An absurdist adaptation of William Shakespeares' "As You Like It", This 97 minute tour of Utopia begins with Soldier #2 patrolling the border of Utopia, who sees the ghosts of past stages and stage performers, tranquil natural beauty, sleepy happy cows, prancing kick boxers from Paris, menacing mannequin body doubles and a stuffed bird of Paradise on a string.
In the feature length film, this no-place vision continues with the sudden appearance of the deity Instant Imagination, seen as a barefoot jive-jazz street talking new-age sage hipster, who carries four Styrofoam heads around, who sees everything that is not seen, meets his wife Rosalind in the forest, imagines what is not yet imagined and spends his afternoons gazing into painted landscapes. Suitcase Jack arrives to monologue with the sleeping Duke of Summer. Marie Of Wozzeck sings a song. Phoebe Of The Sharks wanders into the forest to pick flowers and torment the Duke Of Summer. Soldier #1 falls in love with Phoebe Of The Sharks. Athena of Chaos questions the validity of Utopia. Soldier #2 interprets a monologue from "As You Like It", and ends the film for the viewer.
But can these characters find lasting peace and poetry in Utopia?
WRITTEN & DIRECTED BY
Wesley Rickert
CAST
Ulysses Castellanos - Instant Imagination
Meghan de Chastelain - Phoebe Of The Sharks
Tess Danforth - Rosalind
Joanna Decc - Athena Of Chaos
Evan Lepp - Suitcase Jack
Ermina Perez -Marie Of Wozzeck
Kathleen Reichelt - Soldier #2
Nils Riess - Duke Of Summer
George Worrall - Soldier #1
CREW
Kathleen Reichelt - Assistant Director & Unit Production Manager
Rick Best - Director of Photography
Victor Ridley - Editor
Edith Dietrich - Costume Design
Derick Ford- Sound
Christina Kozak - Lead Production Assistant
GENRE
Avant-garde
PRODUCTION
Canada, Digital, 4k, Sony FS5, Colour, B&W, 97 minutes
Filmed & Produced at Thousand Islands Film Studio, Thousand Islands, Canada
A Small Budget Films & 253469 Production
This motion picture is © Copyright 2020, by Wesley Rickert, Thousand Islands, Canada.
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* OFFICIAL SELECTION *
Montreal Independent Film Festival, September, 2020.
montrealindependentfilmfestival.com/
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* OFFICIAL SELECTION *
BLOW-UP International Arthouse Filmfest Chicago, 2020.
blowupfilmfest.com
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* HONOURABLE MENTION *
LA Underground Film Forum, 2021
undergroundfilmforum.org
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REVIEW ON FILM DAILY
filmdaily.co/indie-film/indie-filmmakers/border-of-utopia
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REVIEW ON ARTEIDOLIA
arteidolia.com/wesley-rickert-film-the-border-of-utopia-patrick-brennan/
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distributed by 253469
"an umbrella without the hat"
253469.com/
