Cal Poly Short Cuts: ‘Flatline’ explores the process of grief
This is one of seven stories in KCPR’s Short Cuts series, highlighting the Cal Poly student films debuting in the San Luis Obispo International Film Festival.
On Monday, April 27, seven student-made short films will be shown at the Fremont Theater as a part of the San Luis Obispo International Film Festival. “Flatline,” directed by Asher Dolinger and Lucas Vergara portrays a teen who is grappling with the pains of losing a parent.
“The film is about someone we know, and their experience based on them losing their father. It’s not so much about the fact that they lost their father, but their process of how they grieved and how that looked different for them,” Vergara said.
The annual event highlights the collaborative projects of Cal Poly students enrolled in Cinematic Processes (ISLA 341) and Advanced Digital Video (ART 483). Directors Dolinger and Vergara were friends prior to being placed on the same film together, an opportunity for the two creatives to make something of their own.
“We talked about the movies he was inspired by while he was writing the script – I took a list of them and watched them. I took notes and paid really close attention to them,” Vergara commented. “Our main inspiration for the movie was Manchester By The Sea”.
A classic directed by Kenneth Lonergan, the film follows a man who is suddenly made the legal guardian of his deceased brother’s son. Thrust into the unexpected role, the film follows the weight that grief can leave behind and takes an intimate look into how lives can be changed by death.
Flatline explores a similar situation.
Vergara went on to say how the exploration of that topic is made even more powerful when it’s done through film. Putting the narrative of loss at the forefront of the viewer’s minds forces people to react to that topic, a way to show people lives and experiences they’ve never lived through and expose them to different ways of thinking through different characters.
“That is definitely one of the main reasons I love movies and what you’re able to do with such a creative medium. It’s a source of entertainment for some people, but you’re also sending these people messages and underlying tones. It’s like the ability to be able to do so and have an impact on people is so great,” Vergara said.
The making of the film was characterized by four to eight hour shoot days, weaving around the schedules of the auditioned actors and crew. Even though Vergara was the sole cinematographer, each shot was a culmination of creative collaboration.
Everyone had their respective roles, but actors would bounce ideas off Dolinger about their characters. Other crew members would weigh in on shot composition. Everyone contributed to every aspect of the film in some way.
”The world isn’t really built on people doing things themselves, everything is done with each other,” Vergara said.
Vergara hopes viewers leave the screening with a little more empathy for the people they interact with.
“Everyone deals with things differently and everyone has their own experiences and feelings,” Vergara said. “I think it’s really important to be able to at least try and respect that, you don’t have to understand it, but see where people come from because everyone’s life is different. Everyone, themselves, is different.”
Flatline will be shown on Monday, April 27 at the Fremont Theater, along with the other Short Cuts, starting at 7 p.m.
Tickets can be found on slofilmfest.org.
