IN CONVERSATION WITH CHRIS FOLKENS

Writer and director, Chris Folkens’ film ‘Catalyst’ released on 11th February and is available now on AppleTV and Prime Video. As the feature film debut for Chris, ‘Catalyst’ has been honored with wins for Best Feature Film, Best Cinematography, and Best Ensemble at the Downtown Film Festival LA, Best First Feature Director and Best Thriller at the Los Angeles Film Awards, and a Telly Award for Craft Visual Effects. 

‘Catalyst’ is a gripping sci-fi thriller with a deep social commentary. What inspired the story, and what message do you hope audiences take away from it?

Roughly a decade ago, I saw this world tearing itself apart. Violence, hatred, and division aren’t something foreign to humankind, but I began seeing the fabric of our nation starting to pull apart. A nation literally called the United Stated of America was showing signs of becoming far more like the Divided States of America. What concerns me as a filmmaker, is that the subject matter -- the issues ripped from the headlines, are even louder, more in-your-face, more violent today. When’s it going to end? When are we going to wake up? Then, a dear friend of mine from childhood approached me and shared he had been abused for years by a priest as he was growing up. The weight of that abuse was weighing on him so deeply he was on the brink of death. He told me, if he ever saw the man that did this to him again, he’d kill him. Now, while I’m clear he was speaking in hyperbole, I could see the enormous weight of the choices of another human being’s despicable actions on my friend. What’s more, I could see the enormous weight of my friend's choices to continue to perpetuate his own suffering and live in the prison of his own mind. 

That got me thinking. I had acted in the play ‘12 Angry Men’ in high school back in the Chicago suburbs where I grew up. I saw how a piece of art could be both reflective of the world we live in at a snapshot in time, and also how it could show us who we can be, effectively working to shape reality instead of merely reflect it. In that moment, the spark of what would become ‘Catalyst’ was truly born. I started to think “What if I do the same sort of context, or framework, of that story but with a totally different and much more far-reaching scope?” That opened up the possibility of looking at the underpinnings that lie beneath the issues we were seeing in the headlines. It would look at the source of pain, suffering, and the pattern that we so often build walls around our hearts, craft intricate personas ,aka “masks”, to hide the masterpiece we are underneath it all, and then live in such a way that we gather evidence to "be right" about the enormously jaded, cynical, rage-laden wounds that literally destroy our lives. Then we become victim to our own choices, and take that out on other human beings.

I knew that in order to accomplish this as the underlying theme of the film I would need to create a cinematic journey that the audience would be able to authentically and organically get to that realization through their own experience in watching the film, not by just being told. As Morpheus says to Neo in the Matrix movies, “There is a difference between knowing the path, and walking the path.” This movie would need to enable viewers towalk the path in their own hearts and minds as they watch it. So, my whole purpose in making this movie is for all of us to find a way to see the world through someone else’s eyes, and to start the uncomfortable conversation. It is the uncomfortable conversation this world is both craving and resisting. 

You’ve described the film as a modern-day reimagining of ‘12 Angry Men’. Can you elaborate on that comparison and how the film reflects today’s socio-political climate?

Well, I would say in addition to what I mentioned before, we are seeing the cracks of division, ego, self-righteousness, and victimhood literally everywhere in our socio-political climate. So, I would ask, what prices are we paying for continuing to live this way? In the context of ‘12 Angry Men’, there is clearly one character that chooses to stand out and be a Catalyst for change amidst the enormous ego, self-righteousness, and petty victimhood he is faced with. To choose something new for humankind, it is going to require us to stand out from the crowd and choose radical compassion, radical forgiveness, and radical humility when we have been conditioned to be something else entirely. The film absolutely leans into the collective conditioning we have endured as a society and serves as an allegory to show us what the consequences of that are, and will become if we do not interrupt our own patterns and choose something new.

The idea of seven strangers forced to reveal their darkest truths is an intense and thought-provoking concept. What themes were most important for you to explore in this narrative?

Acceptance and forgiveness are necessarily embedded into the story, but that doesn’t mean these characters necessarily forgive. The film becomes like a choose your own adventure where the audience is part of that experience. There’re also necessarily some themes surrounding catharsis and healing one’s own past traumas embedded into the story as well. Given that these are universal themes it makes the film very accessible to all audiences. There’s also a bit of the David and Goliath type of story in there given that our lead character Alek is thrown into a den of hardened criminals and truly must become a catalyst for change since his fate is necessarily intertwined with these other human beings. What would you do if you were in Alek’s shoes?

Beyond that, I think the overall experience someone will have when watching this is that when we dehumanize each other, we all lose. So if people walk away from watching this movie and question their impulse to dehumanize, that in and of itself is a catalyst for change in this world.

The film took nearly a decade to complete. How did the evolving social and political landscape influence the direction of the story over the years?

Some of the massive upheavals in our nation occurred during the filmmaking journey, Covid, George Floyd’s death, protests and riots, then January 6th, etc. At every turn, I wanted to find ways to update the film and infuse what was really happening into the final version of the film. Even some of the intense riot footage and police cars burning was literally happening right outside my cinematographer's apartment. Armed guards and tanks on Hollywood boulevard. 10 years ago, one would’ve thought “No, that wouldn’t happen here.” But it was. And we captured it.  

What were some of the biggest challenges in making ‘Catalyst’ as an independent filmmaker, and how did you overcome them?

I opted to fund this movie largely myself in order to maintain creative control on the film. That was a struggle, and part of the reason why we knew this would need to be shot in phases. I knew that if we went with an outside company, it would likely end up being contorted into the same kind of thing that everyone else is making. This film was designed to be different. It bends genres. It doesn’t behave like other contained thriller’s you might think you’re about to see. Audiences are reacting positively to that, so I know that it was the right way to go, but it didn’t make it any easier. When decisions are made solely from a marketing perspective because this is a “film business”, it can truly impact the integrity of the art and for this very special project, it needed to stay true to the non-traditional vision for the film. In essence, the journey of the film reflected the journey of our main character Alek who must stand out from the crowd. So in many ways, it is pretty fitting that our journey as filmmakers mirrored the journey of our POV character.

You assembled a powerhouse ensemble cast, including Melanie Liburd, Michael Roark, and Noel Gugliemi. What drew you to these actors, and how did their improvisational performances shape the film?

The structured improvisation portion of the film, which makes up roughly half the film, needed to be built around incredibly solid actors that also love improvisation. Not everyone does. People need to really be able to think on their feet and access deep, authentic, visceral life experience on a whim. There is something profoundly magical that arises from the real experience they are thrown into. I wanted actors who I knew could truly access some of the important elements of the characters’ profiles we were building and designing to be in conflict with the others in the room. There are actors of different races, religions, socio-economic backgrounds, and some who even publicly acknowledge they got into serious trouble with the law.  

Melanie’s performance was fully scripted and was important to cast a powerhouse actress to balance the massive amount of toxic masculine energy that was explored in the rest of the film. I knew she was the perfect actress for this mysterious, powerful, enigma of a character. She definitely delivered. All the actors delivered. There’s a reason critics are commenting on the incredibly dynamic, engaging, immersive performances throughout.

Were there any particular scenes where an actor’s improvisation completely changed the direction or emotional weight of a moment?

There’s a scene where Jermaine Love’s character Professor Cartwright confronts another character in the pressure-cooker improvised portion of the film. For clarity, the only time all seven core ensemble actors are in the room at the same time was all shot in one night using the improvisation technique. Jermaine was literally drawing on the weight of having witnessed the 9/11 Twin Towers fall in person. The gravity of that moment and the manner in which he delivered his authentic response was nothing short of mesmerizing. When we landed that on the day, I knew we really had something on our hands.

The film has won multiple awards, including Best Feature Film and Best Ensemble. How does it feel to see your passion project being recognized on this level?

The recognition is incredible overall. But beyond that, what is truly moving for me is that the vision I always had for this film is truly coming to life. There’s a reason people are reaching out to me from all over the world saying how much the film impacted them on an emotional level, even spiritual level. They never expected it. It means the vision, the dream I always had for this movie, is starting to become reality. There really are no words to describe that other than simply magical.  

If you could direct a dream project with no budget limitations, what kind of story would you tell?

Great question. So literally, the opposite of ‘Catalyst’, when budget is no issue, I would love to direct everything from ‘Mission: Impossible’ movies and ‘Star Wars’ movies, maybe a slick ‘Marvel’ film, to films that are more like the biopic variety or something of a true story where I can tell an emotionally compelling story on the big screen. As you can tell from ‘Catalyst’, I love stories that unite and inspire the world and stories that support us in seeing the inherent humanity in all of us.

What’s next for you as a filmmaker? Are there any upcoming projects you can share?

I have several films in development ranging from a psychological serial killer thriller to an espionage heist thriller, to a few real life story adaptations. I can’t talk about the specifics, but let’s just say all these projects light me up in their own unique way and I’m very excited to bring all of these to life in due time.

CREDITS:

ALEJANDRO IBARRA