Starring Emory Cohen (Blue Bayou), Andy Garcia (Ocean’s Eleven), Megan Fox (Transformers Franchise), Lucy Hale (Pretty Little Liars), and Oscar Isaac (Dune), Big Gold Brick recounts the story of fledgling writer Samuel Liston and his experiences with Floyd Deveraux, the enigmatic middle-aged father of two who enlists Samuel to write his biography. But the circumstances that lead up to this arrangement in the first place are quite astonishing—and efforts to write the biography are quickly stymied by ensuing chaos.
Writer-director Brian Petsos (Ticky Tacky) makes his feature directorial debut in this darkly comedic, genre-bending film and recognizes that some people might have a lot of questions about the film’s story. “There’re probably a handful of different ways to interpret this movie. And I’m okay with that.”
“Something I find interesting is the shades of gray to people in life. That ambiguity allows for different possible interpretations, and it’s really important to me that people have more questions than answers.”
Petsos also emphasizes the importance of not being condescending to your audience. “You don’t need to tie up things and indicate. The audience is as smart as you are. You can let the [story] just be.”
What he discovered as he took the story from the page to production were “a lot of surprises.” He explains, “Things that aren’t a lot on paper turned out to be more on screen.”
He specifically points out the scene in which young Edward discovers the tape recorder Samuel was using and listens to it. “It was a piece of [scene] glue. When we started editing it, it evoked emotion in me.”
Another favorite moment was working with long-time collaborator Oscar Isaac. “I had him in mind for the role, and it felt like a reunion of sorts. We have a strong shorthand from working [together] over the years. That comfortability, I love.”
When asked if he could go back in time and high-five himself, what would he say to his younger self? “Hang in there. This [writer-director] life is tough, and it’s not for the faint of heart. It involves a lot of sacrifice in a lot of ways, but I can't help but do what I'm doing, so you just persevere.”