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An Interview with Chris Milewski, Director of In the Dreams of Those with Unblinking Eyes

by Mike Haberfelner

July 2024

Films directed by Chris Milewski on (re)Search my Trash

 

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Your new movie In the Dreams of Those with Unblinking Eyes - in a few words, what's it about?

 

While the story might appear simple on the surface, it is actually somewhat complex and very convoluted. There are two motifs to be observed throughout -- water and eyes. In short, two tiles in a dilapidated fountain are seemingly watching and/or dreaming about an artist and his death. There is even a sub-plot, if one can even call it that, that is very, very, very loosely tied to the story of Eros and Psyche. So... that's the high level rundown. Of course, as with most of my films, while I personally have a set narrative in mind, some of the details are ambiguous and left open to interpretation. The viewer needs to use their own imagination.

 

What were your sources of inspiration when writing In the Dreams of Those with Unblinking Eyes?

 

My mind is always working. I had a film idea some time ago revolving around the thoughts of several statues in the city and how they've become tired of the disgusting people around them. I did further develop this concept into a short story, but ultimately the idea was abandoned. I then took that concept and applied it to those two tiles that appear in the film, but for a different story all together. That idea was likewise abandoned. Fast forward some time later, and I revisited the idea again, albeit dramatically changing it, as I already had the tiles and didn't want them to go to waste. With all that said, the real source of inspiration that ignited the story presented in the film was Edvard Munch's painting Cupid and Psyche -- one of my many favorite works by the Norwegian artist -- hence that aspect to the story. Indeed, the drawing seen in the film is a monochromatic pencil drawing of the multi-colored Psyche in his oil painting. It's not just a "bad drawing", hah.

 

Your movie seems rather skeletal, storywise, but full of atmospheric, associative, symbolic and at times even abstract shots - so what can you tell us about this narrative technique of yours, and how easy or hard is it not to (literally) lose one's plot telling one's story that way? And few words about your overall approach to your story at hand?

 

First and foremost, In the Dreams of Those with Unblinking Eyes is a horror film. Plain and simple. But I do believe it does have an "art film" aspect. I am not talking about those extravagant art films of the 60s and 70s, such as the works of Pasolini, Fellini, etc. I am talking about the experimental film genre, which are after all art films. Films that are abstract, ambiguous, driven by imagery, etc. In my mind, there are two categories of such experimental films -- those that have a story and those that do not (as much as the latter's filmmaker might say it does). I don't mind that style as long as it has a story. If it's just a montage of images set to music, isn't just a music video? But anyway, one can indeed tell a story with visuals alone. It can be done successfully. I have in the past shot several such "horror art films" --  those that are largely image-driven, though I'll admit they do have some sort of voiceover to at least partially explain things. Films like La Fleur du Diable, La Ragazza con il Cappello Rosso and A View From a Forgotten Grave. The stories are conveyed through images, camera movements, and symbolism. There are no live actors. Whether those films were successful or not I can't say, but the idea of letting the visuals carry the story is not a foreign concept to me. And if those visuals are interesting and paired with good sound design, you can tell a whole lot of story and with great atmosphere. So In the Dreams of Those with Unblinking Eyes is a horror art film. It is both partially actor driven, and partially image driven. Besides, a statue or tile can not move for the camera! They can't even blink their eyes.

 

SPOILER ALERT: As noted before, In the Dreams of Those with Unblinking Eyes is actually quite complex, but you have to study the imagery. It's not just guy walking around and drawing. Running through some of the shots... Why was the deer fixated drawing supplies? Does it know what is happening or what happened? The man ends up at an old pump house / water tower. Did the water flowing through it once feed the dilapidated fountain -- the fountain that is now lacking empty and dead? Are the tiles in the fountain dreaming about a lake with water lilies because they miss the once very wet fountain? The man repeatedly looks up while drawing up as if sketching a model. Is someone else there? What is he drawing? Ultimately, it's a rather cryptic image of Psyche (which a Munch fan might notice but most people would probably have to wait until the credits to understand). What happens when the man becomes hypnotized by Psyche's "beauty" in his drawing? The horse becomes agitated. Is someone else there again? Psyche was married to who? Eros. Eros has what? A bow and arrow. Why do the bells ring when he's struck down by the arrow? Were they the bells in the tile's dream? Why does the tile see the man with a pencil in his chest if he was shot by an arrow? Did the man kill himself? I am not saying this is some amazing symbolist maze of groundbreaking imagery and filmmaking. I am simply illustrating how the complexity of the story lies within the imagery though very little, if anything, is overtly explained. The viewer needs to use their imagination. Ok, I think at this point I'm rambling, so I'll stop but I hope you understand what I mean!

 

Do talk about your movie's approach to horror!

 

This film is very heavy on atmosphere -- at least, I hope as that was my intention. As per my usual way of doing things, I tried to put more emphasis on a supernatural / dreamlike quality in lieu of blood, gore, nudity, etc.  I do feel it's quite effective with this one or maybe I'm always just setting myself up for failure. SPOILER ALERT: That's not to say there isn't at least a little bit of blood in this one which brings me to something I need to explain. I do believe I partly failed with one aspect in this film. It seems most people fail to realize that it is the man's pencil sticking out of his chest at the end, not Eros' arrow. Did you notice? That is very important to the story, at least how I interpret it. I believe this could have been conveyed more clearly but the problem lies with the fact that it wasn't a normal, recognizable pencil with in an eraser and such. Furthermore, the shots were subjected to my usual flou/soft focus and day-for-night effects, obscuring it even further. I suspected it was going to be a problem when we shot the scene and, as much as I tried not to, I had to complain about it the whole time. I had a few solutions but opted not to use any of them and so I kept it as is.

 

In the Dreams of Those with Unblinking Eyes stars Ryan Capizzi, a bit of a regular in your movies - so what made him perfect for the part?

 

Really, what made Ryan Capizzi perfect was simply the fact that he is always available and he knows just what to expect! I shoot in my own style which doesn't typically jive with what is expected today. Sure, people familiar with Italian horror and the like will understand it, but the average person is probably expecting something more modern. Furthermore, anyone else is going to expect a full crew, catered lunch, etc. which they aren't going to get! I haven't had much luck working with new people -- of course with some exceptions -- so I try to stick with those who are tried and true with no surprises.

 

You also have to talk about your movie's location for a bit, and what was it like filming there? And did you write In the Dreams of Those with Unblinking Eyes with that particular location already in mind?

 

The film was predominantly taken on the grounds of the Glen Foerd mansion in Philadelphia, PA. It was constructed in the 1850s and is nestled on a plot of land surrounded a creek, river, by modern civilization. Being tucked away makes it more usable than anything else in the area. In fact, I have used it for several films, In the Dreams of Those with Unblinking Eyes, La Fleur du Diable, The Thousand Steps, Garden of Souls, and even shot or two in La Ragazza con il Cappello Rosso. So yes, you could say I wrote this particular story with Glen Foerd in mind but only as a location -- particularly because of the fountain, garden, statues, etc. The church and lake in the film were shot elsewhere in the city.

 

A few words about the shoot as such, and the on-set atmosphere?

 

Considering it was only me on set for many shots, or Ryan and myself, it was very easy and casual! With that said, I am very slow when it comes to shooting so there isn't much time for chatting, but there is always room for complaining. This one was no different! There were many little kids and a car that we had shoot around which complicated things that should have been easy. Furthermore, it was a partly sunny day -- albeit like 95 degrees. As any filmmaker can attest, partly sunny days are no fun as the exposure continually gets messed up which forces more takes. With all of that in mind, put yourself in our position and you can get a feel for the atmosphere!

 

One amusing thing did happen that I guess is worth noting. While filming some shots on the brick steps, a 5ft+ long eastern rat snake -- a rather large snake around these parts -- came slithering out right at our feet, putting a halt to things momentarily. I tried in vain to adjust the camera to film it. While harmless, Ryan was terrified the rest of the time because it was lurking right in the weeds, perhaps just a few feet away, as we continued filming.

 

You also composed the music for In the Dreams of Those with Unblinking Eyes - so what can you tell us about your movie's score, its musical style and influences?

 

I actually composed the opening movement long before there was even an idea for this film, but it was a perfect fit for setting the mood. I admittedly have a problem that I often will write random little pieces of music but will never finish full songs. In the case of a soundtrack work, sometimes that kind of works. With that sound and style of that one piece, the rest of the music fell into place while the film was in the works. I tried to go a little more "classical" with this one, as opposed to just ominous yet musical sounds, because of the slight romantic aspect of Eros and Psyche, though of course there still are some simpler themes. It no secret that Fabio Frizzi, Nico Fidenco, Stelvio Cipriani, Bruno Nicolai, Ennio Morricone, etc. composed some fantastic music, but let's not forget about the great Marcello Giombini! While Giombini was a master of many styles, his electronic scores -- mainly though not exclusively those for several of Joe D'Amato films -- are the best [Joe D'Amato bio - click here]! That was the biggest inspiration terms of the score. Anyway, Giombini sometimes went by Pluto Kennedy. So for my planet and former US president, for no other reason than how it sounds, I went with Neptune Van Buren.

 

The $64-question of course, where can In the Dreams of Those with Unblinking Eyes be seen?

 

In the Dreams of Those with Unblinking Eyes, along with most of our other films, can be viewed for free on the Filmiracle Productions YouTube Channel at www.youtube.com/
filmiracleproductions
. If you check it out, please subscribe, like, and comment! With that said, I must apologize for any ads you may encounter. I hate them just as much as you do. Filmiracle Productions does not monetize on YouTube but YouTube seems to put ads on our most "popular" videos (which aren't even popular in the grand scheme of things) so they can.

 

Anything you can tell us about audience and critical reception of In the Dreams of Those with Unblinking Eyes?

 

It seems people are really digging the film's style, music, and atmosphere, but as noted SPOILER ALERT: many seem to be missing the pencil at the end.

 

Any future projects you'd like to share?

 

I am almost always doing something, however at this time, I not actively working on any film projects. With that said, this period of downtime won't last long, I'm sure.

 

Your/your movie's website, social media, whatever else?

 

I do not have a big social media presence but you can always subscribe to the Filmiracle Productions YouTube Channel at https://www.youtube.com/filmiracleproductions and the rather rudimentary site at https://filmiracleproductions.blogspot.com

 

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Anything else you're dying to mention and I have merely forgotten to ask?

 

Nothing beyond many thanks for the interview and your support! I really appreciate it!

 

Thanks for the interview!

 

© by Mike Haberfelner


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Thanks for watching !!!



 

 

In times of uncertainty of a possible zombie outbreak, a woman has to decide between two men - only one of them's one of the undead.

 

There's No Such Thing as Zombies
starring
Luana Ribeira, Rudy Barrow and Rami Hilmi
special appearances by
Debra Lamb and Lynn Lowry

 

directed by
Eddie Bammeke

written by
Michael Haberfelner

produced by
Michael Haberfelner, Luana Ribeira and Eddie Bammeke

 

now streaming at

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Amazon UK

Vimeo

 

 

 

Robots and rats,
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love and death and everything in between,
Tales to Chill
Your Bones to

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Tales to Chill
Your Bones to
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a collection of short stories and mini-plays
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Tales to Chill
Your Bones to

the new anthology by
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Out now from
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