Picture: Blue Fox Entertainment
Films can seemingly seem out of nowhere on Netflix and dominate the Top 10 lists. This has occurred within the United States over the previous few days with Mending the Line, a small indie film at the moment sitting on the prime of the US Top 10 lists. We spoke with the director about its sudden success and the explanations behind its resonance.
In case you missed it, Netflix serves because the SVOD debut for the Brian Cox-led drama written by Stephen Camelio and directed by Joshua Caldwell. As Caldwell explains the film, “It’s the story of a Marine who’s been wounded in Afghanistan, and he’s sent to a VA clinic in Montana where he meets an older Vietnam vet who teaches him how to fly fish as a way of dealing with his trauma.” It’s not based mostly on a real story the director instructed us however as an alternative based mostly on many true tales.
The movie was licensed to Netflix within the United States on March twenty third and immediately rose to the prime of the charts. It featured because the sixth most watched film on the twenty fourth however was the #1 movie on March twenty fifth, twenty sixth, and twenty seventh and bought knocked off the highest perch by the Ben Affleck thriller The Accountant at the moment.
We contacted the movie’s director, who graciously agreed to debate the movie’s newfound success on Netflix.
Note: This interview has been edited for brevity and readability.
Kasey Moore: When did you first study that the film was coming to Netflix? It’s been a protracted journey, hasn’t it?
Joshua Caldwell: Yeah, it has. And to be sincere, we realized final week. We didn’t actually have any forewarning about it, which makes the ascent a lot extra exceptional as a result of we simply didn’t know. We didn’t do any press and we didn’t do any advertising and marketing.
So, was it Blue Fox Entertainment that bought the film to Netflix following the theatrical launch final 12 months?
Blue Fox was our theatrical distributor, however our worldwide dwelling video distributor is Sony. We had the movie come out in theaters within the US final June. And it didn’t actually hit. Obviously, theatrical is extremely difficult proper now. We got here out in June after we had been up in opposition to Indiana Jones and a bunch of different massive motion pictures. You can put the movie in 400 theaters, however until you’re doing an actual substantial advertising and marketing spend to boost consciousness, it’s very difficult.
Then, in October, we got here out on VOD and hit Apple and Amazon and all that type of stuff worldwide. But once more, this present day, how many individuals are renting motion pictures, and the way many individuals are buying digital variations of flicks?
It flew underneath the radar final 12 months; I feel it bought overshadowed lots for positive, however that’s type of the sweetness and in addition the odd factor about Netflix, {that a} small indie film is being watched greater than any type of blockbuster on the location and being completed with completely zero advertising and marketing and 0 promoting. It’s actually exceptional.
Why do you suppose the movie is resonating a lot on Netflix? It’s simply within the US for now, however why do you suppose it’s taking part in so properly, particularly given so many issues are on Netflix competing in your time?
In basic, it’s a constructive movie. It’s about hope, therapeutic, and overcoming trauma. As filmmakers, we wished to take that viewers expertise by the identical journey that Colter [the character played by Sinqua Walls] is on. There’s a number of motion and depth within the very starting. After that, it turns into like a river flowing the place you may have rapids at instances, however then it flows out right into a pool, and it will get very calming. I feel persons are tapping into that have of watching it.
I additionally suppose, definitely, in America, as a rustic, it’s been very traumatizing the final couple of years for lots of people in varied methods, and psychological well being is on the forefront of the dialog for individuals. And I feel that persons are simply naturally tapping into the will to seek out one thing that may assist them not directly. Not to say that this film does that, however I feel it perhaps simply, you realize, suits into this kind of want to type of discover a method to overcome what we’re experiencing and the popularity that we’re experiencing this type of day by day, this battle or flight kind of response.
That’s why I feel it’s hitting; it’s not only a story about veterans, it’s a way more common message of hope and therapeutic. And that’s why we now have the character of Lucy in there that she’s not a veteran, or her husband or fiance shouldn’t be a veteran, however she’s coping with her personal grief and her personal trauma.
I’m as shocked as anybody that it’s taken off the best way that it has, however clearly, I’m thrilled. I’ve at all times believed that there was an viewers for this, and it was actually nearly getting it in entrance of them in order that they may truly sit down and watch it.
Picture: Blue Fox Entertainment
Have you observed lots of people speaking concerning the movie? Have individuals been reaching out? Have you checked out any of the net reactions to this point?
Yeah, it’s been actually exceptional and actually humbling to see everybody commenting on the movie and the feedback about how there are some issues like, “This reminded me of my grandfather” or “It finally helped me realize what my husband or wife went through.” It’s been actually touching to see so many individuals sharing their private tales in how the movie impacts them and past that.
That’s a number of what we wished the movie to do which is why we partnered with organizations like Project Healing Waters, Hope for the Warriors, and Quiet Waters which can be utilizing the movie to spur a dialog to permit veterans to share, veterans to speak as a result of that turns into a really cathartic expertise for them.
Can we discuss Brian Cox? He was on the top of Succession whereas filming this? How was he to work with? It’s superb how a lot completely different he’s from Logan on this movie.
Brian is understood for enjoying villains, and whereas he’s, you realize, slightly antagonistic on this, that’s what made him the proper man for the position as a result of, as a director, I firmly consider that always audiences will carry into a movie the opposite performances of the actors. They’ll create expectations round characters after which subvert them to essentially make you fall in love with them over the course of the movie. It was a number of enjoyable, and he did an ideal job.
Picture: Blue Fox Entertainment
What’s subsequent for you? Do you may have any new upcoming tasks?
We’re hoping to announce one thing now, however I’ve two tasks that I’m connected to that we’re at the moment casting. So that’s thrilling. I’m attempting to get stuff going; clearly, with the author’s strike and SAG strike final 12 months, I put just a few issues on maintain. But yeah, hopefully, some issues are coming down the pike for me, and I’m trying ahead to getting these going.
Thanks to Joshua Caldwell for his time and Kelly McKendry from August Point Productions for making this occur.