Not Our Living Room (2014)

Brothers Jake & Chris are getting ready for their moms' anniversary dinner, but things take an ominous turn when they try to leave the livingroom.

"Not Our Living Room" on the blog.

Behind the Scenes

BTS photos by Alyssa Meadows

Crew

Director, Producer:
Christina Raia

Writer, Producer:
Kelsey Rauber

Cinematographer
Peter Westervelt

Editor
Jordan Roberts

Screenings & Awards

2015 FirstGlance Film Festival

Director's Statement

(SPOILERS) The script was written by my co-producer, Kelsey Rauber, as a way to cope with her sister having an accident that landed her in the hospital. I was attracted to the script for two reasons: one because it portrayed male characters in a way not typically seen on screen; they're more vulnerable and relatable in a less stereotypically masculine way, and the other because I liked that it was a genre piece on the surface, but really an intimate drama at its core. It's about loss and an inability to let go. I liked the idea of balancing those two aspects visually.

As a director, I chose to ground the film more in reality initially to give the audience a sense of comfort before bringing in more surreal aspects and pulling the rug out. At the same time though, I wanted to allow the audience to be somewhat in on it before the characters are, for the audience to have context clues that lead them to a realization in the same way the characters have. What's bitter sweet about the film though is that the characters come to the wrong conclusion, and from a directing standpoint, I thought it'd be more engaging and emotional if the audience senses that before being flat out told it with the ending. Ultimately, it was a challenging piece to direct, and while it has a similarity to other revelation/twist-driven pieces other filmmakers make, I think there's a unique style to this film that makes it stand out, particularly in that it has character and heart in a nuanced way that genre films often do not.  - Christina Raia

Cast

Starring:
Rob Ceriello
Adam Jepsen

Full Cast & Crew: IMDb