Haunting Short Film Methuselah – An experimental horror film rooted in a childhood memory

Here is an experimental horror short film to be looked at entitled Methuselahwhich is rooted in a central childhood memory of the director.

“Through a series of images and spoken reflections of the narrator, Jordan Mullins, the film deepens the double obsessive role of the trees both as silent witnesses and unaware participants in the long history of violence of humanity, illuminating the exploitation they suffer.”

The film, by the writer and director Nathan “Nate” Sellers, is shared in collaboration with the Film Film Festival, where we are trying to exhibit some of the films and the brief films of the Radical Gender that the filmmakers are creating.

I also included an interview with the director you can read below!

What was the inspiration for your movie? How did you come the idea?

When I was seven, I lived a traumatic event that I never attempted to elaborate, and it is something I refer to in the film. Last March, after an important production that I had to be deleted to say because of Covid cases, unexpectedly I had the free weekend. I used that time to finally elaborate some of those feelings deeply rooted through the filming of nature, in particular trees, and painting. By Monday, I saw how the images and my written reflections have completed each other, and it is then that the idea is really lively.

Tell us about you. What is your background? How long have you been a director?

Initially I started as an publisher and painter of documentary films and I decided to try the cinema when a documentary director named Ali Kamanda, who was my neighbor, lent me his Panasonic AGcocine video. I ended up borrowing it for three months.

What inspires you to work within gender cinema and tell this type of stories?

I often hear people talk about how gender films allow you to face difficult topics and problems through symbolism and allegory. Although it is true, my gender projects are firmly in the real world: there are no ghosts, vampires or monsters. For me, gender cinema is more an aesthetic choice, an external envelope for narratives on the ground and in the real life that I like to explore.

What was your favorite part of the film process for this project?

I loved the whole process. Even if I generally work alone or with a very small crew, this was the first time I tried a true sense of peace while working on something. In the end, the film, like most films, honestly, is down to the assembly. I started as an publisher, so I had a strong confidence in the way everything went together, which I cannot always say when it comes to directing.

What are you most proud of this movie?

How I was able to take the horror and the emotional weight that I was taking for so long and translated it into images. It was not just about making a movie, it was a question of visually expressing something deeply personal in a way with which the others could connect. Finally face those feelings and communicate them through the medium is something that feels both cathartic and necessary.

What is a favorite story or a moment from the making of the film you would like to share?

Well, most was rather without accidents, but there was a time when I felt really blocked. I was about to call it a night when my fourteen year old entered the room and said: “Why is the noose at the beginning? This is the image of the film, it should be in the end”. And they were right. The image works much better at the end and solved the problem with which I was fighting.

What was your most demanding moment or experience you had while you shoot your movie?

Although, like many, I experienced my right dose of challenges on the productions, this film was different. There have been some moments of frustration, but no real challenge. I discovered that the process flowed more easily than I expected, allowing me to focus on creative aspects rather than being bogged down by logistical issues. This sense of ease has made it easier to connect with my vision and in the end he brought out the best of the project.

Who were some of your collaborators and actors of the film? How did you start working with each other?

Well, Jordan Mullins, the narrator of the film, is a fantastic comedian and actor based in Los Angeles who made the audition for the film I am currently working on. After completing the script, I was able to clearly hear his voice as a narrator and contacted me immediately. I think he absolutely nailed it, he turned out to be even better than I imagined. As for music, Abby Swidler, who wrote and composed the soundtrack for a film that I produced last year, The Thaw, is incredibly gifted. Once I realized that Methuselah needed music, I didn’t have anyone else in mind.

What is the best advice you have ever received as director and what would you mean to the new filmmakers?

A week before shooting a project or starting a script, taking on an activity that seems almost impossible to complete. Once finished, bring with you that sense of realization to your project. When they inevitably present the challenges-and they will do it-you will have the reminder of overcoming previous obstacles, which is essential because making a film involves navigation of an apparently infinite series of demanding tasks and bringing your vision sometimes can feel impossible. Also, watch movies. Many films, both good and bad.

What are your plans for your career and what do you hope that this film does for this? What kind of stories would you like to tell going on?

I have plans, but I try not to concentrate too much in the future. At this moment, I would like to complete a short film entitled “Pinhole” and possibly work on a budget movie. Mainly, I focus on the production of some projects and on the support of others until a new idea really takes hold. As for “Methuselah”, I’m not sure how it adapts to my current “career plan”, I heard that it had to be done.

Where can we find more than your work and where can we contact you the interested parties?

Yes, people can visit www.lonehorsefilms.com to take a look at the projects in which I was involved. They can also follow me on Instagram if they want, I am a rather boring guy (@nbensellers).

Question bonus n. 1: What is your favorite movie of all time?

Hmm, I should say “The Court Jester”, with Danny Kaye or Harakiri (1962) by Masaki Kobayashi.

Question bonus n. 2: What is the film that inspired you to become a director and/or had the greatest influence on your work?

A movie, three words: “Punch-by-drunk love”. I think of that movie every day.