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Dive into the creative chaos behind the film BAGWORM playing the Visions section at SXSW Film 2026! Explore how a visually driven, experimental approach transformed a simple idea into a complex exploration of perception, reality, and self-deconstruction in this Fest Track segment.

This interview delves into the unique artistic process behind BAGWORM, highlighting how the filmmakers embraced an ever-evolving concept. Discover the power of allowing an idea to grow organically, even from its initial spark – like a burned-down house becoming the unlikely set for a cinematic experiment.

Learn how the film's environment, from the protagonist's apartment to the symbolic "bagworm motif," reflects his internal deconstruction. It's a fascinating look at how visual storytelling can manifest deeper psychological themes, pushing boundaries with every step.

Unpack the layers of societal expectations versus internal reality, drawing parallels to Kafkaesque transformations. See how the film's director Oliver Bernsen and lead actor Peter Falls navigated this fluid creative process, fostering an environment where ideas were constantly built upon, revealing unexpected depths and surprising character dynamics.

#SXSWFilm #BagwormMovie #FilmMakingdxx
Transcript
00:26This is Tim Wasprick from Fast Trek on CERC TV.
00:29I'm here in Austin, Texas for the South by Southwest Film Festival.
00:33Well, no, it comes back to that perspective and perception we're talking about, but that also has to reflect in
00:38the environment.
00:39Obviously, his environment out, his environment in, and obviously that keys into sort of the bagworm motif about what that
00:46might become or what beast is lying inside.
00:50Could you talk about that for you, Oliver, from an art perspective, from looking at the visual, not language, but
00:58how you build his space, how you build his apartment, that catacomb, if you will.
01:03Because that keys into what you feel and how he starts to both deconstruct and almost disintegrate in certain ways.
01:12Yeah, it's funny, like, when Henry and I first came up with the idea, it was definitely not as extreme
01:19as, like, what the final film is.
01:23And I think that I've never had an experience, like, even with a bunch of shorts that I did prior.
01:30It was always like, okay, this is what the idea is and the story.
01:34And, like, that's kind of, like, what it is.
01:36And this thing was this weird thing where it was, like, the idea was there was literally a burned-down
01:41house across the street from Henry.
01:43And I saw it one day and I said, from where Henry lives, and I said, we're just going to
01:48make a movie and shoot it inside that house.
01:50Like, that's it.
01:51That's what, I don't know what it's about.
01:53That's the thing.
01:54And we took that and it really was this, like, snowball effect of, like, stretching the boundaries of, okay, but,
02:02like, what does that mean?
02:03And then also, like, what else can we do with that?
02:07And then it created ideas of, like, perception, like you're talking about and, you know, what is real and what
02:15is fake and how do we see ourselves?
02:17And it was a really weird, like, exercise or experiment, I guess, where from the very beginning of when we
02:28came up with the idea, the inception of the idea, all the way to the end of it, we never
02:33said that's enough or, like, no more or it's all figured out.
02:41It was, like, constantly just, like, growing and growing and growing, even to the very end.
02:46Like, Henry talked to me yesterday and he was like, oh, I just realized there are these two characters in
02:53it, these two dates that he goes on, and they represent the inverse of each other.
02:59And, I mean, he wrote the script and he was there every day filming it and editing it.
03:05And I think that, like, it was really fun to see that you don't have to have everything figured out.
03:13You can kind of, like, when you're kind of, when you're working in territory like this, you can kind of
03:20just, like, let it reveal itself for you.
03:22Sure, not everything's going to work, and you have to kind of be on top of, you know, saying yes
03:27or no to certain things, but ultimately, it's, like, fair game.
03:32Just whatever feels fun and kind of, like, it has an idea inside of it, I think you have to
03:38explore it a little bit.
03:40What does Rod sell?
03:44Double-sided screwdriver and pink wrench.
03:48Well, I have an idea.
03:50Why don't you send the morbid some of these, and you can decide which two to whistle.
03:57And, Peter, as far as, like, it's interesting, Carol, his idea of expectation, the expectation to, you know, be the
04:04boyfriend, be the party guy, be the father, be these things.
04:07There's all these expectations of society, and yet there's the internal versus the external.
04:12And, you know, that's sort of that Kafka-esque, that metamorphosis.
04:16Could you talk about sort of that, sort of deconstruct?
04:20Because even his mind, his mind's becoming sort of jumbled as he's, you know, in the car, for example, with
04:26the girl.
04:27I won't give to it, but the way he says his exact plans is very, very primal.
04:33Could you talk about sort of expounding that, but also deconstructing yourself?
04:38And then I'll let you guys go.
04:40I know they're wrapping me up, so.
04:41I think what I love about Carol and what I identify with is that he's really obsessed with, you know,
04:49controlling his life and having a good outcome with his life.
04:51And because of that attempt to, you know, control and grip onto, it all disintegrates and falls apart in his
04:59hands.
04:59And, you know, I think there's a lot of humor in that, you know, just taking things very seriously and
05:05wanting to be good and moral, but also, you know, pushing his environmental, you know, awareness espousing and just it
05:14all just kind of crumbling around him, I think is like, you know, relatable and fun.
05:19And, you know, again, like, the script was different, the order was different, scenes were different, you know, that was
05:26what was so great about this process.
05:28And what's so great about Oliver as a director is he has the two, you know, most important traits for
05:38a great director, which is fearless leadership, having the last word, and then also like, oh, you guys think that's
05:44a funnier idea?
05:44Great. You know, and also, meanwhile, we're about to roll and then he's like sweeping the rug in the back
05:50to make it, you know, look like worn and because he's an artist.
05:55You know, he built that set with Angus, his other brother, who's the art director.
05:59And so, yeah, it's I think a lot of it is like, we don't even know what we're doing.
06:07And it turns out to be something else, just like the just like the, you know, the Francesca Galassi and
06:14Michelle Ortiz, who play the two very talented scene stealers who play the dates like we found, you know, thematic
06:21resonance in both of those scenes that were not our intention initially.
06:25And I think that's what's so great about this process, you know.
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