MovieMaker

Marc Maron Says Sharon Stone Told Him to Think of Lynn Shelton While Making New Film In Memoriam

View Website

In writer-director Rob Burnett’s In Memoriam, Langston, a dying man played by Marc Maron decides his life will only have meaning if he secures a spot in the Academy Awards In Memoriam segment.

Through this singular quest, the film covers a lot of thematic ground — legacy, grief, love, loneliness. Burnett and Maron discussed these themes, and the importance of honesty as a lens, during Wednesday’s Opening Night screening at the Santa Fe International Film Festival.

In Memoriam was shot in only 20 days, and that swiftness may have helped ensure the film doesn’t feel overwrought. Capturing natural performances was paramount to Burnett, who cast Maron and the amazing Talia Ryder, who plays his daughter Maura, primarily because of their ability to anchor their characters in reality. Both performers have a casualness about them that balances the heaviness of Langston’s prognosis, and the silliness of his dying wish.

“People talk a lot about the tone of films like this, and it really is all about the actors, right? You put different actors in this, and they’re going to push and they’re going to play things broadly. For me, my writing is best when everything hews to reality. And if I’m fighting actors that aren’t doing that, it’s tough. And with Mark, it was pretty easy for me, honestly,” Burnett said.

By Deirdre McCarrick