Staff Pick Premiere: "2002 (YEAR OF THE HORSE)" by Matias & Mathias |

In an attempt to mediate an argument, a young and sprightly couple take their first step towards the negative during the latest Staff Pick Premiere. From Matias and Mathias, "2002 (YEAR OF the Horse)" is a dysfunctional family affair The story begins by a sour father.

From simple to dramatic there are a myriad of depictions of nuclear family split-ups. But Matias and Mathias their version of the events is bizarrely surreal, and it's all done within a continuous 9 minutes of meandering conflict.

The film's timely , enduring bizarreness distinguishes it from the other films that have conflict. The setting - a group of kids at the brink of finding their first love getting caught up in their father's broken grandstand in a matter of seconds - is simply hilarious. Also, the characters' impulsive actions and their responses, and, most importantly, the completely hysterical finale. And even in 2022 "2002" is a standout as a cult Staff Pick comedy classic, all thanks to Matias, Mathias, and their collaborators.

 We caught up with Matias Mathias and Mathias to discuss inspiration and approach to filming, as well as advice for filmmakers who are aspiring:

 The inspiration for this:

 "It most likely started by the father figure who was greatly influenced by a dear friend and mentor of ours. We had been talking about what it was like to meet someone like his as a shy teenager could be a strange and a bit tangled. The thought of entering his home as a possible "son in law" intrigued us, and caused us to laugh. Also, we had an urge to make something simple and innocent. It was more like an anecdote or story that you shared in your childhood with your loved ones than a neatly structured film. A 20-year gap to the present helped us think of it as a mini-memory piece as well as free us from thinking about issues ."

 On challenges:

 "This film was shot in lockdown. Getting the youngsters to interact and feel comfortable with the film we were making proved tricky. They were required to be six feet apart pretending to have a kiss and fall in love. But they quickly bonded with a mutual frustration at feeling like they had been missing two significant teenage years, being confined to living in their homes with their parents and not being able to have the kind of experience the way we portrayed. Our intention was that our kissing experience would feel uncomfortable and drag in a bit too for too long. Hopefully, the circumstances worked to our advantage. ."

 On editing:

 "Everything that takes place in the home was shot in one day, so even though we went in with a set plan, it was a bit messy. The shoot became a bit of an blur. We didn't really know whether we had captured what it was that we needed to get for the scene to work We knew Henrik Mestad - who plays the father character - resulted in us destroying the sound of a number of scenes because we would be smiling at his sharp take on the character. We also knew that we wouldn't have a framework which would give us enough time to perfect every little thing. Since the ambition was for the narrative to feel like the memories of this distant teenager's experience, we tried to let this guide us through the editing process as well. We allowed for imperfections and sloppiness to create a rhythm that hopefully feels distinctive, even if it is a bit awkward ."

 On scene choices:

 "The girl who was pulling off the boy's t-shirt as she made her way to the bathroom so that the boy would not be wearing a shirt when meeting her parents might be a result of a forgotten memory somewhere. We also liked the concept of creating a collage where seeing the teenagers together would result in one clothing. Like a little puzzle that would be very straightforward for parents to work out. The script was written in the summertime, and so wearing a shirt and hugging in the car didn't feel like it did at first, but slightly more intimate and awkward than if they were fully dressed. However, Henrik wasn't available for quite a long time and then it was cold in Oslo. The discussion was on whether it would be a bit ridiculous to wear a shirt in snow, and we all sort of agreed that it was, however it could be a good thing. Therefore, we decided to stick for the idea ."

A word of advice for aspiring film makers:

 "To make it clear, we also see ourselves as film makers who want to be. However, one thing we discuss frequently is the importance of having amusement and to be shooting and making stuff as often as possible. Writing with discipline and tuning out distracting thoughts is crucial, of course, but we strive to follow similar principles in our writing. How do we compose this so that it will be enjoyable and exciting when we're actually shooting it? Then we attempt to form it so that it will make it more realistic to produce. It can be hard to do, and is very basic nevertheless, it's useful. ."

 On upcoming projects:

 "We're writing a feature length comedy that explores addiction and trauma It's been an hour long and as difficult as it is, however we hope it will be a lot entertaining and much more enjoyable than you might fear. We're very excited about it and would love to go and make this film in the near future. ."