At Ground Zero
Encyclopedia
"At Ground Zero" is a 1993 Independent
feature film (released in 1994) directed and written by Craig Schlattman
from an original story. It stars Thomas Jane
(credited as Tom Elliott), and his then wife, Aysha Hauer (Rutger Hauer's daughter), as a couple on the run across America to find ‘home’. Also featured in the film are Brian Brophy as Carman, and Schlattman
as Bubba. After receiving critical praise in the European and American press, At Ground Zero was given no advertising and a small release by a minor distributor, Filmopolis Pictures. It has since gone on to be an Indie favorite.
’ peculiar to our contemporary world. It follows an alienated couple as they run across America, the characters they become involved with, and the ultimate disintegration of their relationship. Its gritty, contemporary feel, dark humor, uncompromising realism and visual strength evoke a metaphysical, surreal tone. At its heart this is a driven, existential love story in which the audience spends some time with ‘fringe’ characters, normally shunned by society. It has been compared, visually, to Michelangelo Antonioni’s
films, and has been called a contemporary Easy Rider
.
, who, at the time, was making short films, documentaries, and still photographs while looking for financing for this film. Tired of waiting, and turned down by every studio he approached, he ran into Thomas Jane
and Aysha Hauer while shooting a scene from Hiroshima Mon Amour
for another director in which Tom and Aysha were the leads. Craig has said he knew they were perfect for the parts and approached them about being in the film by handing them scripts. A day later he got enthusiastic calls from Tom and Aysha excited to do the parts and be in the film. Craig has acknowledged that he was exploring aspects of his own character in the two leads, and saw in Tom and Aysha a chance for them to use their own experiences in the central love story, and changed the names of the leads, slightly, to let Tom and Aysha use their own names as tools for character. Unable to cast the quirky part of Carman, at the last minute Craig went to Brian Brophy’s LA apartment and let him read for the part. Craig cast him on the spot and they prepared to go on the road in the next couple of days.
The movie was shot on the road from Los Angeles
to Corpus Christi
where part of the cast and all of the crew returned to LA. Tom and Aysha then proceeded to Minneapolis with Craig as director and crew, where the culminating scenes were shot. On the return to LA they grabbed scenes and stole locations along the way. At Ground Zero is a fine example of guerrilla filmmaking
at its best. Barely any production budget, some credit cards, a car, some gas, and a desire to finish the film is what motivated everyone. Cast and crew of At Ground Zero were handed the script and asked to make their decision to work on the film based on their reaction to the script, and a realistic understanding of the ‘budget’ they had to work with. Craig has said the edgy, documentary
, direct cinema
feel of this film was intentional, and pushed as far as possible considering the budget available. All the actors were given great leeway with the script and encouraged to use their improvisational skills to expand the characters, keep the energy high, and heighten the ‘realistic’ tone of this story. Craig has said the production technique of using the ups and downs and emotional swings of being with ‘strangers’ for a month on the road was a conscious decision to expand the emotional swings of the lead characters and their disintegrating relationship, and was helpful for the actors as the story, and everyone's patience, headed for the culminating scenes.
Independent film
An independent film, or indie film, is a professional film production resulting in a feature film that is produced mostly or completely outside of the major film studio system. In addition to being produced and distributed by independent entertainment companies, independent films are also produced...
feature film (released in 1994) directed and written by Craig Schlattman
Craig Schlattman
Craig Schlattman is an Award winning American director, writer, producer, and cinematographer, best known for his Independent features, At Ground Zero starring Thomas Jane , and The Seller starring Brian Brophy.-Career:...
from an original story. It stars Thomas Jane
Thomas Jane
Thomas Jane is an American actor known for his roles in the 1999 film Deep Blue Sea, the 2001 TV film 61*, the 2004 film The Punisher and the 2007 Stephen King adaptation The Mist...
(credited as Tom Elliott), and his then wife, Aysha Hauer (Rutger Hauer's daughter), as a couple on the run across America to find ‘home’. Also featured in the film are Brian Brophy as Carman, and Schlattman
Craig Schlattman
Craig Schlattman is an Award winning American director, writer, producer, and cinematographer, best known for his Independent features, At Ground Zero starring Thomas Jane , and The Seller starring Brian Brophy.-Career:...
as Bubba. After receiving critical praise in the European and American press, At Ground Zero was given no advertising and a small release by a minor distributor, Filmopolis Pictures. It has since gone on to be an Indie favorite.
Plot
Tom and Aysha (character names) are at the economic bottom of the LA scene; no money, on drugs, and selling themselves to exist. Tom brains his drug dealer, steals his drugs and the two split town by bus and thumb, heading ‘home’. Hitching a ride from a quixotic, dangerous character, Bubba, they put up with his advances until he too is ejected from his own car as the two free themselves from all restraint. Aysha starts a real spiral into heroin, as Tom joins in, but spirits are high. They run into a hilarious character, Carman, who they enlist in their fun, as the trip escalates into the threesomes’ investigation of freedom, drugs, and abandonment. Carman leaves the duo, and Aysha falls into a drug appetite Tom can’t understand and in frustration he hurts her. Together, but separate, they endure the car ride as they head for Minneapolis and home. In the end, the couples explore the detritus of their family, and lives, and even in betrayal have passion for each other. On a final, bittersweet note, Carman continues his self-destructive ways, as some hope endures.Cast
- Thomas JaneThomas JaneThomas Jane is an American actor known for his roles in the 1999 film Deep Blue Sea, the 2001 TV film 61*, the 2004 film The Punisher and the 2007 Stephen King adaptation The Mist...
(credited as Tom Elliott) as Thomas Quinton Pennington - Aysha Hauer as Aysha Almouth
- Brian Brophy Carman
- Craig SchlattmanCraig SchlattmanCraig Schlattman is an Award winning American director, writer, producer, and cinematographer, best known for his Independent features, At Ground Zero starring Thomas Jane , and The Seller starring Brian Brophy.-Career:...
as Bubba
Analysis
At Ground Zero explores an ‘AmericanaAmericana
Americana refers to artifacts, or a collection of artifacts, related to the history, geography, folklore and cultural heritage of the United States. Many kinds of material fall within the definition of Americana: paintings, prints and drawings; license plates or entire vehicles, household objects,...
’ peculiar to our contemporary world. It follows an alienated couple as they run across America, the characters they become involved with, and the ultimate disintegration of their relationship. Its gritty, contemporary feel, dark humor, uncompromising realism and visual strength evoke a metaphysical, surreal tone. At its heart this is a driven, existential love story in which the audience spends some time with ‘fringe’ characters, normally shunned by society. It has been compared, visually, to Michelangelo Antonioni’s
Michelangelo Antonioni
Michelangelo Antonioni, Cavaliere di Gran Croce OMRI was an Italian modernist film director, screenwriter, editor and short story writer.- Personal life :...
films, and has been called a contemporary Easy Rider
Easy Rider
Easy Rider is a 1969 American road movie written by Peter Fonda, Dennis Hopper, and Terry Southern, produced by Fonda and directed by Hopper. It tells the story of two bikers who travel through the American Southwest and South with the aim of achieving freedom...
.
Production
At Ground Zero was written as an original story by Craig SchlattmanCraig Schlattman
Craig Schlattman is an Award winning American director, writer, producer, and cinematographer, best known for his Independent features, At Ground Zero starring Thomas Jane , and The Seller starring Brian Brophy.-Career:...
, who, at the time, was making short films, documentaries, and still photographs while looking for financing for this film. Tired of waiting, and turned down by every studio he approached, he ran into Thomas Jane
Thomas Jane
Thomas Jane is an American actor known for his roles in the 1999 film Deep Blue Sea, the 2001 TV film 61*, the 2004 film The Punisher and the 2007 Stephen King adaptation The Mist...
and Aysha Hauer while shooting a scene from Hiroshima Mon Amour
Hiroshima Mon Amour
Hiroshima mon amour is an acclaimed 1959 drama film directed by French film director Alain Resnais, with a screenplay by Marguerite Duras. It is the documentation of an intensely personal conversation between a French-Japanese couple about memory and forgetfulness...
for another director in which Tom and Aysha were the leads. Craig has said he knew they were perfect for the parts and approached them about being in the film by handing them scripts. A day later he got enthusiastic calls from Tom and Aysha excited to do the parts and be in the film. Craig has acknowledged that he was exploring aspects of his own character in the two leads, and saw in Tom and Aysha a chance for them to use their own experiences in the central love story, and changed the names of the leads, slightly, to let Tom and Aysha use their own names as tools for character. Unable to cast the quirky part of Carman, at the last minute Craig went to Brian Brophy’s LA apartment and let him read for the part. Craig cast him on the spot and they prepared to go on the road in the next couple of days.
The movie was shot on the road from Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
to Corpus Christi
Corpus Christi, Texas
Corpus Christi is a coastal city in the South Texas region of the U.S. state of Texas. The county seat of Nueces County, it also extends into Aransas, Kleberg, and San Patricio counties. The MSA population in 2008 was 416,376. The population was 305,215 at the 2010 census making it the...
where part of the cast and all of the crew returned to LA. Tom and Aysha then proceeded to Minneapolis with Craig as director and crew, where the culminating scenes were shot. On the return to LA they grabbed scenes and stole locations along the way. At Ground Zero is a fine example of guerrilla filmmaking
Guerrilla filmmaking
Guerrilla filmmaking refers to a form of independent filmmaking characterized by low budgets, skeleton crews, and simple props using whatever is available...
at its best. Barely any production budget, some credit cards, a car, some gas, and a desire to finish the film is what motivated everyone. Cast and crew of At Ground Zero were handed the script and asked to make their decision to work on the film based on their reaction to the script, and a realistic understanding of the ‘budget’ they had to work with. Craig has said the edgy, documentary
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
, direct cinema
Direct Cinema
Direct Cinema is a documentary genre that originated between 1958 and 1962 in North America, principally in the Canadian province of Quebec and the United States...
feel of this film was intentional, and pushed as far as possible considering the budget available. All the actors were given great leeway with the script and encouraged to use their improvisational skills to expand the characters, keep the energy high, and heighten the ‘realistic’ tone of this story. Craig has said the production technique of using the ups and downs and emotional swings of being with ‘strangers’ for a month on the road was a conscious decision to expand the emotional swings of the lead characters and their disintegrating relationship, and was helpful for the actors as the story, and everyone's patience, headed for the culminating scenes.
Reception
At Ground Zero premiered at the Rotterdam International Film Festival to enthusiastic, full houses, and went on an extensive festival run in the US and Europe, garnering very positive reviews along the way –
"An impressive debut. With dark, dead-pan humor, experimental visual techniques and solid performances, At Ground Zero is a promising first feature."
Jamie Painter – Film ThreatFilm ThreatFilm Threat is a former print magazine and, now, webzine which focuses primarily on independent film, although it also reviews DVDs of mainstream films and Hollywood movies in theaters. It first appeared as a photocopied zine in 1985, created by Wayne State University students Chris Gore and André...
"Powerful and distinctive. Impressive. ...a raw, edgy tale, shot through with dark humor... Schlattman directs with terrific wit and immediacy. Well acted...winning portrayals."
Kevin Thomas – LA Times
"Life on the road with a couple of junkies doesn't get much more interesting than in this impressive first feature by Craig Schlattman. This is a small treasure of independent filmmaking."
Matt Langdon – LA WeeklyLA WeeklyLA Weekly is a free weekly tabloid-sized "alternative weekly" in Los Angeles, California. It was founded in 1978 by Editor/Publisher Jay Levin and a board of directors that included actor-producer Michael Douglas...
External links
- At Ground Zero at the Internet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie Database is an online database of information related to movies, television shows, actors, production crew personnel, video games and fictional characters featured in visual entertainment media. It is one of the most popular online entertainment destinations, with over 100 million...
- At Ground Zero – official film website
- Proletariat Pictures – production company official website
- Thomas Jane (credited as Tom Elliott) at the Internet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie Database is an online database of information related to movies, television shows, actors, production crew personnel, video games and fictional characters featured in visual entertainment media. It is one of the most popular online entertainment destinations, with over 100 million...
- Aysha Hauer at the Internet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie Database is an online database of information related to movies, television shows, actors, production crew personnel, video games and fictional characters featured in visual entertainment media. It is one of the most popular online entertainment destinations, with over 100 million...
- Brian Brophy at the Internet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie Database is an online database of information related to movies, television shows, actors, production crew personnel, video games and fictional characters featured in visual entertainment media. It is one of the most popular online entertainment destinations, with over 100 million...
- Craig Schlattman at the Internet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie Database is an online database of information related to movies, television shows, actors, production crew personnel, video games and fictional characters featured in visual entertainment media. It is one of the most popular online entertainment destinations, with over 100 million...