THE COMMUNITY POOL LIFEGUARD CULT OF DOOM

       This film was one where the inspiration came from the most random of places. There was a day I was at my local pool, and there were about four people there including myself. Strangely though, there were seven lifeguards. Only two were ever on duty at a time, the rest were in the back office, and I asked “what’s going on back there?” The story just snowballed from there. The idea excited me enormously because it was visually a creative playground. I love thinking of creative spins and substitutions with things, and this was a perfect film to do just that. For instead, you have a duel with foam noodles rather than swords, or a throne made out of a lifeguard chair.

       With the previous films I’ve made, I’ve tended to stick with fairly fairytale endings. Characters undergo an arc of growth, learn what they need to learn, be with who they need to and so on. What excited me about writing and directing this film was exploring a character who fails their arc, who doesn’t learn the lesson they need to and only sinks deeper. I feel like that can be not only just as compelling, but also just as satisfying. This story was also an opportunity to talk about feelings of loneliness, a feeling that I’ve dealt with at very difficult transitions in my life. Our main character finds a false sense of belonging, at the cost of his individuality and kind heart. This is an opportunity for audiences to see a cautionary tale about loneliness, done in an absurdly enjoyable way.

           -Lucas Barta