The feature film Suze, starring Saturday Night Live alum Michaela Watkins and former Degrassi: Next Class actors Charlie Gillespie and Sara Waisglass, is now playing in select theatres and it’s an absolute delight.
Watkins plays Susan, an empty nester who struggles with the absence of her daughter Brooke (Waisglass) after she travels far away for university. However, new companionship comes in the form of Brooke’s recently dumped boyfriend Gage (Gillespie, in one of the best supporting turns so far this year).
Gage wears his heart on his sleeve and means well, but his clingy and unambitious attitude drives Susan mad. Gage eventually disarms Susan’s apprehensions and, eventually, they form an unconventional friendship over their mutual longing for Brooke.
Suze is the sophomore feature from married filmmakers Linsey Stewart and Dane Clark, a native of Peterborough now based in Toronto. I ask Dane if he and Linsey have a similar dynamic as Susan and Gage when making movies.
“Linsey and I have similar sensibilities, so most of the time we agree, but what’s great is that we’re different people and have different opinions,” Dane says. “If one of us feels really passionate about something, they won’t drop it until the other sees their point. On the other hand, it’s nice to have a partner who tells you an idea is terrible, and you have to admit they’re right — it’s a time saver.”
“But we never compromise to a point where the other vehemently disagrees. We both need to be happy with the vision in order to proceed, otherwise our partnership wouldn’t work. We respect each other and communicate until we’re both happy enough.”
VIDEO: “Suze” trailer
An experienced photographer, Dane has made short films with his partner and has written for television (including being a story editor on CBC’s Mr. D and Run the Burbs). His love for film and television began as a teenager.
“In high school, I was particularly taken with coming-of-age films like Swingers, Stand By Me, and Say Anything,” Dane reminisces. “I loved how they took me on a journey, made me care about other people, and tickled my emotions. I watched every indie VHS I could get my hands on and knew I really wanted to make movies, but I had no idea how. It was the 90s, I lived in Peterborough, and had zero friends or family in the film industry.”
Even though Peterborough, at the time, may have not sported many opportunities to branch out, Dane still appreciates growing up with the city’s arts community.
“I love that it exists — that it has such great outlets for creatives to explore and figure out who they are. I went to tons of concerts, plays, and coffee houses back in the day and am so grateful to have grown up in a town that embraces the arts.”
Continuing down nostalgia lane, Dane recalls, “I got up at five in the morning to cut greens at the Peterborough Golf and Country Club for my summer job, and spent every cent I made on a Sony Handycam. Then, my friends and I at St. Peter’s Secondary would make these nonsensical movies and music videos that mostly just entertained us.”
“I loved the process of creating something with friends that other people would watch and enjoy, and I wanted to keep doing that on a larger scale. That was the dream. So, I dedicated the next twenty years of my life and sanity to doing that.”
In 2009, Dane’s filmmaking aspirations became more of a reality when he enrolled at the Canadian Film Centre (CFC) in Toronto.
“The CFC changed my life,” Dane says. “I got rejected the first year I applied because I bombed the interview and just wasn’t ready. The next year, I came back guns a blazin’ and thankfully got in. As fate would have it, I guess I was supposed to get in that year so I could meet my creative (and) romantic partner Linsey. We’ve been collaborating ever since, and just celebrated our ten-year wedding anniversary. Cute, right?”
“The CFC taught me so much about writing — it was a safe space to make mistakes and grow,” he adds. “I’d be single and unproduced without it.”
Suze also reunites the directorial duo with actor Aaron Ashmore, who co-headlined the couple’s debut indie I Put A Hit On You and plays against type extremely well as Gage’s disconnected father Rick.
With the filmmaker still in the early stages of his feature era, I was curious to know who are more intimidating actors to direct: the people he’s worked with before or brand new talent.
“The more famous or experienced the actor, the more intimidated I get,” Dane says. “And that’s completely my anxiety’s fault. The thought that goes through my head is that someone like Michaela Watkins will think I’m not as good as other huge directors she’s worked with. But that’s not reality — my mind just made that up.”
“Thankfully, all the actors starring in Suze were there because they believed in the film, and are kind people that want the same thing as Linsey and I: to have a healthy respectful collaboration and, hopefully, make a good movie. I still find them all intimidating to direct, but that’s what makes it exciting.”
I was excited to relay to Dane that Peterborough’s filmmaking community is thriving more than ever, as the city rides the high of last weekend’s “Dead of Winter” 48-hour film challenge at The Theatre On King hosted by the new Peterborough Kawartha Film Office in partnership with Film Camp.
“Oh, amazing!” he responds. “48-hour film challenges sound like so much fun.”
I ask Dane if he has any advice for local aspiring filmmakers who may also be eyeing a job at the country club to finally obtain the coveted video camera.
“If filmmaking is the only thing you want to do with your life, then do it — but if you want to do something else, then do that,” he says. “I think you have to have that unhealthy desire to pursue filmmaking because the amount of setbacks and rejection is tremendous.”
“Now that doesn’t mean you don’t do other things to achieve that,” Dane adds. “You have to find a way to supplement your life in order to feed your passion of filmmaking, because in my experience it doesn’t really pay the bills for the first decade or so. But I’m also not trying to be a downer. I love this business. I’m grateful to make a living through writing. My teen self would be thrilled.”
“So my clichéd answer is, commit to wanting to do this and then just persist. The only way to fail is to quit and, if you want it, work your butt off and you will succeed.”
“Also, give yourself a life outside of film. In order to write about real or relatable people, it really helps to socialize with them. Travel, talk to strangers, take up different hobbies, expand your life in any way you can because it will just give you more to write about. And be kind to people — it makes the whole experience far more enjoyable.”
Also starring Rainbow Sun Francks, Krista Bridges, Snady Jobin-Bevans, and Sorika Wolf, Suze is now playing in select theatres in Montreal, Toronto, and Vancouver.
