What is Lovers Lane about?
Lovers Lane is the story of Sonny Malloy and Penney Parker, two young rebels who embark on a murderous crime spree across the Pacific Northwest. What the pair don’t realize, is that they are barreling down a dark and mysterious path, leading right into the ancient woods of Lovers Lane.
This film is a gritty, surrealist trip that embodies the lonesome mystery of small-town Oregon. It also attempts to dissect hyper-masculinity, and begs the question, “how could someone idolize a killer?”
What are some of your biggest influences?
One of our biggest influences is definitely David Lynch, specifically Twin Peaks. We’ve always loved how he portrayed the Pacific Northwest as a dark, mystical place. Lovers Lane has some strong surrealist elements, and focuses on the isolation and mystery of the woods. A lot of that comes from the work of Lynch
We are also obviously inspired by the story of Bonnie and Clyde, with our two leads going down a similar path of murder and self-destruction. Films like Badlands and Taxi Driver are also big inspirations when it comes to character design and setting.
What makes Lovers Lane stand out amongst other short films?
We’ve gone through many iterations of this project, and every time we would condense it a little more into its purest form. A lot of short films try to pack an entire feature into 15-30 minutes and the pacing suffers because of that. With Lovers Lane, we have crafted a unique and compelling story that doesn’t feel rushed or bloated.
Lovers Lane also subverts the traditional male-led narrative that is so prevalent in these types of films. A big theme in Lovers Lane is the pressure of living up to one’s namesake. In Sonny’s case, he is trying to live up to his grandfather Byron, an infamous outlaw who went on a huge crime spree decades before. To Sonny, Byron is what a man should be, and this idolization is what drags Sonny down a path of violence and despair.
How has the crowdfunding process been? What are some challenges you have faced?
Above all else, the crowdfunding process has been incredibly humbling. It is a great feeling to know there are people who support independent filmmaking, and who want to give a platform to fresh ideas. Organizations like Seed&Spark do an amazing job at helping unique, and potentially subversive, projects off the ground. We couldn’t be more thankful for all the support we continue to get each day!
This biggest challenge for us has just been getting the word out to as many people as possible. We’ve been building a social media presence since before the crowdfunding campaign began, which has helped tremendously. In the coming weeks we will be reaching out through many different avenues, be they online or IRL. You definitely haven’t heard the last from us!
How can people find out more about this project?
To find out more about Lovers Lane, please follow our Seed&Spark campaign at seed&spark.com/fund/loverslanefilm. To stay up-to-date on the progress of the film, and to see all of our concept footage, check us out on Instagram @loverslanefilm or on Facebook at facebook.com/loverslanefilm. Even if donating is not an option, just sharing those links around can make a huge difference. Please, join us in our journey towards bringing Lovers Lane to life!
