thePULSESomething’s Got the Film Folk Buzzing:
Broken Wall Films Ain’t Kids’ Stuff
By Sasha Fastovskiy
It may be the classic story: small-ish town kids get together for laughs and memories, realizing that they may have actually unearthed hidden talent in their wacky project and figured out a way to strike gold. And okay, while that may not be the exact version of what went down, that’s certainly another story that Alex Laferriere and Nicholas Allain, creators of Broken Wall Films, the brand spankin’ new film production company, could weave. You know, after the hype of their current project, Something Remote, quiets a little. However, at the rate that Something is being screened and talked about, the noise could just keep getting louder.
Laferrierre, a footballer turned filmmaker, and his buddy Nicholas Allain, both soon-to-be 2009 WPI Interactive Media Major graduates, created Broken Wall Films in 2006, and were significantly influenced by their impending graduations during the entire process of Something Remote. The film, an hour and a half chronicle of the lives of three college buddies and one hellish ex-girlfriend that they can’t seem to shake, captured just the undertones of a soon-to-be-life-changing-time that Laferriere wanted to portray. Their one-of-a-kind screenplay may be about a college-aged group, but the combination of professional camera work, clever lines, and an appropriate head-bopping soundtrack reach far beyond the college-aged audience. With one successful screening back in January at the Elm Draught House Cinema in Millbury already under their belt and a screening at Clark University on the way, plus several submissions to upcoming Massachusetts film festivals, the up and coming film company is expanding quickly, and getting well-deserved attention for it.
Something may not be the first film from Broken Walls, but it is their first full length feature. Other shorts and featurettes are viewable on the company’s website. All of the works are of a highly professional quality, with various spins on amusing satires and dark comedy. Their baby, Something Remote, is certainly the standout, but each item in their body of work speaks of a talent and enthusiasm that will continue to mature and entertain for a good long time to come. In other words, more standouts are sure to be coming our way.
With characters you want to laugh at and root for, and with Worcester County as the scenic backdrop (Tech Pizza, the WPI campus, and Elm Park, to name just a few), Something Remote takes a quirky jab at a confusing breakup and brotherly love. If you enjoyed Pete and Pete and have a place in your heart for irreverent comedy, you’ll love the ease with which triple threats John Selig, Rick Desilets, and CJ Haley play off of one another in a manner not unlike Seth Rogan and cohorts in a Judd Apatow-esque adventure. Something, and Broken Wall Films, really are something to talk about.
