About the film
Tim, a comic book store clerk puts an advertisement in the newspaper looking for people to travel with him to Chicago. Together with his reluctant best friend and the three misfits that respond to the ad, they head out in an old RV to Chicago. Tim’s final destination is a fantasy/comics convention where he will unveil his new game world in the hopes of winning the 1987 Dungeons and Dragons competition for best original idea.
When they find themselves lost in the back roads of the Midwest, Tim entertains them with the story of his dark world. But as their journey becomes an adventure of its own, each telling of his fantasy world seems to nudge it closer to reality. Soon, the travelers own personal secrets and desires will pull them all in to the unraveling story. And eventually to find their way out, they will all have to abandon their individual ideas of who and what they are and come together to make a choice.
Though the film takes place in the 1980’s the values in question reflect the current conflicts facing many Americans, and people around the world; is it the dreams that are sold to us in media and culture or the real-life every day encounters and interactions that will inevitably shape us into who we want to be? What will it be that eventually defines right and wrong and how we treat those around us?
10 F.A.Q. For Director Abraham Lim
1.What does the title God Is D_ad mean?
It is symbolic, showing that the meaning of something can change dramatically by something small, a simple change, like the omission of one letter. It is also how with a simple change in perspective, one can see things in a new way.
Finally, when taking the exact phrase it simply infers that God, the overseer, the protector may exist not in some omniscient being, but actually in those who hold us close to their heart; friends, family…dad. It is with these people in our lives that we find true representation of self-sacrifice and love. Hopefully.
So take your pick.
2.Why are the fantasy Elves in Tim’s game Korean?
First, Tim is Korean-American so it’s not a big leap. But the way he sees it, it doesn’t matter if the elves in his game world are Korean, Pakistani, ewoks or Yiddish, just as long as they are different. The fact is, it’s Tim’s world and he’ll do whatever he wants.
He is trying desperately hard to win this tournament, and he thinks making them like “Genghis Khan” type warriors is totally cool and different, which will appeal to the judges. Whether he was right or not we’ll never know.
Remember, he is not exactly an aspiring author; his world is the kind of a clumsy attempt at brilliance one would expect from a 17 year old in the suburbs. His best friend Bob constantly criticizes his “masterpiece” for being weird and boring. Like the others, it isn’t until he goes on the journey, that through his experiences, Tim finds his story.
3.What’s the deal with the hitchhiker? He shows up then disappears.
Have you ever taken a trip, gone somewhere on vacation and you meet someone in line for something and strike up a great hour-long conversation? Have you ever taken a ride with a stranger when your car broke down on a country road? Did you know what happened to them after you parted? Did you stay in touch with them, meet them later or did you just move on? And most importantly, did one of these chance meetings ever leave a lasting impression on you?
It is these unexpected moments of life that create a “benefit of the doubt” situation. The immediacy and urgency of the moment make you take chances on people (and them on you) that you probably wouldn’t in your controlled day-to-day life. It is also something many people find liberating, allowing one to feel like they are living life on the edge, or creating an adventure.
Picking up the hitchhiker is Bob’s way of throwing some adventure into the day. It is also a way to annoy Tim, which is a plus. But with the adventure comes risk, not knowing who this stranger is and why he’s on the road. Only Lindy and Meredith spend time with him alone and each get a closer look into who and what he might be. But, as events turn again, he disappears into the night. For those who want more hints at a deeper connection to our story, there is the scene where Bob notices fertilizer in his bag. Some people get it and others don’t, which is fine.
4. Everyone seems to find his or her identity through the friendships forged by the road trip except Alex. Why?
Well because in life as we all know, not everyone does. People with troubled family members know especially how real this is. I can speak from my experiences with family, that no matter how much you care about a person and no matter how much time and effort you put into changing them, it’s not your choice. Alex is based on a gay friend of mine from high school. He didn’t come out until many years later and perhaps Alex will as well.
It is also different for Alex, because he has the pressure of his mother and the entire church community. I think he has it harder than the others, and so is not so easily transformed. And in the end he may not be the only character with a flawed metamorphosis. (The festival version of the film does not include an epilogue with Lindy.)
5.Why do you direct, write and edit all your films? Are you a control freak?
Well, I don’t think so. I just came to the conclusion a while back that if I am going to keep making independent films with my money and all the aggravations that come with it, I’m going to do what I want to do and keep learning and growing along the way.
Some people get into this business to be part of “the business” and are happy to be working on high profile projects in whatever capacity; if that’s what you want then, great. Because I came right out of NYU and worked with a legendary director on union projects, maybe I was a little spoiled. I got to hang out with celebrities, hang with Bob and make high wages. But I have to tell you that after a couple of years of working on other union projects, I felt stifled, and frustrated and was ready to get back to making my own films.
The only way to do that without scads of money was to learn the important aspects of the craft, so I did. I’m also more in the George Lucas (oh no!) or Robert Rodriquez style of tech emphasis in filmmaking. I think you will find that the new wave of filmmakers coming up now are required to have a much broader skill-set than their predecessors, and this will be more commonplace in the near future, especially with DSLR’s.
Also, I was an art major before I was a film major and I think my filmmaking process reflects that; I work a film like a piece of clay until I think it’s right. I am notorious with one of my programmer friends for screening the film and then making revisions and changes to them before the next screening. In the early days, I used to think about screenings like everyone else did, that you screened your final print and that was that. But now in the age of digital HD, I see them more as test screenings. Seeing the film in front of an audience is the best way for me to for get a clear perspective on the film.
6.Your previous films had high production values. Why does the “reality” part of the film look so degraded?
You know I pride myself for being a “bang for the buck” guy. With little money and a lot of work, I can create really high production value. That’s how I’ve managed to stay alive and make some bucks along the way. But with God Is D_ad, I did want to make the U.S. part very rough and grainy, to contrast the sharp and costumed images of the fantasy world. The funny thing is even though it is shot in a verite style, I actually built a computer and recorded full HD directly to hard disk on set to have a higher quality image to degrade, Added to that, were budgetary surprises that made me reconfigure the style of shooting for a small crew.
The techniques may have worked too well. Dennis Harvey from Variety referred to the film as “suffering from budgetary limits”. Yeesh, he loved my second film “The Achievers” which was shot on DV, so I guess I got the degraded look right! (I do think Dennis viewed an old DVD though, judging by his description of the fantasy section.)
7.How did you get the ‘80’s critic darling rocker Marshall Crenshaw to do the music for the film?
I have been a fan for a long time. His music was a big part of the soundtrack of my young life. So I told him that and asked him if he would contribute some music. He did. Marshall is one of those rare guys who has both talent and a big heart.
8.I prefer your dramatic work. Why don’t you continue to do those types of films?
The dramatic stories came from things that really concern me and are from the heart, so they usually translated well. But they also take a lot out of me and to be honest sometimes I’m a goofball too, so I wanted to play. For the last two films I wanted to do scripts that were artistically challenging in other ways and just more fun. Don’t worry I am so distressed by the world we find ourselves in today, I’m sure I’ll be back to working-class dramas very soon. (If I make any more indie films, that is. More on that at a later date.)
9. Robert Altman picked you straight out of NYU to work with him. What were the most important things you learned from him?
It’s a marathon not a race.
If you burn bridges make sure you own a boat.
If someone calls saying that Robert Altman is on the phone, don’t say
“yeah, right” and hang up. It may actually be him.
Loving the work makes it much easier to tolerate the business.
The bigger your budget the more egos you have to stroke.
Watch dailies with your crew and actors and bring some wine.
You can direct and make films until you are literally done.
Take care of your knees.
Do not Fed Ex pot.
10.Why can’t I find your films for sale?
Uhm, hello, I’m an Asian American filmmaker. No matter how many awards you win when you get to the deal table they will still say “we can’t sell this in Nebraska” and offer you nothing. Now, if you want to do a theatrical and go into the hole for P&A just to establish yourself as a director, by all means go for it. But I just couldn’t rationalize doing this just to see my film on a marquis in L.A. or S.F. I just believed that I would establish myself by just keeping on “keepin’ on”, and I just couldn’t sell my films in good conscience.
The problem is more nuanced than just the buyers though, the Asian American audience shares responsibility as well. The divides between nationalities culturally make it nigh impossible to create enough unity to support Asian American films. So, unlike African American or Gay cinema, there is no financial incentive for the big boys to buy your film at a good price point. Maybe this will change, but I’m skeptical.
Also, let me add that I used to be completely disinterested in the whole sales part of filmmaking. I would just get bored and move onto the next film. But with God Is D_ad and the new digital distribution methodologies, I am very excited with the possibilities. In fact, my type of films are better served by this new paradigm, given their budget size, and with it less need to make scads of money to turn a profit. So expect to see them out there soon.
And take heart, this is an exciting time for truly indie filmmakers to find their audiences! You just need to learn a whole new skill-set to do it. Oh well…
GOD IS D AD- Director’s statement
I grew up in a working class suburb in Kansas. Sure, I had my issues with the “hey Chinaman” and “Ching-chong” crap that most Asian Americans have to deal with outside of California, Hawaii and Seattle but I also had…the Vickers. Shawn and Eric to be exact. They would come to our house every day, knock on the back screen door and ask my brother and I to come out to play yard football. If we didn’t they would call us chicken until we got out there. To this day I credit them with my love of the game and getting me tough enough to take a hit.
The great thing about the people I grew up with in the heartland is that there was a sense of community and concern for your neighbors, even ones that were new to America. When I was growing up in Kansas my friends and I had this dream that we could find what we wanted to do in life, work hard at it and have a good life. That dream seems a distant memory now. Millions of people are unemployed. Millions more are losing their homes. Students are going into enormous debt just to get an education. But now they must find a job in an economy that can’t sustain them. And those that put in their time and did the right thing now find much of their retirement savings wiped out. And the government’s response is to cut our deficit by taking more away from the working class; social security and Medicare. Our nation has become a plutonomy, with 1% holding all the wealth and the rest of us holding on for our dear lives.
What has all this got to do with an 80’s road movie about comic book geeks? Because the main theme of the film is one that I believe we need to be reminded of, that we find life’s meaning and our identity through our bonds with others, simple as that. In Christian terms it would be “am I not my brother’s keeper?” But you don’t need religion or a traditional family to understand this simple philosophy, just people you care about. The characters that inhabit God Is D_ad are based on the misfit friends I had in high school. Like many people today, these characters are lost, uncertain about who and what they are and what the future holds for them. They try to buy into the roles that are sold to them or forced upon them, but they eventually find true purpose and character through the friendships forged on their journey. On the road in the RV whatever happens, they are in it together. And it is from this empathy, this connection to one another, that they find the will to act, and to do the right thing.
It used to be a given that this was in essence the American spirit; we are a nation of individualists, yes, but we also used to go out of our way to help a neighbor in need. Prairie humanism is a new term I have come across. Finally I have found a term that more aptly defines who I am beyond the tired old labels of socialism or free-market capitalism. It goes like this-
“Prairie humanism refers to a moral vision deeply embedded in the American grain. It refers to a committed and attentive neighborliness, to an understanding that we are responsible for ourselves AND for one another.”
To those living in difficult times, feeling lost they might believe that “God IS dead”. But I think we all still want to believe in a dream. Not a dream to be a Dungeon Master, a sex kitten, a rebel or a Christian, but a dream that there is someone out there that is watching over us, keeping the balance of fairness and justice for all. To some, that someone is God. In the Dungeons and Dragons game it is Tim. But I believe the spirit must is within us; moms, dads, friends and neighbors to take responsibility once again for each other. If not we dishonor the memories of those who worked to build a better life for us.
I remember vividly a summer night where the sirens blew warning that a tornado was coming close. And, like all good mid-westerners, instead of hiding in our basement, we all stood on our back porches staring at the orange puffy clouds in the sky. Mrs. Vickers came over and gave my mom a pie. There was a true spirit that we were all in this together. And we all got a piece of the pie.
ROLLING STONE’S TOP 100 ALBUMS OF THE ‘80’S
THE MUSIC
Marshall Crenshaw’s self-titled debut arrived at a time when post-New Wave rockers were examining the music of past decades and adapting its sounds and attitudes to their own. Crenshaw’s dead-on melodic sensibility, empathetic lyrics, and deeply ingrained sense of pop structure and sound made the record 1982’s best. His albums still receive critical accolades for their power pop prowess, and he was enlisted to write the humorous title track for the film Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story in 2005. Following the movie’s release two years later, Crenshaw returned to his own work with 2009’s Jagged Land. God is D ad is honored to have original tracks and acoustic remakes contributed to the film.
