INTERVIEW: Cannes hit ‘Transfiguration’ finds teenager obsessed by vampire violence
The new horror-thriller The Transfiguration, written and directed by Michael O’Shea, follows two teenagers who begin a friendship based on common interest and simple conversations. Their relationship evolves into something much more violent and frightening.
Milo (Eric Ruffin) shows a fascination with vampires and their legends, so much so that when Sophie (Chloe Levine) digs deeper into his obsession, she realizes there is much more than meets the eye. What she discovers in this New York City-set drama is both scary and revealing.
The movie opens Friday, April 7 at the Angelika Film Center in New York City, followed by an April 21 release at Los Angeles’ Nuart Theatre. The film was an official selection at last year’s Cannes Film Festival and this year’s SXSW in Austin, Texas.
Recently, Hollywood Soapbox exchanged emails with O’Shea about his new film. Questions and answers have been slightly edited for style.
What inspired you to make The Transfiguration?
I had just failed at making a more expensive slasher film, and so was thinking about how to make a ‘cheap’ horror movie. I had recently watched Josh Safdie’s Pleasure of Being Robbed and Randy Moore’s Escape from Tomorrow, both of which used live shooting in real locations. I decided I wanted to make a horror film using this style, probably a portrait film. Soon after I came up with this idea. A friend told me her friend’s kid was obsessed with vampires and being bullied in school about it, and that’s when I came up with the beginning of the idea of Milo.
What went into the search for Eric Ruffin as Milo and Chloe Levine as Sophie?
We knew we needed special, really talented actors for both, and we knew that would be very difficult on a low budget film with little resources. We cast them both before we had professional casting involved. We just kept our eyes open, and we saw Eric on the TV show The Good Wife. He seemed like he could be the one, so we sent him the script and had him read. And we knew we were right, so he was cast before we even had financing.
Chloe was very similar. I made a proof of concept short film, and when I did, I read some Sophie’s. Chloe was one, and I immediately knew she would be fantastic. In the end, we decided not to use the Sophie character for the proof of concept, but 2-1/2 years later, when we found the money for the feature, we called her back and cast her.
It was filmed entirely in NYC often in live locations. Using live locations is tremendously difficult on both the cast and the crew, and I’m incredibly appreciative of them putting up with me as I think the results speak for themselves in the film. But it’s really hard to shoot in these spaces where people don’t even necessarily understand you are filming.
I’m a huge fan of horror and vampire stories from childhood until now. In my teen years, I loved Martin, Vampires Kiss and Near Dark, and I read The Vampire Chronicles by Anne Rice back then as well. As an adult, I love Let the Right One In because, of course … it’s a perfect movie.
When writing the screenplay, what came first in the initial stages? The character of Milo? The story?
First came the character of Milo, and I took my time shaping him and writing his history in extreme detail. While doing that, I realized that I wanted the film to take place over one summer in New York City, and I wanted him to meet a girl that was an outsider like him but in different ways. Soon after that, the rest of the story came to me but first was Milo, the character, for sure.
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
The Transfiguration opens Friday, April 7 at the Angelika Film Center in New York City, followed by Los Angeles’ Nuart Theatre April 21. Click here for more information.
