PURGATORY
Director: Lindsay Lanzillotta
Screenwriter: Christine Speer
Logline: This coming-of-age dramedy, set in the 1980s, follows Beatrice (Ruby McGurrin) as she tries to reunite her recently separated parents, and stars J.K. Simmons, Abby Elliott, John Reynolds, and Jack Innanen.
Sales agent: Gersh
Panelists: Lindsay Lanzillotta, Director/Producer; Abby Elliott, EP/Actor; Ruby McGurrin, Actor; John Reynolds, Actor; Jack Innanen, Actor
First screening: Thursday, September 12, Scotiabank Theatre
Key quotes: “Christine’s a dear friend, and I had encouraged her to write more. And when she said this is her first screenplay, and when she sent it to me, I I really loved it. I felt the honesty in it, and then wanted to develop it with her as a producer. And then ultimately, through our work on it, she said, ‘I think that you’re going to be the closest person to this? Will you direct it?’ And I hadn’t really considered it, and I realized that so much of the story that we developed together was becoming both of our stories in some amalgamation. It’s certainly inspired by, definitely not our actual stories, but it felt felt like the first one I should actually try to direct. I was a little bit terrified, but somehow all these people signed up.” – Lindsay Lanzillotta
“Parenting in the ’80s was totally different, I think, than the gentle parenting that we have now, so it’s a testament to what was on the page. But I really connected with that element too. I think discipline was also very different too. The way that our parents disciplined, were disciplined, and took that along with them, and what they thought they had to do. I think Marianne, has a tendency to be stern with her daughters, but also very vulnerable. While it is a different world now, it still is this this thing of, ‘Oh are people talking about me or people judging me?’ I tried to to channel that.” – Abby Elliott
Watch the video above.
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