Austin360 blogs > Austin Movie Blog > Archives > 2010 > March > 15 > Entry
SXSW live: ‘Lovers of Hate’ at the Paramount
For Austin filmmakers, showing your movie at the Paramount Theatre is a homecoming holy grail. As the Duplass brothers did Saturday night with “Cyrus,” Austin writer-director Bryan Poyser evinced excitement and awe at being inside the grand old palace, where he’s spent countless hours watching other peoples’ movies.
Bryan Poyser, at the Paramount at last.
Poyser was there Monday afternoon screening his sharp psychosexual comedy “Lovers of Hate” to a vocally supportive local crowd that seemed to fall hard for a movie steeped in Austin film.
“I’ve been fantasizing about playing the movie here,” said Poyser, who world-premiered “Lovers of Hate” in January at Sundance. From there, the movie was picked up by IFC Films for distribution.
“Those two words — ‘our distributor’ — are amazing to say,” Poyser said, beaming. (“Lovers of Hate” is now available on IFC Films video-on-demand and screens again 9:30 p.m. Thursday at the Alamo South during SXSW. Details and the trailer HERE)
Shot in Austin and Park City, Utah, and starring local actors Chris Doubek, Heather Kafka and Alex Karpovsky, the movie takes a skewed, shrewd and penetrating look at the complexities of desire and the cruel mutability of human emotions. It’s setting, a four-story mountain manse, is a narrative framing device, in which one loserish brother (the frazzy Doubek) hides, ducks and skulks as he watches his famous writer brother (Karpovsky) quite easily seduce his wife (Kafka). The unsettling premise plays out with creepy, voyeuristic kicks that are at once funny and painful and tense.
During the post-show Q-and-A, a viewer called the film “fun and twisted” and noted its tonal similarities to horror movies. Poyser said that some people had urged him to take his script in a horror-thriller direction but that he wanted it more real and grounded. His goal was “emotional and psychological violence” instead of physical violence.
Many familiar Austin names — Rebecca Campbell, Chale Nafus, the Zellner brothers, John Pierson, et al — popped up on the “Special thanks” part of the credits roll, and there was also a big thanks to the immeasurably supportive Austin Film Society, where Poyser is the director of artist services. Poyser, a UT film grad, co-founded the Cinematexas International Short Film Festival, wrote and directed the Austin feature “Dear Pillow” and co-wrote and produced “The Cassidy Kids.”
During the Q-and-A with Poyser and the cast, Doubek snatched the microphone.
“Part of why Austin film is so big is because of this guy,” Doubek said, pointing to Poyser. A loud ovation rumbled the house.
Read our pre-Sundance interview with Poyser HERE.
Poyser and his cast: Chris Doubek, Heather Kafka and Alex Karpovsky.
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment Categories: SXSW 2010
Comments
Austinites love to be heard, and we're giving you a bullhorn. We just ask that you keep things civil. Leave out the personal attacks. Do not use profanity, ethnic or racial slurs, or take shots at anyone's sexual orientation or religion. If you can't be nice, we reserve the right to remove your material and ban users who violate our Visitor's agreement. Click here to report comment abuse.