Unspooled (2008)

Synopsis: It’s the most talked-about film in the storied history of New York University’s film school, and yet you won’t find alumni Spike, Stone or Scorsese anywhere in its credits. Unspooled, a documentary... It’s the most talked-about film in the storied history of New York University’s film school, and yet you won’t find alumni Spike, Stone or Scorsese anywhere in its credits. Unspooled, a documentary by New York Times acclaimed filmmaker Keir Moreano (As the Call, So the Echo), speaks to anyone who dreams of making a movie.

Without a finished script, NYU Film School senior Maurice Singer nevertheless has his thesis film approved for production. His original screenplay, “Bemoana,” a vivid, if lurid, adaptation of the Little Red Riding Hood folktale, takes place in winter and concerns the fateful reunion of an estranged father and daughter at a remote New England cabin. Never one to lack creativity, much less confidence, Maurice transforms the innocent fable into a psychological thriller, replete with themes of seduction, sexual abuse, and revenge.

Word spreads among Maurice’s academic peers about the edgy project, including the news that he’s secured a James Cameron-size budget and a Vermont location, both courtesy of dad. Not only is Maurice’s father providing the family cabin for principal photography, but also the guest cabin, which Maurice plans to burn to the ground for “Bemoana’s” climax. Twenty-three classmates sign on as unpaid crew for the chance to prove themselves on a real film. Among them is Keir Moreano, a special effects makeup artist, and future filmmaker, who carries a video camera.

Complications, as they say, ensue. Exacerbated by sub-zero temperatures, crushing shoot schedule and sleep deprivation, hostilities grow between director Maurice and crew. Soon the atmosphere on set suggests Coppola’s infamous Apocalypse Now shoot, if not Captain Ahab and Moby Dick.

Filmmaker Keir Moreano artfully subverts the ‘making of’ documentary genre for both epic and ironic purpose. Unspooledfeatures post-mortem interviews with “Bemoana” crew and talent, intercut with scenes from the film’s 35-mm dailies, and Moreano's behind-the-scenes video footage. In recounting the fate of Maurice Singer and “Bemoana,” Unspooled invokes a hero’s journey, sure to arouse in audiences a catharsis of fear and pity, and more than a few stunned laughs --© Official Site [More]

Starring: Maurice Singer, Nicole Vicius

Starring: Maurice Singer, Nicole Vicius

Director: Keir Moreano

Director: Keir Moreano
Producer: Keir Moreano, Michaela McKee
Composer: Gil Talmi

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