With Hilary Swank in cast, Sacramento-area filmmakers make their move with ‘Fatale’

Amid a whirlwind day of 15-minute Zoom interviews to support her new movie “Fatale,” producer Roxanne Avent started clapping her hands when she finally saw a familiar face.

“Sacramento, you’re on the map. Let’s go!” she cheered at the sight of a reporter from The Sacramento Bee.

Avent, who worked as a producer on the movie, had plenty to be fired up about.

Yes, media interviews are a hassle, but she doesn’t forget where she’s from and what this movie means to her. Avent lives in Granite Bay with husband Deon Taylor, who directed the movie. The couple worked on a social justice march in June that drew thousands to downtown Sacramento, including many Kings players and staff.

Oh, and her new movie stars Hilary Swank, winner of two Academy Awards and an A-list invitee to any Hollywood party. For Avent and Taylor, “Fatale” looks like something like a statement: They belong in Hollywood, even if they don’t live there. It has not always felt that way.

“Everybody was nobody before they were somebody,” Avent said. “You didn’t just come out the womb as Hillary Swank. Everybody has to get a chance. Unfortunately, in this business, it’s all about who you know and what you’ve done. We had to create our own company by default because we didn’t have the relationships or the experience.”

The climb to “Fatale” took more than a decade, with Taylor working behind the camera and writing many of the films; Avent worked as a producer on most of the efforts. They worked with George Lopez in 2016’s “Meet the Blacks,” Omar Epps in 2018’s “Traffik” and Dennis Quaid in 2019’s “The Intruder.”

None are bigger names than Swank. For Avent and Taylor, moviemaking isn’t about star power, it’s about having their stories seen and told on screens around the world. And that’s why it matters that they’ve reached a point where Swank will star and produce one of their movies.

“It’s unfortunate you’re judged by your Rolodex and IMDB and all that, but I do feel like as filmmakers, you always want to one up and get better and get to a level where you can be great,” Avent said. “We’ve been able to prove ourselves along the way, not only with production value, but at the box office. And that’s what people in Hollywood look at.”

Avent is quick to point out noted cinematographer Dante Spinotti worked on “Fatale,” a sign the couple is attracting key players both in front of and behind the camera.

The box office is not likely to be blockbuster for “Fatale.” Blame the coronavirus pandemic. But with a dearth of competition — few first-run movies came out in 2020 — Avent hopes “Fatale” can attract some awards attention as well as dollars from moviegoers and people streaming at home.

Swank stars as a steely Los Angeles detective who has an affair with a sports agent, played by Michael Ealy, who might be best known from his work in the “Barbershop” movies. The movie starts as a slow burn, then hits a noir twist about halfway through and picks up pace.

It’s a thriller with a familiar feel. It’s been compared to “Fatal Attraction” more than once. It’s also received mixed reviews from critics, with the slow-burn plot receiving much of the attention. But audiences seem to like it. “Fatale” has an 88% approval rating from Rotten Tomatoes’ Audience Score, the second-highest mark ever for one of Taylor’s movies. The film’s 46% mark on the Tomatometer, which aggregates scores from movie critics, is also the second-highest mark for the couple.

Avent is quick to say it’s not about the scores. It’s about telling stories to as big an audience as they can garner. The more people see it, the easier it will be to tell the next story.

The bar for success is bigger now. Sure, Avent counts Swank as a friend after their time on set together. That’s cool. But she and Taylor are grounded by their lives and supporters in Sacramento. And if nothing else, “Fatale” is a new story for people to watch during a time there’s not much else going on.

“The success is being able to release a movie in COVID,” Avent said. “... It’s not the movie experience I love, but everyone will be able to see it. It’s a great movie to escape the unknown and uncertain, to just take you away for a couple hours.

With all indoor showings in California canceled by the pandemic, “Fatale” is playing at the West Wind Sacramento 6 Drive-In and begins streaming on Jan. 8.