In “Faces,” from director Blake Simon, the case of a missing girl tunnels into the bizarre modus operandi of a being who steals others’ likenesses and identities. Simon, whose work ranges from indie film to working as an associate producer on Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, says the film is about the sometimes sad search for who you really are.
That search — found not in your relationships with others but in front of a lonely mirror — is dramatized in “Faces” in a scene that finds actor Ethan Daniel Corbett studying himself like Buffalo Bill (Ted Levine) does in one of the most infamous sequences from Silence of the Lambs. The film plays this weekend at FilmQuest, one of our Coolest Film Festivals in the World.
Simon’s previous award-winning films include “Red Velvet” (2023) and “Goldilocks” (2016), a sci-fi smash that has amassed over half a million views online. We talked with him over email about getting and not getting what you want, how his collaborators fueled “Faces,” and finding his own identity as filmmaker.
MovieMaker: What was the initial spark of an idea for this film, and how did it evolve?
Blake Simon: The film is ultimately about the search for identity, specifically the dark side of that search. We live in a culture in 2024 that is very supportive of self-exploration and discovery, which is a beautiful thing, but I think there’s a side of that search that is often not talked about but we often witness.
There are steps along the way of reinvention that don’t bring us the fulfillment and satisfaction that we hope they will. I think it’s a universal journey but it’s something we don’t want to publicize, so we keep it hidden as we always put on a happy face in public. But you can feel when that face is phony, when there’s something darker going on that isn’t being discussed.
And that feeling terrified me, the feeling of changing the way you act, look, or want to be perceived, and then not getting the fulfillment you thought you would from that choice. “Faces” is the embodiment of that fear.
Blake Simon on Reference Points for ‘Faces’
MovieMaker: How do you feel about Silence of the Lambs? Parts of this remind me of Buffalo Bill getting dressed up in his basement.
Blake Simon: Of course I’m a huge fan of Silence of the Lambs, it’s a phenomenal film, and I’m very aware of the comparison. Ironically, it’s not something I was conscious of while writing the film. It wasn’t until we cast Ethan Daniel Corbett, who is brilliant in the role, that I got to see how vulnerable he allowed himself to be and the Buffalo Bill comparison became apparent.
We talked about it right away, and truthfully I’m fine with the comparison. Those are some of the most memorable scenes in one of the most iconic films, so I think it’s an honor be spoken of in comparison to that film/character.
The best characters are never one-dimensional, they have complicated feelings and emotions just like any of us, and Buffalo Bill is a prime example of that, and I would hope so is the character in our film.
MovieMaker: What was your biggest challenge in making this film and how did you overcome it?
Blake Simon: It had to be schedule. Like any indie short where you’re packing in numerous locations, a relatively large cast, a party scene with background actors, night work, et cetera, it can just be exhausting. And it so happened that our schedule required us to shoot the most emotional scenes in the film (the vanity room) on Day 1.
So that was a huge mental hurdle, which we wouldn’t have survived if it weren’t for our incredible cast of Cailyn Rice and Ethan Daniel Corbett. Once we got through that first day it really served as rocket fuel to get us to the finish line.
I also have to shout out the film’s producers Jared Selcer and Liz Holland for making it all happen. Liz was also our first AD so it’s thanks to her that we managed to pull off what we did in such a short schedule.
“Faces” plays at FilmQuest on Sunday at 8 p.m. before Somnium at Velour.
Main image: “Faces.”
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