From visionary new filmmaker Arvi Ragu, and starring
Christian James (Hell Fest, Nashville), Alexxis Lemire (The Half of It), and acclaimed actor James Russo (Django Unchained, Beverly Hills Cop), Cerebrum is available On Demand in the US from May 4th, with a UK/ROI
release yet to be announced..
To make ends meet, Tom signs on as a guinea pig at a home-based lab, but
when he commits a crime he cannot remember, he must risk his own sanity to
reveal the truth.
Ahead of the film’s premiere at WorldFest April 25, we caught up with
Ragu.
How did you get into the crazy game of filmmaking?
I have a BS in Mechanical Engineering and MS in Computer Science. I was on
a path to the Geek Hall of Fame before I caught the movie-making bug by
way of a happy accident. Graduate school required me to take a minimum
number of credit hours to qualify for a tuition waiver. No required
computer science courses were available one particular semester, so I
signed up for a theatre acting class. What began as a filler class ended
as a lifelong interest. Several private classes in LA and Austin followed.
While acting in several short films and feature films, I fell for the
mechanics of filmmaking and went on to create short films. They led to my
first feature film - Cerebrum.
Most usually cite a movie like Star Wars or Rocky as
their earliest inspiration – what about you?
I grew up watching movies, but I never experienced them as inspirations,
just excuses to avoid school books on Sunday evenings. But when I started
acting in movies, I became interested and motivated to learn the craft.
Forrest Gump was the first movie to inspire me. I peel back
a new layer every time I watch it.
And did any of those influences help shape what would become
Cerebrum?
Not Forrest Gump, but definitely Ex Machina. It was a movie that made me think, “What if?”. Simple storyline
beautifully executed. A few other movies inspired my writing of
Cerebrum: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo for its suspense, and
Hell or High Water for its colour palette.
Is it fair to assume you might be a fan of Cronenberg and Nolan?
I am a through-and-through Christopher Nolan fan. He is a master of
holding audiences in suspense while telling complicated stories. And just
as you think you figured out the next story development, he throws another
twist at you. Throughout writing Cerebrum, I considered “What Would Mr. Nolan Do?” and aspired to write like him.
If I desire to meet another creator, I desire to meet him.
You clearly don’t like making sci-fi or horror just for the heck of it
– you’re all about a smart story first and foremost?
True sci-fi, to me, calls on plausible science, yet blurs the line between
reality and fiction. Cerebrum does this. A lot of research
went into the possibility and potential of memory backups, feasible
storage methods, and science’s definition of “memory”. (A bunch of neuron
connections, but what complicated connections!) I also challenged a sci-fi
film cliche - the blue-grey urban lab - where everyone wears spotless PPE
and walks on white tile floors under uniform fluorescent lighting. Why
can’t a guy from Texas set up shop in his barn and shift a few science
paradigms?
Give the readers an idea of what Cerebrum is.
Cerebrum is a science-fiction thriller about a guy who
volunteers to test emerging memory-transfer tech. When he commits a crime
he cannot remember, he risks his sanity to expose the truth.
The film is three layered.
Layer One is science fiction - a man who invents a cure for
Alzheimer’s by digitally copying a person’s memory and replaying it when
required.
Layer Two is a thriller - the protagonist commits a crime he cannot
remember, he has to trust his questionable memory to unearth why he
committed the crime.
Layer Three - the deepest - follows an estranged father and son in the
healing process.
Subtlety and innuendo niche themselves between the layers throughout the
movie.
Is there a lot of pressure on you with a film like this, being that
it’s a major film for you?
Pressure? What pressure? Hahaha! The first feature is always hard. I
sure hope I don’t rely on its success to define my worth. That said, I did
shift my other career - the one that pays the bills - into low gear so I
can concentrate on movie making. Therefore, in my head,
Cerebrum’s success becomes a bit more precious. Pressure mitigated and roadblocks
overcome make success sweeter.
In terms of creative choices, were there ever disagreements between you
and the producers? Or was everyone on the same page as to what this
was?
A mentor told me, “The director’s job is to bring out the best in people
around them then stamp their name on the end result.” Filmmaking is a
collaborative process with no room for ego in the process. If someone
calls you out or has an idea to offer, take the time to listen. If it
works, good; take it and run with it. If not, say no and stick with your
vision.
If an awards show played one scene from the film, which would you
suggest they choose to show?
Without giving too much away to your readers, a scene portrays the
protagonist learning for the first time a truth from his youth. In
childhood, he was too young to understand its significance and
consequences. It’s a pivotal moment during which he finally understands
motivations behind his dad’s decisions; it changes the course of the film.
All three actors delivered phenomenal performances to create a standout
scene.