“Kid Thing,” which screened in the NEXT category at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, tells the story of 10 year old Annie (Sydney Aguirre, “The Virile Man,” “The Old World”) whose daily life is full of solitary mischief as she has no friends her age, and her father (Nathan Zellner) does little on the parenting front. Out in the woods playing one day she hears a call for help from a woman (Oscar nominated actress Susan Tyrrell, “Fat City”) in an abandoned well. Annie feels drawn to the well and visits daily but struggles with her emotions and how to deal with the woman's plight.
Written and directed by David Zellner (Nathan’s brother), this is the brothers’ seventh trip to the festival, following previous movies such as “Goliath,” which centered on the search for a missing cat and the self-explanatory “Sasquatch Birth Journal 2.”
They found in 12 year old Sydney Aguirre a natural actress, and they had worked with her on a music video which had been created for film composer David Wingo. Aguirre has also appeared in a short, “The Virile Man.” They found her to be physical and outdoorsy.
Film Slate Magazine contributor Jasmina Nevada had the chance to talk with the Zellners and Sydney Aguirre about the making of “Kid Thing.”
Film Slate Magazine: How did you find it playing this character? How did you prepare yourself?
Sydney Aguirre: It was natural as I always loved acting. Once David and Nathan told me what was expected of me and the expectations to Annie and the way she had to do things. I kind of everyday knew what to do on set it was kind of natural--I would get to set in character.
FSM: Did you enjoy playing this naughty tomboyish character?
SA: I loved it, as I don’t like being told what to do. I have a smart mouth; I related to it as not having any sense of relying on anybody but liking not being told what to do and not understanding, that it actually does you good in the end.
FSM: How did you feel working with David and Nathan Zeller?
SA: It was so nice as I have known Nathan and David since I was born.
FSM: So it was like a family relationship?
SA: Yes.
FSM: How did you feel about the ending, as it was very depressing?
SA: I felt that it was the proper ending for this movie, only because it leaves you hanging and wanting to know more and the character’s nature was to get into the well.
FSM: If you had the choice, would you have liked to seen the same ending?
SA: Yes, I loved the way it leaves you hanging as in your mind it is set one way and then something else happens, and gives people the opportunity to think.
FSM: What did you do in the music videos?
SA: About the same thing... I just destroy everything and this kind of adventurous rebel and I like that and being able to do what I want to...
FSM: Where do you see yourself in 10 years’ time?
SA: I don’t know. I hope that it is acting…if not...I was supposed to have this experience. I feel great and special to be interviewed by so many people and have so many photo shoots.
FSM: What would you have to say to other children your age who want to go into acting?
SA: Follow your dreams; if you can dream it then it is not impossible. Just keep going. My parents are very proud of me to do this and I thank David and Nathan for giving me the opportunity to do this.
FSM: Do you come from an entertainment background?
SA: No, I am the only one. My mom did drill team (laughing).
FSM: Where did you come up with the idea for this movie?
Nathan Zellner: Well David was bouncing it around for a while; it is kinda how we work. We usually just bounce ideas and then we go and write this.
David Zellner: Well, we wanted to do a story centered around a child and her particular childhood but we wanted it to avoid anything that was maudlin or sentimental. Or a film from an adult perspective, like looking back fondly. We wanted it to be more of a film, 'in the moment' kind of child’s perspective, kinda looking at everything in the now--without perspective or prospects of the future or past. Simply experiencing things for the first time...something like a little scientist that is pushing buttons and testing boundaries. Very new, attracting stimulus responses etc...
FSM: With this idea in mind how long did it take to put it together to bring to screen?
DZ: We have a lot of projects which overlap so it was just something we had over several years and evolved over time, which was one component. We wanted to and have a mix, a naturalistic tone with a fable like quality, like growing up with old fables and mythology as it was much darker than literature for children or something like that, using the well as the crux of the matter. This was something we found fascinating.
FSM: I would like to talk to you about the ending...It seemed to be unresolved but resolved? Was that your intention?
NZ: Absolutely! Some kind of closure on its own terms but not everything spelled out.
FSM: For the audience, what did you hope that they would perceive?
DZ: We never really spell it out. We like the audience to come to their own conclusions. If you force feed something to the audience they are less likely to accept it
NZ: From our point of view it would be less interesting to have done it that way.
DZ: We wanted to have some very definitive sense of closure but at the same time not have people hanging...or give them some kind of agenda that they would have to accept. First and foremost we just wanted to engage with the audience and have something that would resonate with them on some kind of level; any kind of response was good for us.
FSM: Was it very much scripted or was there a lot of improv whilst you were shooting? And did you make a lot of changes?
DZ: The way we operate is that we really have a tight script and shooting structure and we come to the set with that ready, for creative and practical purposes and getting things done in an effective manner. But then we leave a lot of room for natural moments to occur and it is just kind of a 'blink'... so if we find something true in the moment, we are more than willing to throw our original plans out of the window, if it seems more appropriate.
FSM: Did you always have in mind that Sydney would be your actress?
DZ: No, we had an earlier version. It was before Sydney was even the right age. Initially a very early version of the script, it was a boy and then it became infinitely more interesting to us to have it be a girl, which provided a fresher dynamic that we had not seen before. Then we worked with Sydney on this music video and she was such a natural on camera and a joy to work with as a person and so we knew that she would be perfect and could carry the film and we then just tailored the film.
FSM: Did you find it very easy working with Sydney as a child actress on set?
DZ: A total breeze; we went over the tone and what we were trying to accomplish with the film and she got it right away. We were all on the same page, just the same way that Nathan and I were on the same page and from there it just all fell it into place.
FSM: How long and where was the shoot?
DZ: 16 days, in east Texas.
FSM: What is next in the pipeline for you both?
NZ: We have a couple of projects. We are a little superstitious about it (both laughing secretly). We don’t go into detail; we would like to go onto bigger things. We would like to explore and we don’t consider ourselves as having a particular style.
