In Katie Aselton’s Magic Hour, the ups and downs of the romantic relationship between Erin (Aselton) and Charlie (Daveed Diggs) are explored and tested as they drive out to the desert to process what’s happened and what’s ahead.
Awards Buzz spoke with Aselton and her co-screenwriter (and husband) Mark Duplass about how their real-life marriage shapes their creative process. Duplass explained:
“What happens when you make these movies, as any filmmaker knows, is you make it and then you think you know what it’s about and then you show it to an audience and they sort of tell you what it’s about after it’s done. What we’ve discovered in showing this movie is that it’s a lot about what it means to be codependent, and to love someone so deeply that you feel like to lose that love might destroy you. As we have shown this movie to audiences, we’ve watched them feed back to us from a number of different places. Sometimes it is, I had that love and it went away. We broke up, or it fizzled, or there was a deeper loss involved, and I don’t know what to do about it because I feel the specter of that hanging over me. Sometimes it is, I’m in that love right now and I’m terrified of losing it. And sometimes it is, I’ve never had that love, this is fascinating to see what that really looks like. So that’s really an examination of how close is too close, and that is something Katie and I have been talking about for years in our own relationship. We’ve been open with each other that we realize we are a bit codependent and that codependency has become a four-letter word, particularly as you go to therapy. It’s got a real stink on it, and we understand that because, when I’m away from Katie, I miss her to a point where it harms my ability to be present where I am at times and that’s no bueno.”
Aselton jumped in to interrupt and add her thoughts:
“The truth is, this is what every country music lyric has trained us to want in our life. To long for that closeness where you can’t live without someone. I think, to build off of Mark’s point, every relationship that you have in your life, whether it is a romantic relationship or a friendship, and any time that that falls apart, whether it’s a breakup or a friend’s betrayal or a greater loss, there is a presence that gets left behind and we hold space for that person and who they were in our life. I think this is an interesting examination of, how much space do we give that presence and how long do you hold on to the memory of that friend or that lover or that partner, because it ebbs and flows and changes, and how much weight do you give that? That’s a cool concept to play around in.”
Watch the video above to hear their recommendations for working with those they love and whether they think they’ll be back at SXSW for a third year in a row after debuting Their Town at this year’s festival.
Magic Hour will be released theatrically nationwide on May 22nd.
