Complexity a success

CYNTHIA RAMSAY

Perhaps because of the early hour – 10 a.m. on Daylight Savings Sunday – it was a low-key event. More likely, the mood at the March 13 private screening of Complexity reflected the nervousness of a first screening in front of a large audience, the emotion that generally accompanies the completion of an intense undertaking and the down-to-earth nature of the hosts.

Almost 500 people attended the screening at Oakridge Cinemas. Unlike some other launches, where long speeches and other formalities dominate, the Complexity screening featured many held-back tears of excitement (and, no doubt, relief), but few words. Executive producer David Bogoch and producer Mattie Shisko offered brief remarks and thank yous before the film started, while writer/director/actor Adam Bogoch spoke for at most three minutes after the screening, thanking various people, including the Jewish Independent for its In Production series, which started last year when the script was being finalized.

Complexity cast members who were at the March 13 screening. Standing, left to right: Barbara Johnston, Elizabeth Connor, Kyle Cassie, Dimitri Arvanitis, Stacy Mahieux, Emilie Ullerup, Patrick Spencer and Destini Willan.
In front: Morgan Leaney and Adam Bogoch.

“It’s been more than a privilege working with this cast and crew,” said Adam after the movie had screened and he and Mattie had gathered the cast and crew at the front of the theatre. “These professionals trusted an 18-year-old to direct them, so either that shows enormous conviction and true love for their craft or it shows that they’ve been spending too many nights with Charlie Sheen. Either way, it worked out pretty well for me, so thanks for that.

“Now, I often find that the post-production crew don’t get enough attention, not what they should, so please, another round of applause for [them].... This was a labor of love, and none more loving than my producer Mattie and the executive producer, my father. They are truly stand-out people who never give up, never stop fighting and never stop the flow of positive but honest support. Thank you very much.”

After the screening, there was a get-together at Mark James’ Yaletown Brewery, at which a scene of the movie was shot. The atmosphere at the Yaletown was relaxed and amiable; a reunion of people who had worked closely together for many months, but hadn’t seen each other for a while. Everyone shared their favorite moments of the movie, as well as some stories from the set – from as silly as how many sandwiches Dimitri Arvanitis had to eat before his final scene was film-ready (maybe three?), to how personality similarities between the character of Scott (half of the romantic lead duo) and actor Patrick Spencer, who played him, helped Patrick excel at his first leading role in a movie, to wondering whose incredible home was the “set” for the Belmont house.

In an e-mail interview the next day, the Independent asked Adam whether any of the feedback he received after the event had surprised him.

“Perhaps the most surprising of all has been the dissection of character and story,” he said. “I had conversations with people I never would have expected to be that responsive. This is something that filmmakers strive for, but I think for the actors especially – the individual struggles that they were going through really came off to the audience. I had a conversation with Emilie (Ullerup, who played the lead character of Clara) at the after event about that feedback and I know that she was very pleased with that in particular. And it wasn’t just the leading characters, but also some of the supporting actors, people truly understood their personal struggles and how they impacted those of the leads. As the writer, it means a lot to me to see that people understand the need for independence, which is really one of the many messages in Complexity.

“Connection is also a big one for me,” he continued. “When the audience can relate to a theme or message, when they can break that degree of separation and join the journey of the characters, that is really something.... This is a story about people, some not so likable, but having the general public see these fictitious characters and relate to them on an emotional level, like the cast and I did, is so special.”

There were several recurring compliments among those with whom the Independent spoke after the screening, notably how nice it was to not only have Vancouver featured in a movie as Vancouver, but as such a paradise. Paul Mitchnick’s cinematography was definitely one of the highlights of Complexity, as was the music by Ron Philips.

As for what happens now, Adam said, “Well, I take a little bit of a break, sort of, but film festival submission is on the go, and that is spread out over a period of time. Also big for us is actually selling the film and, luckily, we have a great team who have it in their best interest to help this picture get seen. Our main goals are deals both nationally and internationally to a sales agent, broadcasters, distributors and new media outlets. We want it seen and, of course, physically rewarded. It can be a bit trying and frustrating, as some things take time while other things happen so quickly and in the moment, but this also makes it exciting.”

So, for Adam, the producers and the publicity team, the work continues, mostly behind the scenes, but becoming more visible in the late summer/fall, as promotion kicks into higher gear and Adam and the cast start making more public appearances. Meanwhile, many of the actors in Complexity (and the crew) are already working on something else in the film/TV/theatre world or they have temporarily gone back to their “day jobs.”

For me, it’s been an interesting and fun 11 months, and I’ll miss writing the In Production column on a regular basis (though there will be at least a couple more before the year is out). Normally, when the credits roll in a film, they have little meaning to me. On Sunday, seeing the names of the people involved in Complexity on the big screen, having had the privilege of getting to know some of them, and knowing the great effort they put into the film, was very moving. I am grateful to have been included in the process.