and the Hole, John (Charlie Shotwell), seemingly unprovoked, drugs his family and tosses them into a bunker where he holds them captive. Written by Birdman co-writer Nicolás Giacobone, John and the Hole is a zoomed in look at the psychology of boyhood. DP Paul Ozgur shares his frustrations with the changing of the seasons complicating shooting and the team’s move away from romantic imagery. Filmmaker: How and why did you wind up being the cinematographer of your film? What were the factors and attributes that led to your being hired for this job? Ozgur: When you get a script […]
by Filmmaker Staff on Jan 1, 2021
