The Backseat was made using a combination of documentary and fiction filmmaking techniques. We enlisted our own family members to portray versions of themselves and constructed a fictional situation in hopes of evoking very real conflicts and relationship dynamics. The performers, all of which are non-actors, were never given scripts or made aware of the full story-arc that we, as the directors, had pre-planned. Drawing inspiration from the direct cinema of the Maysles and fiction films like The Blair Witch Project, it is our intention to blur the viewer’s concept of reality and invite them into a world that feels real and honest while still providing the emotional beats and traditional plot elements of a conventional narrative.
The Backseat (2017) is currently not available on any services.
Joe Stankus, Ashley Connor
