When I Consume You: Interview with Director Perry Blackshaw, and Cast Evan Dumouchel and Libby Ewing

Is the demon a metaphorical situation or is it a real demon? Because sometimes we have multiple interpretations of a demon and how it consumes our characters. How would you discuss your demon in this film?

Perry: I leave it up to the audience a little bit, I would say. But I think that there was a book I was reading that talked about how something like 60% of people that have the death of a loved one experience ghost. Like a fully-fledged them sitting in a chair talking to them ghost. And there's things like this where our ghost real or not. No. And yes, also experientially. They certainly are.

So, I think a movie, this movie like that exists somewhere in between. I think the story that we were trying to tell is these two people that love each other that went through hell and this thing appeared that was sort of like all the things they hated about themselves. All the things that this thing sort of hell bent on destroying them and having it really try to rip their lives apart and destroy them and sort of what they do to fight back.

I know that you and Evan have worked together in a previous film to this working together, was it still like movie magic for you guys?

Perry: Yes. I'll let Evan and Libby talk mostly, but it was certainly moving magic for me. But I've worked with those guys for a really long time. And then with Libby, it feels like I forget which season of Buffy, but, you know, like the one where she has a sister, and it seems like she's had a sister the whole time. It feels like that now in my brain. We've always worked with Libby the whole time. It's been like, retcon. So, it was amazing for me. But I'll let these two talk about this too.

Evan: It's different every time and amazing every time. Now that we've made three of them, we sort of understand the roles that we've gotten to know how to play, not the acting roles, like the onset roles. In the beginning, it was a lot of learning on a lot of different levels. And there's a certain comfort that came third time around, knowing where our skills are and where we need help from other members of the team. So that was nice to have this time around while also dealing with some challenging story elements that we're working on. And every time we get back together, it's like going to summer camp. It's one of my favorite things. It's always great and bringing a new element into the mix was wonderful for me.

Libby: It was really interesting for me because this is my first time working with this crew, and they have a really kind of incredible shorthand that I felt like the first week or so and during rehearsals, kind of trying to translate it. I don't know how to. It was like robots speak. I don't know. Or like, they talk in code. It was like such a shorthand, and I feel like I was just, like, deep diving in and trying to translate and figure out the ebbs and flows of this group. But they were so welcoming, and they Made me feel like I absolutely belonged. And were very patient with me when I was catching up to speed on certain aspects. And then now I feel like they're my brother.

Perry: Yeah. And Libby stayed recently at Evans. Libby and her husband stayed at Evans place, right?

I bet that was interesting!

Perry: When you make films like we do one of the good it's a tough thing. It's just us basically it's myself and the actors. And when it's that small and that intimate, it becomes really personal and a very intense experience because you're just with these people every second of every day doing very emotional things together. So if you get the right group, it's great. But it's definitely a kind of sacred maybe that's not the right word, but it's an intense sort of collective experience. You go through that in some ways it's kind of fragile. And I think we all really fight to make sure that it's a good experience.

What was the inspiration behind this film in particular? Just because it almost felt hopeless almost. Especially when was really trying to help his sister and it was just kind of like a loss type of thing. But how would you say what exactly inspired this film in particular?

Perry: It's funny because we've been asked this question a lot over the last while year and it feels like the more, I get asked, it goes down to some other layer of my psychology and then I don't know where the bottom is. I think that I definitely wanted to make a story about loneliness. I was definitely transcribing certain nightmares that I had myself sort of down on paper, almost like getting something, all this darkness and putting it on the paper. I definitely wanted to work with my friends again and make a movie together. That was a huge impetus for it. And I think you mentioned how sort of hopeless it feels. I think a lot of the art that I really like is sort of about finding like dealing with hopelessness, like facing nihilism kind of head on and sort of what you do with that feeling of hopelessness and how you can sort of get out of it and find your way back to life and meaning and people and purpose.

I'll make my last question. Because you guys were so much like family and you all got along, who here would be your ghost? Who would you want to be your ghost guiding you through a tough time?

Evan: Oh, no.

Perry: That is a good question. We have definitely never had that one before. Oh, jeez.

Evan: I have to pick from the people in this room?

Perry: This is so sick.

I'm cheating. I think everybody sort of like how in Star Wars there's like, at the end there's like, yoda and all of them together. That would be what I want. Because they could also then they could hang out with each other as well.

Libby: I need to be haunted by them all. I'm going to say both everybody. The whole crew.

Just because the strength, you know, Evan would keep me on track. He's very scheduled and regimented. He's very responsible. Perry would ask really deep questions about life. I mean, you need it all.

Endlessly entertaining.

All right, well, that's all my time, you guys. Thank you so much for letting me meet with you all. This was a really fun time. I hope it was fun for you. I'm really glad I got to see the film. It's great. You guys are great.