WEIRD NEWS
Filmmaker Defeats Depression by Faking Intervention
Jan 18, 2011 – 7:30 AM
As it was for many people, the 2008 recession was a bad time for filmmaker Steve Moramarco.
"My life was literally in the toilet for about a year, personally and professionally," he told AOL News. "Everything was dead. As an actor, I had no auditions and there was basically no work. I was so underwater on my mortgage, I might as well have been a scuba diver, and my girlfriend left."
In better days, Moramarco had worked with Jack Black on films like "School of Rock" and was an associate producer on "Tenacious D: The Pick of Destiny." He also had the honor of appearing on the flip side of Beck's first single "MTV Makes Me Want to Smoke Crack."
Moramarco, a former precocious child, found himself suffering a serious depression and midlife crisis at the age of 41 -- at least two years before it usually happens.
"I looked at the instability of my life and had nothing to show for it," he said. "I never felt like I had to hide the knives, but I definitely felt like I'd be happier if I weren't alive.
"I thought about jumping off a building, but was afraid I'd fail at that," Moramarco said.
Instead, Moramarco decided to try something even more dangerous: "I tried to make art of my pain," he said.
Moramarco, who has worked as a musician, actor, director and occasional editor of wedding videos, decided to write a movie about how he got where he is and called it "The Great Intervention."
"The main character is this 42-year-old man-child whose parents are worried about his behavior and want to get him on a show like [the A&E reality show] 'Intervention.' However, his problems aren't bad enough for that show, so they hire a documentary crew to follow him in hopes of getting enough material so the producers will accept him.
"I always wondered how the producers of that show get the people to agree to be followed around, and I figured they must flatter the participants by telling them they're these undiscovered geniuses."
Moramarco didn't have to look far to find an actor capable of understanding the deep undercurrents of emotion of this character. Rather, he looked within and cast himself.
In the interest of realism (and, to be fair, budget) Moramarco also cast his college girlfriend, real-life friends and even his dad in the film.
"I did stage an intervention and I told the cast, 'Just write what you want -- real or not -- whatever you want to say,'" he said. "A few of the quips hit close to home, like when a friend of mine mentioned that my dog, Supermercado, died of neglect."
For Fred Moramarco, the idea of giving his son an intervention wasn't really a joke, even though the film is being marketed as a comedy.
"With Steve, there was always this frustration about him not getting his act together," Fred Moramarco admitted. "But I wouldn't have said the stuff I say in the film -- although I might have thought it."
To the elder Moramarco, "The Great Intervention" is as much about his son's depression as it is about a common problem among people who live in Los Angeles.
"A lot of people move there when they're young, trying to make it in movies and, at some point, they're in their 40s still trying to make it," said Moramarco, a retired English professor from San Diego State. "In the movie, there's a scene where I tell him, 'You're 42. When I was your age, I had published four books.' "
Moramarco raised $5,000 for the film, finished filming last July, edited it down to 90 minutes, and is now trying to get it into festivals.
"I'd like to get it past people who know me, because the question is, would anyone who doesn't care?" he said.
Still, he says people who've seen it have found the film profound, which he finds amusing, since his production company is called "Vaguely Profound."
"The actual film does take a surprising turn," he said. "It was amazing to tap into things in my 42 years on earth and put them in a little package. I mean, this is me. I just hope people don't think it's a 90-minute wank-off."
Of course, this is the part of the story where you, the reader, are supposed to find that, as a result of making the film, Moramarco's life is now in perfect balance.
Ah, but in real life, happy endings aren't so obvious.
"In a strange way, nothing has changed," he laughed. "I am still single, I don't have a steady job and I am still underwater on my mortgage. The only thing that has changed is my attitude. I've realized that how we react to everything is in our minds."
"My life was literally in the toilet for about a year, personally and professionally," he told AOL News. "Everything was dead. As an actor, I had no auditions and there was basically no work. I was so underwater on my mortgage, I might as well have been a scuba diver, and my girlfriend left."
In better days, Moramarco had worked with Jack Black on films like "School of Rock" and was an associate producer on "Tenacious D: The Pick of Destiny." He also had the honor of appearing on the flip side of Beck's first single "MTV Makes Me Want to Smoke Crack."
Moramarco, a former precocious child, found himself suffering a serious depression and midlife crisis at the age of 41 -- at least two years before it usually happens.
Eva Spelbrink-Izarry
Filmmaker Steve Moramarco tried to make light of his depression by staging a mock intervention for a new comedy "The Great Intervention."
"I thought about jumping off a building, but was afraid I'd fail at that," Moramarco said.
Instead, Moramarco decided to try something even more dangerous: "I tried to make art of my pain," he said.
Moramarco, who has worked as a musician, actor, director and occasional editor of wedding videos, decided to write a movie about how he got where he is and called it "The Great Intervention."
"The main character is this 42-year-old man-child whose parents are worried about his behavior and want to get him on a show like [the A&E reality show] 'Intervention.' However, his problems aren't bad enough for that show, so they hire a documentary crew to follow him in hopes of getting enough material so the producers will accept him.
"I always wondered how the producers of that show get the people to agree to be followed around, and I figured they must flatter the participants by telling them they're these undiscovered geniuses."
Moramarco didn't have to look far to find an actor capable of understanding the deep undercurrents of emotion of this character. Rather, he looked within and cast himself.
In the interest of realism (and, to be fair, budget) Moramarco also cast his college girlfriend, real-life friends and even his dad in the film.
"I did stage an intervention and I told the cast, 'Just write what you want -- real or not -- whatever you want to say,'" he said. "A few of the quips hit close to home, like when a friend of mine mentioned that my dog, Supermercado, died of neglect."
For Fred Moramarco, the idea of giving his son an intervention wasn't really a joke, even though the film is being marketed as a comedy.
"With Steve, there was always this frustration about him not getting his act together," Fred Moramarco admitted. "But I wouldn't have said the stuff I say in the film -- although I might have thought it."
To the elder Moramarco, "The Great Intervention" is as much about his son's depression as it is about a common problem among people who live in Los Angeles.
"A lot of people move there when they're young, trying to make it in movies and, at some point, they're in their 40s still trying to make it," said Moramarco, a retired English professor from San Diego State. "In the movie, there's a scene where I tell him, 'You're 42. When I was your age, I had published four books.' "
Moramarco raised $5,000 for the film, finished filming last July, edited it down to 90 minutes, and is now trying to get it into festivals.
"I'd like to get it past people who know me, because the question is, would anyone who doesn't care?" he said.
Still, he says people who've seen it have found the film profound, which he finds amusing, since his production company is called "Vaguely Profound."
"The actual film does take a surprising turn," he said. "It was amazing to tap into things in my 42 years on earth and put them in a little package. I mean, this is me. I just hope people don't think it's a 90-minute wank-off."
Of course, this is the part of the story where you, the reader, are supposed to find that, as a result of making the film, Moramarco's life is now in perfect balance.
Ah, but in real life, happy endings aren't so obvious.
"In a strange way, nothing has changed," he laughed. "I am still single, I don't have a steady job and I am still underwater on my mortgage. The only thing that has changed is my attitude. I've realized that how we react to everything is in our minds."
