So that was the big discovery was that I loved it - working and experimenting with them. I had a whole previous life designing stores for Ralph Lauren, so I knew I could lead a group of people on a creative expedition. I would love nothing more than to do it more frequently. You were a rookie when you made “Big Eden.” What lessons did you learn about yourself from that experience that may have even helped you on “Let Him Go”? Blanche’s (Leslie Manville) long monologue is staking her claim and letting know she’s in charge There’s no dialogue but the audience can read everyone’s minds at the table - that’s really fun. That may be my favorite scene in “Big Eden.” I love watching with an audience because it plays really well. I love dinner table scenes because the actors are anchored. You also have one in “The Family Stone.” Can you talk about these sequences, and creating tone in your films? In “Let Him Go,” a dinner table scene has a different, more sinister tone. In “Big Eden,” it is a Thanksgiving meal where various characters reveal their romantic feelings with just looks. He felt a real responsibility, and he wanted to make sure he honored those people.Īnother parallel I see in your films are the dinner table scenes. He said he was doing it for his unseen brothers and sisters in the gay Native American community. Gay people come in all packages, and I remember Eric was moved and motivated to play Pike. When it became time to cast, I knew it had to be a Native American actor. I can’t remember how I made Pike an Indian, but I came up with his name, and in my mind, he was half Native American. What makes the dynamic between Pike and Henry that is so appealing? I appreciate that you feature an indigenous character in “Big Eden” as the gay love interest. Fooling with people’s expectations is fun. I love this big mountain of an Indian in the kitchen, and I love the cowboys. In “Big Eden,” I liked that Pike was a nod to “Babette’s Feast,” and there’s a bit of a “Cyrano” thing in that he leads Henry to believe that the Widow Thayer (Nan Martin) is doing the cooking. Kevin’s character is the bodyguard - again.
TIM DEKAY BIG EDEN DRIVER
Diane ’s character is the driver in “Let Him Go.” She’s making the action go forward.
The men in these films - they are what they are. Can you talk about the portrayal of masculinity in “Big Eden”? I will add that “Let Him Go” has a fascinating portrayal of masculinity too, but I can’t discuss it without spoiling! I like that the men in “Big Eden” - even the supporting cowboy characters - are not typical macho guys.
Everything would be ok if he’d lighten up. The most resistant person is Henry himself. The question I was asking myself was: If we took away all homophobia and the external forces working against you, would you be any more comfortable as yourself? What is it inside you that holds you back? That was why I didn’t want anyone resistant in the community.
Can you talk about that aspect of Henry’s character? This is not so much a coming out film, as it is a film about learning to love yourself. The film is set in a town in Montana where people are very accepting of Henry and his sexuality, even though Henry is not quite comfortable in his own skin. That resonated with people - as did the universal desire for family. There was something to that, definitely, at the time. It was out the same year “Trick” came out, and the gay men in “Big Eden” didn’t look like men in other typical gay movies. Why do you think so many folks have connected with this film? “Big Eden” has developed a warm, dedicated fanbase over the last two decades. The filmmaker chatted with PGN about “Big Eden,” which is celebrating its twentieth anniversary this year. Henry also grapples with his feelings for Dean (Tim DeKay), the one who got away, while, another man, Pike (Eric Schweig), secretly pines for Henry. It is also a change of pace for the director whose auspicious debut, the feel-good gay romance, “Big Eden,” had Henry (Arye Gross), a closeted grandson, returning to Montana to care for the infirmed Sam (George Coe), who raised him. “Let Him Go” is a tense, engrossing, and at times violent film. (His widow had remarried and moved away, abruptly, with the child). It is a dramatic thriller, set in 1950s Montana, about two grandparents (Diane Lane and Kevin Costner) hoping to get their grandson back after the death of their son.
Out gay filmmaker Thomas Bezucha has a new film, “Let Him Go,” now out in theaters. Eric Schweig and Arye Gross in “Big Eden.”
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