Tina Kakadelis
How do you fight for your life after you’ve been injected with a paralytic drug? The answer to that question makes for a taut 90-minute thriller in the form of Don’t Move. The film, directed by Adam Schindler & Brian Netto, debuted at #1 in the U.S. on Netflix and was the most watched film on the platform in over 60 countries during its opening weekend. At the center of Don’t Move is Iris (Kelsey Asbille), a grieving woman who takes to nature one morning to end her life. Her plan is interrupted by a charming stranger (Finn Wittrock), but it quickly becomes clear that this man has ulterior motives with saving Iris’ life.
Co-directors Adam Schindler & Brian Netto sat down with Film Obsessive’s News Editor, Tina Kakadelis, to discuss working with Sam Raimi, the unexpected benefits of shooting linearly, and going with your gut.
Film Obsessive: How’s it going, guys? How’s life as number-one Netflix directors?
Brian Netto: Pretty sweet (laughs).
Adam Schindler: Just people gathered outside my house clapping (laughs). No, it’s been great. No pitchforks. It’s great. We’re happy people are getting to watch it. That’s the big thing.
The premise of Don’t Move is very interesting. It kind of feels antithetical to a horror movie. You have someone who’s been pretty much paralyzed for the majority of the movie. Do you feel like the inherent constraints of having your main character confined like that allowed for more creativity?
Brian Netto: I would believe more creativity. This process has been interesting because our writers, TJ Cimfel and David White, are good friends and incredibly talented. We just had a screening of Don’t Move the other day and it was interesting to hear them recall the moment that we told them this is what we wanted to do, this is what the constraints were. We decided it couldn’t be non-linear, the story had to unfold largely in real time, and we didn’t want to live in voiceover. It was funny to hear one of them say, we got off the phone and I was like we’re not going to do that. And the other one was like, oh, yes we are.
They came back to us and what they built was a brilliant way to explore the idea that you have one character who’s going to become immobile and the other one has to carry the water narratively for so much of it. I think that’s to your point. I think, ultimately why it works, is because Richard is so interesting to watch. He’s not an automaton. He’s not a flawless character. He’s good at what he does, but not as good as he thinks. Because of those qualities, he’s fun to watch even though you’re rooting against him. I think the trick – it’s making sure that he’s engaging even if you despise him. Because for a large portion of the film, she’s unable to communicate in any way other than with her eyes. I think it made for a more interesting set of characters.
Adam Schindler: But also, we wanted to live in those moments and just be with Iris and live in those moments. It allowed for the concept and then the characters that Tim and David wrote allowed for us to to really do that. Luckily, getting our producing team behind this idea was easy. Sam Raimi, Alex Lebovici, and Sarah Sarandos, they all kind of got that. They were like, yes. Big ups to them for kind of supporting it, supporting that vision of it. Because, like you said, it’s quite different from your normal thriller in that way.
I’ve read some other interviews where you talk about wanting it to unfold linearly. You mention some of the difficulties, like dealing with the light and dealing with other issues that come from wanting it to look like it’s unfolding in real time, but obviously not practically shooting it in real time. What were some of the positives that have come out of shooting it like that, that were maybe unexpected?
Adam Schindler: I think the biggest one that pops into my head is that we tried to shoot it as much in order as we could. I think that really helped Kelsey and Finn with their characters and knowing where they were at because, for the most part, we were trying to shoot it in order. So the end of the movie, we shot on the last day. I think that helped in the performance aspect for both of them to just have experienced everything by the time the end was filmed. The first day was the cliff scene. To be able to start from one place, go through this whole harrowing journey, and then come on at the end and shoot it as much as we could in order helped performance wise.
Speaking of performances, it’s essentially a two-hander between Finn and Kelsey. What made you decide on these actors?
Brian Netto: Kelsey was a name that was initially mentioned to us and I think she was unavailable. Ultimately, she became available again and we met with her. The only thing I was familiar with prior to meeting with her was her work in Wind River and then also her work in the Kansas City season of Fargo. But I didn’t recognize her from Fargo, so I was like, oh, wait, that was her! I went back and watched it again. I mean, to play in a Coen-esque caper comedy with that level of heightened performance and then to do that scene in Wind River is something special. If anyone has seen Wind River, she’s in the opening sequence and then a flashback. It is tough stuff. It’s very physical. It’s a tough watch. To do those two different things, that’s an actor. That’s someone who has range.
We met with her and Sam [Raimi], who was joining us for that initial virtual meeting. It was on Super Bowl Sunday, I remember, and Sam is a huge Yellowstone fan. He was just as giddy to meet her as she was to meet him. Over the course of that conversation, we saw how intuitive and super bright she is. She would take her time, just be very thoughtful and we were like, this feels like Iris. This just feels like what we’re looking for.
The other thing that was interesting is that we always pictured someone with shorter hair. Just the thought was like, over this last year of loss before the movie starts, she just wants to be able to get out of the house. When we saw Kelsey and her hair, it was just like, that’s exactly the kind of hair length we were thinking. When we first met and sat down, it all just clicked. I think what she brought to the role, which everyone was able to see, was all her. She threw herself into it and she trusted us. She was able to convey so much with the restraints that were placed upon her.
Thinking back, she was probably thinking, I don’t know if I’m doing enough here. Are you getting anything from me? She did have to place an immense amount of trust in Adam and me, which we’re so grateful for.
Adam Schindler: As it relates to Finn, we weren’t really that familiar with Finn’s work. We never really watched American Horror Story. Come to find out that he is a star all over the world. We were shooting in Bulgaria and every time we left the house, he was recognized. The casting process is very much just going with your gut. Like Ryan was saying about Kelsey, it just felt right. It was the same thing with Finn. We met with him virtually and we had seen him as Renée Zellweger’s husband in Judy. I’m like, wow, this guy is charming and then we find out that he’s played these horror characters before. We needed somebody who can just seamlessly jump between personas. That was Finn. He is a remarkable actor.
It’s very fun to kind of watch them on set because they have two very different processes. Finn was always mining the script, looking for that extra little bit. Kelsey is immediately empathetic. She just embodies the character and then is able to step out of it after a really brutal scene and just be herself. It’s amazing to watch that. It was fun and rewarding for us to just be able to let them go do their thing and bounce off each other. They were both so giving.
I’ll tell you this. There’s a lot of times where we’re just shooting on her and normally an actor would be like, okay, I’ll just put a stand in here for the eyeline. Finn was always like, I need to be here for her off camera. And Kelsey was like, I need to be right here for Finn when he’s on camera, I’m off camera. There was very much that kind of family, helping-each-other out vibe on set.
I want to tread a little into spoiler territory, if you guys don’t mind. I saw online that there’ve been a lot of fans that had unanswered questions. Do you feel like the film left any unanswered questions? When I came away with it feeling like the loose ends tied up. What kind of questions have you guys been asked?
Adam Schindler: I think the biggest questions I’ve seen are in relation to Richard’s character and what was true and what’s not. I always like to say that’s the fun of it for me because you don’t know if he’s telling the truth ever. That for us, at least for me, was the fun of it. I agree, I think Iris’s storyline is, as far as I’m concerned, is tied up. I don’t think there’re any loose ends there. I think there’s a ton of loose ends with Richard’s character because that’s his character, you know?
If you give everybody every answer to every question, it’s not really left open to interpretation anymore. Some of that stuff deserves to be left open to interpretation to start a conversation.
Brian Netto: You know, one thing I have heard with respect to Iris, which I thought was interesting, was people saying, oh, that final moment she walks off and that look she gives, they’ve had theories as to what that means. What’s in store for her after the credits roll. That’s always been fun to hear. We love stuff like that.
To your point, we feel that things kind of tied up pretty nicely, but it’s so cool that people care enough to leave the film and go out into the world to discuss it more. That’s the sort of film that we enjoy making. If you have any of that, then mission accomplished. It means that it’s not just a piece of disposable entertainment. They are curious about who these people are after the credits roll.
I’ll tell you my question that I have after watching. When we meet Iris, she’s about to commit suicide. Then the tables turn, and she is now fighting for her life. I was curious when you feel like Iris switches from survival. From wanting to survive this particular harrowing experience with Richard to when we see her at the end and she has the genuine desire to continue with life. What is that moment that you feel like it’s a perspective change for her?
Brian Netto: That’s a question we asked Kelsey on the first time we met her. It was really more of a question like, when do you think that would happen? What we all came up with was that it wasn’t one specific moment, because survival is instinctual. The one thing we talked about was over the course of the film, we need to switch from I want to survive to I want to live. I don’t think we ever pinpointed a particular moment.
Adam Schindler: I don’t think there is one moment where she goes, oh, now I want to live. I think it’s the culmination of all these beats and moments that gives her a different perspective. The whole thing for us was, at the end of the day, it’s not about getting over the death of her son. She’ll never get over the death of her son. It’s about being willing to take another step into another day and just being able to go, I’m still going to tackle this, I’m not giving up, and my life’s worth living. It may be tough and it’s going to be tough, but I’m willing to just take another step. That’s kind of the whole point in our minds of where she ends up. I don’t think there’s one specific moment.
Brian Netto: In hindsight, the conversation that they have that’s probably the impetus for why she has that emotive kind of cry-out moment toward the end because she realizes, oh, wait, it’s maybe too late. I think in my mind, I think that’s what she’s doing, that’s what that is. That is the first vocal cry for help. It’s also the frustration of realizing it’s too late now. I’ve missed all my chances.
Speaking of the ending, the last audio that the audience hears is a cover of “You Don’t Own Me,” which I really love. It’s the only song in the film that we hear. I was curious why you picked that song and how you came to the cover of it as well.
Brian Netto: A couple of reasons. We wanted to send people off. For people that really get invested in these sorts of suspense films like this, you will be tense for 90 minutes, right? I think appropriately. I mean, that’s what we were going for and we’re so pleased it’s working that way. We love the tradition where you leave a film that is so tense and so dark, and then they hit you with this 1950s pop song to send you home. First time we remember seeing it was in Blood Simple. You’re like, whoa, where did that come from?
It reminds you that you just watched a movie and that we’re not here to torment you or to make you feel any particular sort of way. This is a film. We are sending you home or wherever you watched it to think like, okay, that was entertainment, I was entertained, I enjoyed it.
Adam Schindler: That version of the song came as a suggestion from our editor, Josh Ethier’s, wife. We were testing out lots of different songs and again, it’s just gut. As filmmakers, we just use our gut a lot of time and put different songs in the credits. Everything was like, it’s 80%. Then Josh’s wife was like, oh, I was listening to this song and this is a cool cover. It’s a really unique cover. It’s kind of punky, which we think would be something that Iris would listen to, and that’s more of her vibe. We threw it in there and we all sat back and went, yes, that’s it, you know what I mean?
Briann Netto: I think initially we found the original version, but to Adam’s point, we thought Iris wouldn’t listen to that. So we just picked the version she would listen to. It’s just something about it that’s haunting.
Adam Schindler: It clicked. Thematically, it somewhat works. It’s not 100%.
Brian Netto: It’s not so literal that it’s about Richard. “You Don’t Own Me” is not about him.
Adam Schindler: More for me it’s about her grief.
Brian Netto: Yeah, he represents that. It’s not so literal. We just love the song, too. I put it on every now and then in the car. I listen to the original version. When this came out, at that time, this was pretty ahead of its time. Pretty remarkable.
Hugely ahead of its time too, because Lesley Gore is gay. So it’s even more of a massive statement. I love that song and was thrilled when that came on when the credits started playing. You guys talked about how Iris’ story is wrapped up, but a lot of the questions are about Richard. Do you see a world where there’s a prequel of Richard’s story?
Adam Schindler: I don’t know about a prequel. We’ve tossed around ideas with the writers about how the story could continue in a way that would make sense. We’re all about concepts and then finding a character that fits that. For us, it’s like reverse engineering in a way where it’s like we know what the character is now. What the character’s journey is and then what key concept or conceit can you put that new character in that would make sense? Not something that would just be a money grab.
It’s like how would you continue your character and what other journey does she need to go on? And what does that look like?
Brian Netto: Is that something that people have posed? The Richard prequel? I’m just curious.
That’s just a question that I had because it seems like the truth about Richard is a topic of conversation online. It would be interesting if his prequel was just entirely different from anything that he said in Don’t Move.
Adam Schindler: That’s interesting. That’s the fun of that character because it could be all true, or it could be none of it could be true. You just don’t know.
My last question for you guys, you’re co-directors who have a longtime friendship going back to elementary school. How do you balance the role and responsibility of being directors? Are there specific parts of the job that you each kind of gravitate toward naturally?
Adam Schindler: We’re just kind of like one-and-the-same brain. We’ve been doing it for so long that it’s like second nature. We’ve had producers on other projects be like, how does this work? Then get on set and go, oh, okay, I see. It’s like, I don’t know, it’s this unwritten thing. People have told us that Brian likes to be up in the action near the camera and I tend to be back by the monitor. Other than the placement of where we are, I don’t think there’s any difference.
We’re all about prep. So all the questions, anything that needs to be ironed out, or if we have different thoughts on different things, we work all that stuff out before we’re there on the day. Then it’s just Brian would be like (gestures) and I’m like, yep, I already know. It’s one of those things. We’ve been doing it for so long. It’s second nature.
Brian Netto: When we were making these little movies in the backyard and in our homes, it was Adam and me and a camera. Rarely could we sucker one of our friends into being in the films with us, so it was just the two of us. We had the ability to create titles. It was really just writing it out on paper and it was always a “Schnetto” film, you know? Our last names combined. My point is we’ve always shared everything. It was never a matter of like, well, I’m going to direct today and you’re going to direct to that. We’ve always done it together and it’s the only way we’ve ever done it. It’s the only thing we know.
Thank you guys for your time. Congrats on the film and I can’t wait to see the Richard prequel.
Adam Schindler: (laughs) Thank you for some interesting questions!
Brian Netto: These were great questions. This was really awesome.
Thank you guys! You have a great day.
