Luke Eberl has a resume many in the film industry would envy - and he’s only 22 years old.
Eberl began directing at the age of 11, and in his teens co-starred in films like “Planet of the Apes” and “A Painted House.”
He recently wrote and directed his first major motion picture, the political drama “Choose Connor.”
The film, now available on DVD, stars Alex D. Linz as a sharp student whose world expands when he signs up to serve on the political campaign of a local Congressman (Steven Weber).
What follows is a dense but clear-eyed drama, one that provokes discussion without hectoring - or hanging party labels on the key players.
WWTW connected with Eberl recently to talk about “Connor” and his thoughts on the filmmaking process.
WWTW: Was there one particular event, or even a politician or political campaign, which helped inspire “Choose Connor?”
LE: As research I interned in a congressman’s office for six months and volunteered on several campaigns. I watch C-SPAN, and read about politics and am interested in how politicians decide when to make compromises necessary to “the system” to achieve their goals.
I’m interested in the psychology of politicians, or anyone in general, who needs to make tough decisions about when to compromise their humanity for the sake of practicality. Everyone, not just politicians, struggles with these decisions, I’m pretty sure.
As a young person in the world today, full of suffering and corruption and war and injustice, I am unsure how to proceed sometimes - is it better to wear slippers than to try and carpet the world? Should I give up my selfish artistic aspirations in favor of working as some kind of a revolutionary?
Is it enough to just communicate my ideas through art?
I don’t have any answers, but I thought it would be interesting to make an allegorical film that addresses these questions.
WWTW: Your film delves deeply in politics, but it’s not an ideological picture. Was that your intent all along? Did anyone suggest at some point you bring more of a slant to the film?
LE: My intent was always to make as few decisions for the audience as possible - which is why I didn’t use a lot of score and most of the film is played out in long master shots instead of close-ups. I didn’t want to decide for the audience “this scene is funny” or “this scene is scary” or “the movie is optimistic” or “the movie is pessimistic.”
I wanted to leave room for the audience’s own personal life experiences and attitudes to imprint upon the picture. This design also helps to build suspense, because it’s not like there’s anyone holding your hand through the experience.
Traveling with the film over the past couple years, I’ve found this to be the case, and audiences have passionate, diverse reactions to the film and I’m pleased about that.
WWTW: Was there a particular director you worked with as an actor who impacted your own directorial style - and in what way?
LE: I’ve learned almost everything I know about filmmaking from the people I’ve worked with over the years and the films I’ve watched. I try to pick up on things from everyone I work with, and I’ve been lucky to work with brilliant artists and be guided by knowledgeable mentors.
WWTW: Today’s young voter gets his news from Jon Stewart, not The New York Times. Or so we’re told. What’s your take on today’s first-time voters? Are you optimistic about their grasp of the issues, and how did those thoughts impact your screenplay?
LE: First off, I am a devoted viewer of “The Daily Show,” and the fact that it is so popular is one of the things that gives me hope about our young people. The perspective the show takes on world politics is sobering and honest - and without it I don’t know where we’d be.
These days there is so much information available that, regardless of your age, it’s hard to tell if what you’re hearing is verifiable truth or choreographed propaganda.
The media is a system just as easily corrupted as politics, and politicians put a much larger emphasis on maintaining the appearance of productivity than the actual substance of those acts - and for the most part the media, in the interest of their own self-preservation, goes along for the ride.
My generation, in part because of “The Daily Show,” in part because of the Internet - but mostly because of the lessons we’ve learned from the past eight years - has a healthy skepticism, and a refined internal BS detector.
We still have a long way to go, but most of the young people I know are ambitious, smart, dedicated, and want to take an active role in creating a more humane society.
WWTW: Even veteran directors complain about getting their projects greenlit these days … did your age pose a problem when it came time to secure funding and a distributor for your film?
LE: Most of the time in pre-production I’m dealing with people over the phone or through emails where they can’t tell how old I am, and it’s really a credit to the people I worked with on this film that they never made my age an issue.
WWTW: You’ve been involved in filmmaking from a very early age — what inspired you as a child to be so aggressive in pursuing the arts?
LE: It’s what I’ve always loved to do, and I am fortunate enough to have a supportive family who have always nurtured and encouraged my creativity.
WWTW: Can you talk about any follow-up projects? Will you work as both an actor and a writer/director, or do you see yourself focusing on one more than the other?
LE: I love telling stories, and some stories I will prefer to tell as a writer or director and some as an actor. Me and my sister (and “Choose Connor” producer) Karuna shot a documentary on the streets of Denver
during the Democratic National Convention in August, and I’m working on editing that right now. I’m also working on a new script.
(Photo: Top, right - writer/director Luke Eberl. Bottom left - Steven Weber and Alex D. Linz in “Choose Connor.”)
Related posts:
I'm an award-winning journalist and film critic with more than a decade of experience in newspapers, magazines and the Web. I'm a member of both the Washington, DC Area Film Critics Association and the Denver Film Critics Society.
{ 0 comments… add one now }