True Crime Trauma; Aubrey Plaza v. De Niro; the Indy Film Scene

Aubrey Plaza says that when she worked with Robert De Niro she “did some questionable things I wouldn’t do anymore;” some highlights from Indianapolis’ outstanding Heartland International Film Festival; how true crime stories like Netflix’s new Jeffrey Dahmer projects can retraumatize victims – or help them heal. All in today’s Movie News Rundown.

Aubrey Plaza v. Robert De Niro: Our summer cover story star says she “freaked out” De Niro on the set of the 2016 comedy Dirty Grandpa by staying in character as a woman who “had one goal: To have sex with him.”

More Bobby D: Deadline has this piece on what went wrong with David O’Russell’s critically panned, box-office deprived Amsterdam, which should have done much better considering its cast includes Christian Bale, Margot Robbie, Chris Rock and De Niro.

True Crime Trauma: Do true-crime shows like Netflix’s new Jeffrey Dahmer projects needlessly retraumatize victims and their families? Or can true crime recreations help them? Those are the key questions in Julia Cocarro’s look at the dark power of true crime.

Speaking Of: Margeaux Sippell spoke with Conversations With a Killer: The Dahmer Tapes director Joe Berlinger about trying to put victims’ needs first, Dahmer’s rare “flashes or humanity,” and his theory that Dahmer “set himself up to be killed.” The full interview is here:

Palette Cleanser: Want to watch something utterly charming, sweet, and not at all related to the upsetting stuff above? If so I highly recommend Vincent Liota’s film Objects, an hourlong documentary I thoroughly enjoyed this past weekend at the Heartland International Film Festival. It’s about fascinating people obsessed with seemingly meaningless objects — a sugar egg, a sweater, blades of grass — that unlock their most treasured memories.  It will especially delight fans of Radiolab.

Indy Film Scene: Do you ever wonder if you could find more filmmaking success in a reasonably priced, midsized city than in an overwhelming metropolis like New York or Los Angeles? Filmmaker Zac Cooper moved to Indianapolis six years ago, and recently completed his first feature there. Here’s what he said about shooting It Happened One Weekend in a city that hasn’t been filmed to death — for just $15,000:

Main image: Zoey Deutsch and Aubrey Plaza in Dirty Grandpa.