Production Notes
Lucid tells the enticing tale of one man's search for redemption in the eyes of his nine-year-old daughter, and in the minds of three psychotherapy patients. Laced with an alluring and ambitious plot and complex characters, Lucid is packed with surprises.
Sean Garrity on writing, directing, and producing
It's the second feature for Sean Garrity, who co-wrote the script with long-time friend and colleague Jonas Chernick. In addition to directing, Garrity found himself producing this time around, which was a new challenge.
"One of the main difficulties of being a producer is that it's been difficult to focus on directing," said Garrity, who co-produced Lucid along with Jamie Brown of Frantic Films. "As a producer, you're constantly dousing fires. Everything is always on fire - it's like the whole show is constantly sinking into the drink!
"As a producer, I end up getting drawn into all those discussions, so it's been challenging. To focus on what I should be focusing on as a director has become a sort of a mind trick."
One of Garrity's greatest strengths is that he is capable of successfully taking on multiple creative tasks, which is evident in his everyday life. He alternates between careers as a filmmaker and musician, some days penning screenplays, other days performing music.
"When Sean brought the script to me two years ago, I was immediately interested," said Jamie Brown, Lucid 's Executive Producer and Co-producer. "The script is complex and intelligent, but also quite accessible. I also think Sean is one of Canada 's best young directors and had a very clear vision of how the story would be brought to the screen.
"Sean wore a lot of hats on this project but kept everything together and delivered a great film. He's quite amazing, and I enjoyed working with him very much."
Garrity's first feature, Inertia, which also starred Jonas Chernick, was awarded Best Canadian First Feature Film at the 2001 Toronto International Film Festival. Garrity received the Best Director award at the FilmCan Film Festival later that year, while Chernick took home a 2003 Blizzard Award for Best Actor.
Inertia definitely established itself as a hard act to follow. Now, the award-winning team of Garrity and Chernick has come together again for Lucid - and it's been another great match up.
"The film is interesting because of the very high level of involvement of Sean and Jonas," said Brown. "They co-wrote the script, Sean directed, and Jonas played the lead character. It's really come together well, because they are both such talented guys."
Jamie Brown: Lucid is capable of breaking "made-in-Canada" stereotypes
Jamie Brown, co-producer of Lucid, believes this is a film capable of breaking through the long-standing stereotypes attached to made-in-Canada movies: "Some say that Canadian films tend to be inaccessible, but Lucid has broad appeal and could do very well at the box office. It would be wonderful to get Canadian audiences into the theatres in real numbers. We had an incredible cast and crew who were able to pull it together. The film has a great look with production values of a movie with ten times the budget. So many people sacrificed to make this film and delivered tremendously.
"I'd love to see their work recognized by audiences."
Jonas Chernick on Garrity's skill as a director
For Jonas Chernick, working with Garrity again has been a tremendous experience. Even if it means that Garrity has to ruse him from time-to-time.
"Sean tricked me last night," said Chernick, who plays "Joel" in Lucid . "I had to do a scene that was difficult for me, and I wanted to do it a certain way. So Sean let me do it my way, and we did the scene two or three times. He directed me in such a clever way, that I didn't even realize until afterwards that I had ended up doing it the way he wanted.
"He let me do it my way, and shot it, and directed me at how to do it right - in hindsight, I don't know if that was more for me, or for him. But the point is, he tricked me, and I love him! No one knows me better than Sean does, and no one directs me better than he does."
Callum Keith Rennie: Attracted to Lucid because of writing and Garrity's style
Garrity impressed other cast members as well, including Callum Keith Rennie, who plays "Victor" in the film: "I was attracted to this project because the writing was really good, and the story was quite funny and dark. I'd seen Inertia and liked it a lot - there were some stunning shots in that movie. I liked the way that Sean framed things, and liked the way he informed the viewer. He did it so well and so delicately for a Canadian movie."
Michelle Nolden found something magical in working on Lucid
Michelle Nolden, who plays "Chandra," found something magical in working on Lucid : " Sometimes you come to a project and everybody comes with an open heart and trust - not every film is like that, but when it does happen, it's a truly magical thing. From the moment that I got here it was like that, and you just know it's going to be great. The work is always better because of it, because everybody is in a trusting place, and you have that friendship and respect.
"Lucid is a different film from anything else I've ever done - I've been so comfortable to put my trust in Sean, the person at the helm. Putting that trust is sometimes a difficult thing to do, but I think we've all been able to do it, and that's part of the reason that we've all clicked so well."
Lindy Booth appreciates the uniqueness and character development in Lucid
What struck Lindy Booth, who plays "Sophie" in the film, was the challenge and uniqueness of Lucid : "I read a lot of scripts, and for the most part, they are all similar and unimaginative. This one really stuck out to me, and is really different. I saw Inertia and was really intrigued by that process, and by what Sean wanted to do with Lucid - I saw it as a really challenging part, and challenging film, and I really wanted to be part of it. The challenge is the reward.
"There are so many layers in this script and the character development - where we are coming from, where we are at, what we are conscious of, what's in our subconscious, what we let out, what we don't want to let out, what we're hiding, what we don't know yet... There really are a hundred million ways to play out every scene, and Sean has been very kind in letting us play around with that.
"I truly think that audiences can expect a really enjoyable film, because it's an interesting story and an interesting way of telling a story. It looks amazing, and has an intriguing storyline. I think audiences will have something really different."
