A KINOSOO PRODUCTION IN THEATRES SOON
MOMENTS IN SPACETIME stars John Rhys-Davies, Patty Srisuwan and Sam Gittins.
"Brilliantly written and brilliantly directed" —John Rhys-Davies
Macie (Patty Srisuwan), a Thai immigrant adopted into a North American family, must look after her dementia suffering grandfather (John Rhys-Davies). When she discovers that her birth mother may not have died in a tsunami fifteen years earlier, Macie teams up with grandfather to discover the truth about her past in order to decide which family means the most to her.
Edmonton Journal Published on May 16, 2019.
John Rhys-Davies’ latest role is a little closer to the here and now: a grandfather named Mason suffering progressive Alzheimer’s. And that’s a role that hits home for the actor in a most personal way.
Director: Chris Cowden, Writer: Chris Cowden, Stars: John Rhys-Davies, Patty Srisuwan, Sam Gittins
Music by Teen Daze, Cinematography by Ben Halford, Film Editing by Mark Lemmon, Makeup Department Gabriella Lagace and Miranda Marie assistant makeup artist, Assistant Director Tyler Duffy first assistant director.
Set in a military community in the Canadian Prairies, 12-year-old Macie (Patty Srisuwan) is a Thai-born adoptee taken in by an infertile Canadian couple after the tsunami of 2004. Miraculously, Macie's adoptive parents have their own natural-born daughter, Dakota, within one year of adopting Macie. We flash forward to 2019. Macie is in her mid-20s and, to the dismay of her parents, still lives at home. Macie faces daily struggles to define her identity—turning to cosplay and music for expression—as she is surrounded by a culture and language that are not entirely hers.
In Macie's search for identity, she catches the eye of a young foreign fighter pilot, Liam (Sam Gittins), during a band rehearsal. What they share in common is a feeling of being an outsider in a culture that is not truly their own. After losing her job due to prejudice, Macie is faced with an ultimatum from her less-thanempathetic parents. She can move out, or she can look after her estranged adoptive grandfather, Mason (John Rhys-Davies), while her parents travel for the summer. Macie agrees, but she underestimates the hold that dementia has taken on her grandfather.
Thus ensues a dynamic and evolving relationship between the two. The relationships that are beginning to form Macie's sense of identity, also lead her on a search into her past. Macie discovers that her birth mother is alive and has immigrated to Canada. Despite her reluctance, she is encouraged by Mason to pursue this information and meet her birth mother.
Macie and Mason begin a two-day road trip together—a journey that will take many turns. Will Macie's relationships blossom or be torn from her grasp? Will her search for identity end in self-discovery or isolation?
Moments in Spacetime is a film about two things that are dear to me: Language and Identity. We can’t express one without the other. It is language that allows us to share our identity and create connections with other people. And yet, it is the inadequacies of language that lead to misunderstandings and prevent us from ever fully knowing another person. This film aims to identify the bubble of language that separates us… and pop it. Leaving just human characters trying to connect moments in spacetime. This story was born out of two personal experiences. The first came from years of living with my wife, who is an immigrant to North America. Despite her successful career and a good education, I watch her struggle daily to prove herself and overcome frequent negative assumptions that come with being an immigrant. The second experience that inspired me came from living with my eighty-year-old grandfather, who suffered from senile dementia. Sadly, he passed away just four days after I finished writing this script, but he will live on in some form through the film. These two people were the inspiration for the characters Macie and Mason.
AS A FILMMAKER, HOW DID YOU EXPLORE THE ISSUE OF IMMIGRATION AND PREJUDICE, AND WHERE DID THIS INSPIRATION COME FROM? I would hope that most people would be against overt racism—but, that’s not really what the film is trying to explore. Instead, the movie unearths micro-biases people have and the subtle things they do—sometimes unknowingly—that can cause another person to feel like an outsider. While the film is not an autobiography, All of the scenes dealing with prejudice were taken directly from the life of Patty Srisuwan (Macie). That was our filter when we asked ourselves, “Is this too much for audiences?” Srisuwan says, “I am asking the audience to experience the life of an immigrant for two hours. If you feel uncomfortable, imagine doing this for a lifetime. By presenting these moments on film, we hope to start a more complex discussion on the issues of racism and immigration in North America.”
WHAT MADE YOU WANT TO EXPLORE THE TOPIC OF DEMENTIA IN THE FILM? The character of Mason (John Rhys-Davies) was based on my own grandfather who battled dementia for nearly twenty years. Towards the end, my grandfather only had moments of lucidity. I wanted the film’s narrative to reflect the ephemeral nature of these instants. “It’s literally moments in spacetime for those who suffer some part of that horrid affliction,” said lead actor John Rhys-Davies who also had personal connections to the issue of dementia. “My darling wife had dementia for 30 of the 42 years we were married,” he described during a press conference. “The fearful thing about long-lasting diseases like this is in the end, love goes. The burden is enormous.”
WHAT IS THE SIGNIFICANCE OF LANGUAGE IN THE FILM? Language plays a critical role in understanding the film. Every character in the film speaks with a different lexicon. For this reason, the film can be interchangeably be “listened to” or “viewed” for an entirely different experience—one that will allow the audience to judge the characters on merits other than their appearance. It is not a coincidence that Mason pronounces Macie as “Maisie” or that Macie herself is only able to reconnect with her past through her native language. The register of the (seemingly) omniscient narrator known as the “Mediator” is also significant. Language is the ultimate mediation. It is paradoxically through language that the film’s characters arrive at truth and misapprehend it.
HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE THE FILM'S GENRE? While the film fuses a variety of popular genres, Moments in Spacetime aims to create an entirely new genre in itself: Inverted Science Fiction.
In traditional Science Fiction, real-world writers imagine another world, future, or culture then mediate its fantastic elements for modern readers/audiences. These stories often focus on distant futures, alternate realities, or dystopian civilizations. Moments in Spacetime flips this model. It is a modern, real-world story told from the perspective of a sentient being from the future, and for a future audience.
The narrator, or Mediator, has the unique ability to view moments in space and time then present them to a future audience in the form of a “mediation” or movie. The narrator also has access to all digital records in the history of the internet to aid in storytelling. However, the Mediator (like the audience) cannot see into the minds or hearts of the film’s characters. These thoughts and feelings can only be speculated.
Canadian synth-rock artist Teen Daze has masterfully scored the film in the unique tone and style of a science fiction odyssey. All of these clues should help the audience solve the film’s principle question, “Who is telling the story?”
THE STARS
JOHN RHYS-DAVIES
John Rhys-Davies is a Legendary Welsh actor, voice actor and producer. Rhys-Davies is best known for his roles in blockbuster hits: The Lord of the Rings trilogy, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, and James Bond: The Living Daylights.
PATTY SRISUWAN
Patty Srisuwan is an up-andcoming Thai-Canadian actress. She has appeared in various Thai and Canadian films and TV shows, including the epic Suriyothai. Srisuwan has also been a talk show host for Channel V Thailand.
SAM GITTINS
Sam Gittins is a British actor that has been featured in numerous television and film productions. These include hits such as Obey, Await Further Instructions, with TV appearances in shows including, Eastenders (BBC) and The LIberator (Netflix).
TITLE SONG | I'LL FOLLOW
The title song of the film, I'll Follow is a lyrical pop duet featuring Patty Srisuwan and Color Out (Dave Hendricks). Guitar paired with Thai dulcimer make for an easy listening blend with a unique international infusion.
Download the song today on CDBaby or look for it on streaming platforms like Apple Music and Spotify.
The crew behind the camera! — with Ben Halford, Tyler Duffy, Kieran Jardine, Michael Manus, Dan Gretton, Kadyn Ross,Patty Cowden, Gabriella Lozano, Nicholas Hotte and Sarah Pottelberg.
SCREENINGS & FESTIVALS
Moments in Spacetime will be premiering in Cold Lake, Alberta, where the majority of the film was shot and produced. The film will also be submitted to many major international film festivals throughout fall of 2019 and for the duration of 2020.
“Moments in Spacetime” Producer: @patty_srisuwan Cinematographer: @halfordfilms Music: @teendaze Song “I’ll Follow”: @coloroutrock Makeup: @gabriellalagace @monolatryarete First AC: @filmmiker Second AC: Nicholas Hotte DIT: @cacheproductions Grip/Gaffer: Kieran Jardine, Kadyn Ross, Jared Artoo Datu Art & Set: @tereasaurus_rex Sarah Pottelberg @thegrandeparlour AD: @thetylerduffy Sound recordist: @corphix Post Sound Design: @hexagonsound
FOLLOW
MOMENTS IN SPACETIME
A story of identity that brazenly confronts the parts of self, family, relationships, and society that threaten to break us and divide us—but those that can also bring us together.
@moments_in_spacetime Starring @patty_srisuwan, @SamDGittins and John Rhys-Davies