A Girl A Boy A Penny and a Very Very Very Long Road Film Spotlight

Today’s film spotlight focuses on the feature film A Girl A Boy A Penny and a Very Very Very Long Road directed by Julia Beney.

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

‘A Girl, A Boy, A Penny and a Very, Very, Very Long Road’

The title was inspired by long, quirky, titles such as ‘It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World’ (1963).

Our original title was ‘A Girl, A Boy, A Bug and a Very, Very, Very Long Road’ as the car was supposed to be a Volkswagen Bug in the original script; however, we couldn’t get a bug, so when the car changed, the name changed as well. Thus, we swapped out ‘Bug’ for ‘Penny’ which not only represents our third lead character but also plays on the idea of a lucky penny.

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

Back in 2015 I was diagnosed with OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder) right when I was trying to make my way into the film industry. My life came to a grinding halt. As I started to get better – get my feet back under me – I made it my mission to make a film. I wanted it to be something I could do low budget and on my own, like back when we were kids with our parent’s cameras running around the woods in the summer. I wasn’t sure what I wanted to write about at the time, and I was avoiding writing about my OCD like the plague…but no matter what I did, little bits of my journey seeped into the script and the characters. After a failed first draft I finally gave in and wrote the story I was trying not to write for half a year, and out of that release came ‘A Girl, A Boy, A Penny and a Very, Very, Very Long Road’.

‘A Girl, A Boy, A Penny and a Very, Very, Very Long Road’ is a winding journey that inspires us to accept and embrace the uncertainty of the long road ahead. The story follows Yuna as she goes on a solo road trip where she encounters the philosophical hitchhiker Dev, the whimsical pink haired Penny and an unusual Old Lady who tells her to put all of who she is in a small empty box. Dealing with grief, mental health and the weight of life itself, this is a heartfelt story that inspires trust, self-love and bravery.

Any films or filmmakers that inspired this film?

I have always been inspired by the works of Steven Spielberg, Hayao Miyazaki and Wes Anderson, so those influences always appear in some way but there were no specific films that inspired ‘A Girl, A Boy, A Penny’ per se.

What is the goal of the film for you?

The goal has always been to just tell a story, it was a story I needed to tell at the time, and little did I know, a story so many other people would be able to connect to as well.

I wrote ‘A Girl, A Boy, A Penny’ at a rough time in my life, it was at once the story I needed to hear and one I needed to get out – almost like a cathartic release. Telling this story and making this film helped me get through something difficult and now I love hearing how it is connecting to, and helping, others as well.

All of my favourite film festival moments were when people came up to me after the screenings to tell me how much the story meant to them, how it felt like it was their story too – they felt seen. These moments appear now in audience members reaching out to us personally or through social media, and it’s always heartwarming to read those messages – it’s the unintentional goal of the film, if you will.

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

There were about seven of us on any given day, most of us wearing multiple hats on set. We had borrowed equipment. The nature around us was our lighting team – we filmed like we did when we were kids. Just us and the camera on long back roads with a very old car that broke down more times than Archie ever does in the film. It was rough, but we have some amazing memories from that set and I look back on those days with our cast and crew fondly.

One thing you learned from this project?

Don’t try and write the story you think you should write, write the story you NEED to write at that moment, for whatever reason. You’ll know which one it is because it won’t leave you alone. It will be the thing you’re always thinking of, and often times, will be the very thing you’re trying to avoid. Go there. Dig so deep it hurts. Be so honest, it’s embarrassing to put it out into the world. You’ll think no one else will be able to relate to it – and the world will surprise you.  

How can folks find you and your film online?

You can find our company – Rather Unimpressive Films – on the following platforms:

Website: https://www.ratherunimpressivefilms.com/

Instagram: @ratherunimpressivefilms

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RatherUnimpressiveFilms

Twitter: @ratherfilms

And you can find me – Writer/Director Julia Beney – on these platforms:

Instagram: @storiesinstardust

Twitter: @aStory4Always

Any last pieces of advice for fellow filmmakers?

Don’t wait for anyone’s permission to become a filmmaker. It will not be easy – you will probably fail and make a horrible film – and that’s okay. We all do. That’s how we learn. You have the right to make a rather unimpressive film when you are starting out – we all need to start somewhere after all.  But while you get started, while you build your network and start putting your projects together, don’t get lost in the ‘glory’ of long days, sweat, blood, tears and unpaid work… pay your people the best you can. Feed them well. Take care of them. Make sure they have enough sleep. You may be the heart of the story, it may be your baby, but it is only going to make it to the silver screen with the help of your team. Respect their safety and wellbeing. Always.  

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