Savannah director, DP combo present West Texas thriller, 'The Big Bend,' with CinemaSavannah

When it comes to making magic, Savannah knows a thing or two. Creatively, culturally, and with an attitude towards aesthetic pursuit that is near unmatched by other locales, Savannah is positioned in such a way as to produce any art one could conjure. Whether walking around town or sneaking a peek through the window of a room hosting a SCAD workshop, the creative output of our uncommon collective quickly comes into brilliant view.

Yet, among all of those features that put Savannah on the shortlist of American hubs of art and design, the way we love a good story sits chief among them. Storytelling is a Hostess City hallmark. It stands to reason, then, why the Savannah Cultural Arts Center would be screening “The Big Bend”, a film written and directed by SCAD professor, Brett Wagner, and shot by newly-local Savannahian, Paul Atkins, on Friday.

Set in the wilds of West Texas’ Big Bend region, “The Big Bend” has been described as an intimate psychological drama and one that harshly tests the characters’ relationships, marriages, and psyches. A vast and craggy landscape — dotted with scrub brush and snaked through with rivers and streams — acts as the backdrop to a character-rich story, as moments of joy are interrupted by panic and snarling desperation. An original soundtrack by Shakey Graves sets the tone for a thriller that is as visually stunning as it is emotionally stirring.

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“The Big Bend” director and SCAD professor, Wagner, knew right when he wrote the script how he wanted to visually approach the story and how the language of the landscape would help bring the tale to life. In both writing and directing the film, Wagner even went so far as to draw from his own experience in the area, plucking moments from a trip to the Big Bend region — and specifically the ghost town of Terlingua, Texas — to add something of an autobiographical element to the film.

“The inspiration to shoot this story in West Texas, especially Terlingua, came from a trip my family took to that area with the family of the producer, Aaron Brown. Much of the story is threaded with autobiographical detail pulled from that trip. It’s a stark and beautiful part of the world that couldn’t really be simulated closer to civilization, but it definitely made the film an epic challenge to shoot. I felt like we were making our own Werner Herzog movie.”

Naturally, when shooting in a place as rugged, wild, and downright hostile as the hills and deserts of west Texas, the shoot is going to have some...challenges.

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“Challenges?” director of photography Paul Atkins responded. “You mean like shooting everything in remote harsh conditions in 24 days on an ultra low budget, faced with lightning storms, dehydration, and rattlesnakes? At times shooting this movie, it seemed we were living Brett's script — facing the same challenges as the characters in the story. But it created a bond between us that lives on to this day.”

If you’re familiar with Wagner’s work or have spent any time reading or listening to the ways in which he advances a plot, you can be certain of one thing — Wagner is not a fan of the emotionally drab. Of the manner in which he made this film, he continued:

“I amped up the drama considerably, and turned a perfectly pleasant real-life experience into something that plays almost like a thriller. But one thing I like from a movie is a strong sense of a journey, with a lot of ups and downs. I don’t like a one-note film. I enjoy the friction of sadness and comedy, or the quotidian details of everyday life disturbed by undercurrents of anxiety. I think life is often joyful, sad, and frightening all at the same time, so I like a movie to put an audience through all of that in a way they can’t anticipate.”

Wagner’s focus on journey and the oftentimes meandering, difficult or circuitous paths we all tread is perhaps informed by his own career trajectory. Opting to move to Hawaii in his 20s versus the more predictable destination of Los Angeles, Wagner’s journey is one that is uniquely his and endows his work with a sense of exploration.

“Although I worked steadily in production and made a movie that went to Sundance, not being in L.A. during my formative years probably slowed down my career trajectory. That said, I’m not sure I would advise myself to do anything different, because I had an amazing time in Hawaii and met some close creative collaborators, including Paul Atkins. So although I have ambitions I haven’t achieved yet, I’m not sure I would go back and do things differently.”

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Well, lucky for us here in town, Wagner’s journey has landed him here in Savannah. In addition to making movie magic alongside longtime friend, DP, and fellow Savannahian, Atkins, Wagner serves as SCAD’s Associate Chair of Film & TV. It is there he is able to impart his knowledge and offer tangible feedback to students looking to make an impact in the world of film and television. His advice to young filmmakers? Do you and do it quickly.

“New filmmakers need to find their own voice as fast as they can. They need to become something specific, so the world can understand what they have to offer. It can be hard to figure out who you are and what you really have to say, and how you want to say it, but to me that’s the whole game. Figure that out while you’re young and make as many projects as you can before other life imperatives start to demand your attention.”

Atkins broke it down even further, hitting us with an aspiring DP checklist.

“First, get a camera, any camera (an iPhone will do) and shoot, shoot, shoot. Edit your shots, re-shoot, and develop a reel. Next, offer yourself as an intern/apprentice for free to a working professional you admire. Get practical experience and make yourself invaluable. And third, develop and perfect a specialist camera skill (drone, gimbal, jib, underwater, etc.).”

For its part, CinemaSavannah, which is celebrating 20 years of continuous programming thanks to program director Tomasz Warchol, has established itself as a creative partner for the likes of Wagner. Through Warchol, the directive is clear.

“The program's mission has remained the same: to bring new critically recognized foreign, independent, and arthouse films that have not been and won't be shown by commercial theaters in our area. We are typically the only place where those new releases can be seen on the big screen. The success of the program is the best evidence there is a need and an audience for what we do. Except for the Covid hiatus, CinemaSavannah screens about two films a month with considerable regularity.”

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“The Big Bend” is a thrilling film about family, friends, and how the two are tested in the face of misfortunes that move far beyond nerve-wracking. Temperament, topography, and the intense vividity of both are the authors of a narrative Wagner brings to life with this feature. Film production, in its own way, is a type of alchemy; movies are the sum of their parts made magical by those that can intersect technical know-how with an eye for the unseen.

For storytellers like Wagner, Savannah remains an inspiration for such conjury.

“I think the South does have a rich history in storytelling. And Savannah in particular is such an interesting cross section of cultures and environmental influences. I am very inspired by atmospheric locations, and environments often become the foundation for the stories that pop into my mind. That was certainly the case in West Texas, and now that I live in Savannah it’s true here, as well. I can’t wait to make a movie in this part of the country.”

IF YOU GO

What: "The Big Bend" presented by CinemaSavannah

When: Friday at 7 p.m.

Where: Savannah Cultural Arts Center, 201 Montgomery St.

Cost: $10 (card accepted by cash preferred)

This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Savannah GA movie times: The Big Bend (2021) at Cultural Arts Center