DOWNTOWN Sometimes a story is so inflammatory and sensitive, the most effective way to go about telling it is to blur the line between reality and fiction.
Unhappy with the official story of the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, a small, dedicated group of local film-makers equipped with a modest budget and some weighty research set out to tell the other story of what took place that fateful day. “Reflecting Pool,” an independent film self-financed by its creators, tells the story of an investigator whose tasked with debunking the official report on the tragic event for the magazine he writes for.
“The original idea came out of frustration of not seeing that kind of narrative film on this subject. There’s been a lot of good documentaries, but no narrative films,” said Jarek Kupsc, who wrote, directed, and stars in the film. “It (the subject matter) is sensitive because of the potential political backlash. There are too many links that point to the White House and the president.”
And those links, according to the film and its makers, are what potentially indicate that there’s been a massive cover-up.
Not afraid to wear his opinions on his sleeve, he said that it becomes obvious after a bit of research that there is more to the story than is being broadcast and printed by major news organizations. Kupsc said he’s aware that the main-stream viewing public may not be ready for this type of film, but he believes there is an audience out there for it.
He and his collaborators have gone about self distributing the film thus far and have booked the Laemmle Monica 4- Plex to show their film. “Reflecting Pool” will be shown at 11 a.m. each Saturday through February with some showings being followed by a question and answer session with the filmmakers.
Although he would be open to a distribution deal, Kupsc said he’s not afraid to go it alone. He currently is selling the film on DVD on his Web site (www.reflect-ingpoolfilm.com) and has plans to continue the limited theatrical release of the film. While sales haven’t been in the “blockbuster” range as of yet, Kupsc said sales have been going well.
While recuperating the cost of the movie would be nice, Kupsc and his partners believe the reason for doing the film had nothing to do with money. It becomes obvious after just a few minutes of talking with those involved in the development of this project that they are united in the belief that it would be better to inform than to educate.
“I don’t want to entertain people as much as ‘All the President’s Men’ entertained. I want people to enjoy this movie on a level of a good investigative drama where you get involved emotionally,” he said. “It is not a thriller. Out of respect to the whole tragedy turning it into cheap entertainment and exploiting the families would be an injustice. It would cheapen the whole experience. I opted for a more pensive, documentary approach.”
The film itself, shot on video to keep costs down, has the gritty feel of an independent film. Kupsc was joined by his wife, Jodie Baltazar, who served as cinematographer and co-producer. Joseph Culp, who co-stars with Kupsc, also served as the co-producer. Together, the three divvied up most of the work that went into making the picture. Each wore multiple hats in order to pull it off.
“We had to do this self-financed. Nobody was going to step up and finance it from the outside,” said Culp, who has lived in Santa Monica for the past 17 years. “We financed it on our own. We had to work as a skeleton crew. We had to do many jobs ourselves. There was a guerilla approach. Because of the skill of the filmmakers, it looks good.”
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on February 1, 2008. Read the original PDF.