Christensen hits home run with Before I Disappear

In Before I Disappear, Shawn Christensen’s first feature film, the director proves himself as a new cinematic voice that is unique, unafraid and assured. Here, he juggles directing, screenwriting, acting, producing and song-writing duties. As if that wasn’t enough, Christensen must also deal with a lot of built-in expectation, as the movie is an expansion of his short film “Curfew,” which won the Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film in 2012. Where “Curfew” is an exercise in concise and powerful short-form storytelling, Before I Disappear is a wild and bizarre journey that adds worthy substance to the story and makes wonderful use of its longer running time.

As Before I Disappear begins, Richie (Shawn Christensen) is in the process of killing himself when the phone rings. It is his sister, Maggie (Emmy Rossum), with whom Richie hasn’t spoken in years. She is in a bind (the likes of which won’t be spoiled here) and needs Richie to look after her daughter, Sophia (Fatima Ptacek). Richie agrees, bandaging his wrists, popping some meds and setting out into New York. Over the course of a single night, Richie takes Sophia on a mind-bending trip, often straying from his well-intentioned plans. It is unapologetically fun to watch and resonates with a real emotional core.

The film explores the darkness of its characters, yet finds a way to still be hysterically funny. This is important because when these people are hit with increasing degrees of conflict, it would be easy to succumb to that despair. Christensen will not allow that to happen.

“In these past three years, I’ve had some low points, and I felt like making films that had some sort of life-affirming nature to them inside a darker context I guess, just because of where my head was,” Christensen said.

The emotional connectivity that Christensen feels to his material is evident in every moment of the film. He effortlessly guides the audience between comedy and tragedy, tension and release, life and dream.

The surreal plays a major part in Before I Disappear, with Christensen orchestrating some of the more cinematically jubilant moments in any film in recent memory, the kind of visuals that beg to be watched again and again. A few sequences (including an impromptu choreographed dance in a blowing alley and a mask party featuring a bow-and-arrow) seem to benefit from Richie’s unfortunate circumstances.

“In a movie like this where a guy has lost some blood and he’s on some meds and he’s confused, and he’s disoriented, it’s a great way to use some cinematic license to play with that,” Christensen said.

It is the vision, theme and atmosphere that is the stamp of a filmmaker, and Christensen cements himself among the best when it comes to creating a consistent and inviting mood.

The music is also stunning throughout. Christensen had grandiose ideas that were quickly shunned by his producers due to the film’s low budget and the high royalty costs of the songs. His pricey choices included David Bowie and The Animals’ hit “House of the Rising Sun,” for starters. Knowing that these songs would elevate the film to new heights, Christensen went the route less traveled.

“I decided to go to the managers of these bands and say, ‘This is how I want to use your music, I love your music, this is how it inspired me and saved my life when I was growing up, and I’d love to use them in the film.’ I sent them a clip of it, and they said sure, and they said sure for very, very, very little money,” Christensen said.

Though Christensen himself is a leading man with bravado, carrying a film that weaves in and out of reality with an effortless grace, the ensemble cast is also  amazing. Ron Perlman, Emmy Rossum and Paul Wesley (also one of the film’s producers) bring their absolute all in their supporting roles, filling each scene with incredible humor and tension, letting their characters breathe and exist within this hyper-reality. Christensen’s co-star, young Fatima Ptacek reprising her role as Sophia from the short film, is a knockout. Sophia is a bit conceited, condescending and arrogant, but Ptacek has an uncanny ability to allow the child to come through. It is a stunning performance, and Christensen says Ptacek’s maturity as a person affects her maturity as an actress.

“She is way ahead of her time and age,” he said. “The types of movies she watches at her age are the types of things I didn’t start watching until I came to high school or college.”

Christensen and Ptacek’s performances provide the emotional heartbeat, their chemistry palpable, as they propel the story with their banter and infectious likability.

When asked what he plans on doing next, Christensen said he is going to be sticking around the independent scene for a while, buying back a script he wrote that he sold to Fox a few years ago called Sidney Hall. He is candid about this expectations, though.

“I don’t want to do an independent movie for that little money that I did Before I Disappear, but I also want to tell a good story. If that happens at the studios fine, but I think this project, Sidney Hall, is a little more for independent and art house cinemas,” he said.

Independent budgets might be a roadblock toward the grand vision that Christensen is working toward, but his passion is clear.

“I love movies, I love being entertained, so I don’t think it’s a problem for me to find ways to entertain people within the independent form,” he said.

There is no doubt that Christensen can utilize the independent system and create a singular, must-see vision; those who watch Before I Disappear will be convinced. If he is moving toward the studio system and their seemingly endless resources, then Hollywood will be better for it, because it should be their privilege to welcome a true and proven talent into their ranks just as he begins to harness the recognition he deserves.

Before I Disappear will be released in Los Angeles on Dec. 5 and is also available on iTunes and VOD.