Meet the 2013 SXSW Filmmakers #38: M. Blash Examines Technology and How We Deal With Death in ‘The Wait’
Portland based artist M. Blash’s first film, 2006’s “Lying,” premiered at Cannes that year. His sophomore feature “The Wait” pairs him once again with that film’s stars, Chloe Sevigny and Jena Malone, in a supernatural, psychological sibling tale.
What it’s about: It’s about three siblings dealing with the death of their
mother in three separate, altered states. One of them is convinced she
is going to come back to life and regresses in turn, while the other
staunchly opposes that idea and projects her inability to love or
believe in the supernatural on a young man. The third is out wandering
around in a sort of psychedelic self-imposed hypnosis to deal with his
current reality.
and in Prague. Currently, I live in New York and sometimes in Portland.
to be real and totally unreal. When making the film, I was often
finding design elements and symbols that reoccur in both natural and
virtual settings entering the film. I sort of treat these symbols in my
movie like a code. They helped make a liminal space/zone which the
characters are trapped in – waiting. Waiting to make a decision, waiting
to die, waiting to say goodbye to the dead body, to prepare for the resurrection, to unleash anger, frustration, and lust.
shoot on the ranch, which is sort of a vacation community and it had to
be summer, but they were kind of strict about when and where we could
shoot.
What would you like SXSW audiences to come away with after seeing your film? I would hope the audience would gain some perspective on the
ways in which we deal with death or how death changes us and how
computers/technology could potentially mediate all of this.
themes as well as another feature about a gay man stalking a past
lover.
Indiewire invited SXSW directors to tell us about their films,
including what inspired them, the challenges they faced and what they’re
doing next. We’ll be publishing their responses leading up to the 2013
festival.
Keep checking HERE every day up to the launch of the festival on March 8 for the latest profiles.
