First-time directors Marteinn Thorsson and Jeff Renfroe bring us One Point O, an odd sci-fi, psycho-drama that blurs the concepts of mental health, advertising and technology.
Making it’s Toronto debut on September 14th at the inaugural RebelFest Film Festival, One Point O centres around a young computer code specialist named Simon J (played by Jeremy Sisto from TV’s Six Feet Under) who becomes paranoid when empty packages get anonymously delivered to his apartment as part of a sinister experiment. What ensues is a lot of tech talk, some kinky sex games and Simon’s undesirable thirst for milk as he becomes a recluse in his apartment.
Set ambiguously in the near future and keenly shot on location in Bucharest, Romania, the film’s aesthetics is a cross between the Cohen Brothers’ Barton Fink and Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner. The mix of new and old, or in some cases, eastern and western, was a product of being in the isolation of the Romanian capital.
“It was fun to blend this sort of eastern-European communist world with the extreme capitalist world we come from,” Thorsson told S&H.ca in a recent interview. “We had originally envisioned the film more ‘western’ – with highways and cityscapes – but Bucharest doesn't even have highways and the only western-style supermarket was the one we use in the film.”
The freakish collection of characters – including the beautiful Deborah Unger (The Game) who plays Trish, Simon’s mysterious romantic interest, and Bruce Payne (Dungeons and Dragons) as one of Simon’s frightening neighbours – steer Simon in all directions, as he tries to solve the mystery and, at the same time, retain his sanity. Rounding out the cast are cult favourites Udo Kier (Johhny Mnemonic) as neighbour Derrick and Lance Henrikson (TV’s Millennium) portraying Howard, the building caretaker.
“We had written the character of Derrick with Udo in mind,” Thorsson explained. “(Casting) Lance was a lucky break. He was shooting something else in Bucharest at the time and we still hadn't cast Howard. Jeremy, who had worded with Henrikson on an Abe Lincoln mini-series, approached him and he agreed to do it. Lance was awesome and he makes great pottery.”
After being well received at this year’s Sundance Film festival, One Point O has quickly found an international audience. “The film has already been released on DVD in Holland, Belgium, Brazil and Poland,” said Thorsson, who will head to his native Iceland for the film’s theatrical release in November. The film will be available on DVD in North America by mid-January 2005.
Thorsson met Renfroe, who grew up in Victoria, B.C and is now based in Los Angeles, in Toronto in the early ‘90s while they were taking Film at Ryerson University. The duo not only co-directed but also co-wrote the script, a dynamic which calls for them to be organized and diplomatic. “We plan everything ahead,” Thorsson explained “and if there are issues we discuss them and come to a conclusion.”
And it’s a combination that seems to be working well, as they are already in the stages of starting a new feature film project in LA. When asked if he had any plans to move to join Renfroe in Lalaland, the Toronto resident said: “It's always a possibility, if the right project comes along. I wouldn't want to live there full-time though, there’s too much car culture.”
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