In “Adult Children,” director Rich Newey brings to life his wife Annika Marks’ script, which examines sibling relationships and each member’s individual struggles.
“The film is really loosely based on Annika’s birth order of four. We were trying to investigate how birth order says something about who you become,” he says of the movie, which was shot in Dixon, about 100 miles west of Chicago.
The story centers around four adult siblings, Josh, Lisa, Dahlia and Morgan, the youngest, struggling to write a college essay about her identity. Believing her siblings have it all together, she discovers that they too are still uncovering who they are and that realization ultimately helps her complete her essay.
While he’s based in California, he said he’s “a big fan of Chicago, the people, and the places. I don’t even like winter, I’m from Palm Springs, but I really enjoy the city.”
He spoke with the Sun-Times about his connections to the city, the challenges of filming in small spaces and the secret to his success.
Q: Your film, “Adult Children,” is in the CIFF “City and State” lineup. What is your and writer Annika Marks’ specific connection to Chicago, and how did that relationship influence the film’s production?
A: My connection is through my first feature “Killing Eleanor” and one of our producer partners, Chicagoan, Angie Gaffney who introduced us to the financiers at Chicago Media Angels. They ended up financing “Killing Eleanor” which we shot in Chicago. They also came aboard for “Adult Children,” which we ended up shooting in Dixon, Illinois. I’ve always pictured this film as a bit of a throwback to a John Hughes [another Chicago connection] film, who’s one of my idols.
Q: Chicago has a thriving film community. What unique qualities make it fertile ground both for the stories you tell and for the act of filmmaking itself?
A: The crews in Chicago, I’ve found, have been tremendous. The local casting, all the amazing theater companies out there. We cast all theater actors, for the most part. The locations, it’s a beautiful, beautiful place. You have everything you could want there. I just want to shoot more in Chicago as much as I can, honestly.
Q: What was the genesis of “Adult Children?” What was your process for realizing its themes on screen?
A: The film is really loosely based on Annika’s birth order of four. We were trying to investigate how birth order says something about who you become. When I married into Annika’s big, gregarious family, I very much felt like Morgan in a way—this outsider kind of looking in. We really wanted to shape this to be kind of a bookend of Morgan’s perspective.
Q: What was one of the biggest creative challenges you faced while making this film, and how did you overcome it?
A: One of the biggest challenges was shooting in that house for as much as we did and making that feel different and dynamic and interesting. It’s four actors, two cameras, a boom guy, and you’ve got me. Suddenly it gets very hot, sticky and claustrophobic, very fast. The big fight scene: it’s a seven-page scene with four actors in a bedroom. My DP and I decided, ‘We’re going handheld. Let’s run it like a play. Let’s keep moving, let’s not cut.’ That was a really effective way to problem solve that really tiny space and make it dynamic.
Q: If there is one core question or idea you want the audience to leave with and discuss on the ride home, what is it?
A: I think it’s Dahlia’s speech to Morgan where she says, “I did not get to choose what happened to me, but I did get to choose how to frame it.” I am constantly learning this lesson and I think we’re all kind of learning it. We kind of get into these head spaces and we start to spiral. How do we reframe that energy? I am all about wanting to remember that our energy dictates our circumstances.
Q: Beyond typical advice, what is the single most important lesson or unique “secret sauce” crucial to your success as a filmmaker?
A: I think it’s about problem solving. How do we solve this problem to achieve this goal? The other thing is perseverance. You just keep hitting the hammer against the nail, and eventually it’s going to go in. You just have to keep at it.
“Adult Children” is showing Oct. 19 at AMC NewCity 14, 1500 N. Clybourn Ave. For more information, go to chicagofilmfestival.com.
Editor’s note: This is part 1 of a three-part series with directors who are part of the Chicago International Film Festival’s “City and State” lineup of films. Come back to suntimes.com to read parts 2 and 3.