FOOTNOTES: Premiere at Dances With Films 2023

Read Time:6 Minute, 57 Second

“FOOTNOTES” taking place over a year in lockdown, this bittersweet pandemic romance tells the story of neighbors and near total strangers, WILL and APURNA. When a chance encounter involving a spare roll of toilet paper brings them together in the early days of lockdown, the two strike up a quick friendship. Growing ever closer as they pass the endless days discussing everything from their deepest insecurities, to their favorite brands of breakfast cereal.

Their time together culminates in a night of psychedelic mushrooms where Will reveals a flame he still carries for a past lover, while Apurna reveals that she was once engaged to a boy named NIKKI. They end the night in a warm embrace and it seems they may at last be ready to take their connection to the next level. But the next morning, Apurna reveals she has decided to return to her hometown for the remainder of lockdown and after a fateful kiss at the airport, the two part ways.

Over the next several months, quarantined and with very little communication from Apurna, Will slips into an isolated depression. Even spending the holidays by himself when his family contracts covid the morning he was meant to fly back for Christmas. Things begin to turn around when, after weeks of radio silence, he receives a phone call from Apurna on New Year’s Eve announcing she will be returning to LA at last.

Meanwhile, over in New England, we see Apurna’s side of these past several months. Her time home begins peacefully enough; spending time with her parents, hearing the latest gossip about her cousins back in India, and enjoying her mother’s home cooked meals when who should come knocking at the door but her ex fiance, Nikki. Apurna and Nikki begin spending time together, reopening old wounds from their broken engagement while also reconnecting as people at different stages in their life. This ultimately finds them alone in a hotel room on New Years Eve where, fueled by champagne and fireworks, they consummate their reunion. Later that night, while Nikki sleeps, Apurna sneaks off to call Will and inform him of her return to LA, leaving out the fact that Nikki will be on her arm when she does.

Back in LA, a blindsided Will and conflicted Apurna deal with the fallout of her return. Their relationship has been reduced down to pained smiles as they pass one another in the hall until one day Apurna confronts Will, demanding they try and work out what’s happened between them. This confrontation ends with Will deciding to move out of the building, the pain of watching Apurna and Nikki together every day being too much. On the day of his move out, Apurna and Will share one last goodbye in the building’s alleyway, presumably for good.

However months later, in a dreamy coffee shop somewhere in LA, Apurna and Will meet again. Perhaps as friends ready to bury the past. Perhaps on a date and thinking about the future. Definitely together and back in each other’s lives.

DIRECTOR’S STATEMENT
Chris Leary

This journey began with an innocent question. Alone and slowly losing my mind in quarantine, I was Facetiming with my friend Sharayu when she asked me; “Hey what kind of project could you see us being cast in together?”. We had met only a few months prior while doing a play but in that short time we had cultivated one of the more unique friendships I’d ever been a part of. The way we saw the world and how we lived our lives were both very different, but there was a deep appreciation for each other’s point of view. Our weekly conversations during those early months of lockdown were one of the few bright spots in my otherwise bleak existence. After some thought I replied “You know not for nothing but I think you and I could have a really fun Rom-Com chemistry”…. Cut to three years and more credit card debt than I care to think about later and Footnotes was finished.

Despite the story being of a specific time and the characters and conversations being not-so-loosely born of myself and Sharayu’s friendship, it was very important to me that the film feel timeless. That despite being set and filmed in the midst of covid, I wanted it to feel like this was a period piece being made thirty years from now. I’ve always described it as a memory piece. Like someone’s dreamy recounting of a love story that almost was: a “footnote” of their youth.

In watching the film back now, the thing I’m most proud of is that despite being about as “indie” as it gets, I don’t think the movie wants for much. There’s no moment or performance or location that I think would have been better served or made to feel more complete with a massive budget and a big studio’s masthead before the opening credits. It’s exactly the movie it’s asking to be and exactly the story I wanted to tell and I’m so grateful for all the people’s who’s passion and dedication (not to mention patience with me during a few 4AM tantrums) allowed this soulful little movie to see the light of day.

Ultimately, this was not the kind of movie I thought I would make first, but I’m so grateful that it was. It pushed me as a person and as an artist in ways I didn’t know I had in me. From opening the deepest veins onto the page while writing, to pretending to masturbate on camera in an empty apartment while filming, to sneaking an entire equipment package into a hotel suite in suitcases for an overnight guerilla shoot; I have never felt more anxious, delusional, and alone than I did while making this movie. But it also taught me to be brave, and honest, to lead with optimism, to rely on the people around me, and most of all, to shamelessly become my own biggest advocate. I hope in watching it, Will and Apurna’s story gives the audience a taste of all those things that are, to me, forever bound to the DNA of the picture.

ABOUT THE FILMMAKERS

CHRIS LEARY (Writer/Director/Producer)
Born in Boston in 1994, Chris’ career first began as a child actor in the early 2000s. Since then his passion for filmmaking has taken him behind the camera and he graduated from Florida State University’s College of Motion Picture Arts in 2015 where he met many of his future collaborators for this film. He now resides in Los Angeles where his career has come full circle, working both sides of the camera as an actor and director.

Previous works include Fear Pharm (2021), Hometown Dan (2018), and Wolf Spirit (2015)

HUNTER TRUMAN (Producer)

Hunter is an independent filmmaker and Founder of Box Party Films, a Los Angeles-based production company and filmmakers’ collective. Outside of the company, he works as a freelance Digital Imaging Technician and Director of Photography for everything from indie films to Super Bowl commercials. He is originally from South Florida and loves it dearly, despite how terrible it is. He graduated from Florida State University’s College of Motion Picture Arts, where he met lots of nice people he’d like to keep making movies with forever.

Other projects include Life at Sandy’s (ongoing) and West Palm (2018)

LANDON KOVALICK (Producer)
Born and raised in Jacksonville, Florida, Landon graduated from Florida State University’s Media Production program before heading up to Atlanta where he and his production company “Something to Say Productions” are currently based. His first love being cinematography, producing found Landon later in his career as the necessity to be a one stop multi-hyphenate became more and more apparent.

Other credits include The Expanding Horizon (2022) and Guacamania! (ongoing)

SHARAYU MAHALE (Producer)

Premiere on Monday, JUNE 26th at 7:15 PM

DIRECTED BY | Chris Leary(Wolf Spirit)
STARRING | Sharayu Mahale (Attaway General, Unmothered), Vishal Patel (80 for Brady, 24: Legacy),
Chris Leary (Fear Pharm), Cecil Jennings (Red Line), Nicole Torres (Lady Bird, 818)
PRODUCED BY | Hunter Truman, Landon Kovalick, Chris Leary, Sharayu Mahale
EXECUTIVE PRODUCED BY | Austin Fierko, Kevin Wall