Robert Schwartzman confronts the complexity of grief in his latest film, The Good Half.
After years spent avoiding his problems, Renn Wheeland (Nick Jonas) is forced to face his greatest fear: the recent death of his mother, Lily (Elisabeth Shue). While traveling home to Cleveland for her funeral, he forges a new relationship with fellow passenger, Zoey (Alexandra Shipp), and later, heals an old one with his overbearing sister, Leigh (Brittany Snow). Together, with the help of his eager-to-connect father, Darren (Matt Walsh), an old high school friend, and a hoarder priest, Renn tries to confront his past, his problems, his step-father (David Arquette), his grief, and his new reality.
Robert started his career appearing in The Virgin Suicides, The Princess Diaries, and went on to form the platinum selling rock band Rooney. Robert directed and produced The Unicorn, Dreamland, The Argument, and his latest film is his directorial documentary debut, The Zombies documentary Hung Up on a Dream. The Good Half is Robert’s 2nd Tribeca debut.
Check out our interview with Robert:
Director’s Statement:
I lost my Father to cancer when I was 11 years old and I’m still trying to make sense of it. I don’t know if it’s something I’ll ever fully understand. Trying to understand it was one of the reasons why I fell in love with songwriting, because I could use it as a way to feel better, as a way to have a creative outlet to express myself. With The Good Half, it’s the first time I’ve been able to really take on a story that deals with loss and grief in a way that feels very close to home. Brett Ryland’s mother passed away from the same cancer as my father, so we immediately connected. I thought he came from a true and honest place by expressing the confusion surrounding grief, and its different stages that the main character is experiencing throughout the film. All the while being able to find humor in the heightened and painful moments during grief’s process and how surreal it can feel.
My hope was to make a film that could walk the fine line between heart and comedy; dealing with a tragic situation yet being honest by adding the levity that comes along with these complex experiences and family dynamics. This is very much an actors piece and I’m incredibly proud of our castsability to be vulnerable, collaborative, and playful when the story called for it. The most important thing that I wanted to communicate to our cast when we discussed joining this project, was, let’s try to stay open and collaborative. Let’s work together to make a film that we’re all proud of. And let’s make every moment count.
