Eight years ago, director Steven Sawalich was so inspired by hearing Richard Pimentel, the Vietnam veteran who helped to pass the Americans With Disabilities Act, give a speech at a conference that he introduced himself to Pimentel after the engagement and told him that they should make a movie of his life. And so Music Within, Sawalich’s directorial debut starring Ron Livingston, Melissa George, Hector Elizondo and Rebecca DeMornay, was born.
After traveling the festival circuit, where it picked up numerous awards, including a “Best of Fest” accoloade at the Palm Springs International Film Festival, Music Within is now on DVD. As the film hit DVD shelves across America, MM caught up with Sawalich to discuss the making of his first feature film.
Jennifer Wood (MM): Though Music Within marks your directorial debut, you’ve been making shorts and documentaries for quite a while now. So it’s not surprising that your feature debut is based on a real person. How did the idea for the film originate?
Steven Sawalich (SS): I have been a friend of Richard Pimentel for about eight years. I met him during one of his speaking engagements. I was listening to him give a speech and the story that he tells is his life story, incorporating it with disability in the workplace. I was sitting there and he has this amazing ability to take the audience on this roller coaster ride of emotions where one minute everyone is laughing hysterically and then the next moment everyone is crying. It was a brilliant balance of humor and emotion. I admired that. After the speech, I went up to him and said we should make this into a movie and he told me “Why would you want to do that?” I said, ‘The same reason you talk about it—it is an amazing story.’
After that a few years went by and I kept thinking about his life. We eventually reconnected a few years later. During that time, I met my producing partner on the film, Brett Donowho. I told him of the story and we met with Richard and learned more. We hired two writers to begin the initial draft and two years later made the film.
MM: What’s most striking about the film is how funny it is. A story that could easily have gone the way of melodrama is kept light and funny throughout. Was there ever any pressure to turn the film into your typical “movie with a message,” sappiness and all?
SS: To me the best way to get your point across is through humor. I have found that people want to laugh. I wanted the people to get a glimpse of the way Richard lived his life. He always found the humor in every bad situation he was dealt. I tried to represent that the best I way I could in the film.
MM: The film has been making the festival circuit for a while now and has picked up several awards along the way, yet it only had a limited theatrical release. That seems to be the case for movies like this—that are unique to the marketplace because they don’t fit a specific genre mold. Do you think that could have played a part in the film’s distribution? The whole “it’s a hard movie to market” argument? What was the hardest lesson you learned about distribution in today’s market?
SS: Marketing, marketing, marketing. If you have a great film and no one knows about it then it doesn’t really matter. I think the hardest lesson we learned was going up against the major studio releases in the fall. This was a tough year for film meaning there was so much competition. For a small film that is a killer. I think people look at this film and they see a film about disability which could preach to them. I was very aware not to try to get my point across by hitting them over the head with the message. The film is about many things and disability just happens to one of them. For me it is really about how one person can make a difference in the world and I think people can relate to that.
MM: But the movie will certainly get a second life now that it’s being distributed on DVD by MGM. What do you hope the DVD release will accomplish that the theatrical release did not? Any lessons you’ll take with you to the next film?
SS: I think the DVD will give more access for people to view the film. Since we had a limited release it was only available theatrically in a few markets, so I am hoping that we will help spread the message of the film to a lot more people. Henry C. Link said, “While one person hesitates because he feels inferior, another is busy making mistakes and becoming superior.” Everyday I learn new things and certainly have learned a wealth of knowledge from this experience which I will carry into the next one.
MM: Speaking of which: What is up next for you?
SS: I am constantly reading scripts and books for my next film. I have quite a few projects in development, but right now don’t know which one will be next. I enjoy trying to learn knew things so hopefully it will be about something that I don’t know much about. Whether it is based on a true story or a work of fiction it will be something that I am proud to stand behind.
Share:
