When I Break Film Spotlight

Today’s film spotlight focuses on the short film When I Break directed by Vyom Malhotra.

What is the title of your film and what inspired said title?

The title of my film is When I Break. This title came to me after going through a tumultuous period in my life. I was intrigued by what happens to a human being after they reach a breaking point. What happens when the life we build around ourselves wears us down to a level that we must make a drastic and often bizarre change. The story flowed out of the title as I pieced together a narrative about a man that sees no option but to retreat into the woods to piece himself back together.

Tell us a little bit about the story and origins of your film.

The story of this film is quite a personal one. While it’s not so obvious to me while I’m writing, I always end up writing about what’s going on in my life. I wrote this story at a time when I felt that daily life was dragging me around and I was often fantasizing about going somewhere far away from everyone and everything. A retreat deep into nature – where I always feel at home and connected. I felt trapped by my own limitations and inability to listen to my intuition, so this story came about as I slowly began rediscovering my intuition through solitude. The main character, Neel, mirrors my internal journey at that phase of life.

Any films or filmmakers that inspired this film?

While there is no film that directly inspired this one, I would be lying if I said I’m not influenced by other filmmakers. Some of the recent films that shaped my aesthetics include: Sound of Metal by Darius Marder, Minari by Lee Isaac Chung, and The Return by Andrey Zvyagintsev. I am also deeply moved by the works of Andrei Tarkovsky, Ingmar Bergman and Akira Kurosawa, and they certainly have had a big impact on me as an artist and a cinema lover.

What is the goal of the film for you?

The main goal of this film from the very beginning was always to tell an honest story while also getting better at the craft. I never went to film school so for me this is my film school. The idea was to take an extremely ambitious project and dive into it with all my heart and soul because that is the best way to learn. Everytime I make a film I make sure it’s much more challenging than my previous one and I come out the other end a completely new and learned person. I’m sure I have much more to learn about filmmaking as I slowly hone my craft by making these films.

What has the journey been like getting the film into production?

It has been a very grueling process for the most part, with uncertainties related to the pandemic always at bay, along with complexities of shooting a project deep into the woods with a very limited crew. We camped out in the woods for a week to shoot this and it certainly was no walk in the park for anyone. Getting this project into production was the most difficult thing I have ever done, and I am glad to have done it with a close group of friends. Every difficulty and every challenge we faced helped me grow and I believe has made me a better filmmaker and also a better person.

One thing you learned from this project?

It’s very hard to pick one but one of the things I learnt was the importance of having a proper schedule and treating film projects more like an important job and less like a fun adventure. This may sound harsh to some people but I really do think that making a film requires a lot of discipline and while there is nothing wrong with having fun, it can’t be the first priority. We are all there for a common aim: to get the film as close to the director’s vision as possible, and we don’t get to go back and change things once they are shot. Those limited days are of utmost importance and the basic things like proper sleep, proper food, and downtime for cast & crew must be prioritized over fun in order for everyone to operate at their best. Now this approach may not work for everyone so it’s important to collaborate with people who share a similar view and thrive in that atmosphere.

How can folks find you and your film online?

You can find us on our instagram page where we share a lot of art and news related to our film. Sign up using our eventbrite link for the free online premiere of our film followed by a live Q/A on Feb 12th. The film will also be available on Youtube after the event.

https://www.instagram.com/whenibreakfilm/
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/when-i-break-online-premiere-tickets-251667082017

Any last pieces of advice for fellow filmmakers?

Be decisive and respect your vision. It’s okay to second guess your choices but in the end it’s extremely important for a director to be decisive and not ponder for too long. Be honest with your crew about exactly how you want the scene to look and do not be ashamed. The only thing that matters is how you want it to look and if you don’t know that when you are on set then you haven’t prepared enough or haven’t given your vision the due respect. Treat every aspect of your film like painters treat their paintings and keep working until you get it right.

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