ComingSoon’s Jeff Ames recently had the opportunity to speak with writer/director Adam Sigal about his new film Chariot, which is out now in theaters, digital, and on demand. The film is written and directed by Adam Sigal and stars Thomas Mann, Rosa Salazar, Scout Taylor Compton, Vernon Davis, and Chris Mullinax, with Shane West and John Malkovich.
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“In this dark and twisted thriller, John Malkovich stars as Dr. Karn, an odd, eccentric specialist who guides unknowing patients through the reincarnation transition,” says the synopsis. “When Harrison (Thomas Mann) experiences mysterious recurring dreams, he turns to Dr. Karn for help and reveals his encounter with a woman (Rosa Salazar) he loved in a previous life. Noticing a glitch in the system, the doctor must fix the issue before permanently derailing his patient’s future.”
Jeff Ames: I watched Chariot this weekend and have to admit that while I liked it, I don’t think I entirely understood it. But I’m pretty sure that was by design.
Adam Sigal: [Laughs] Absolutely. So, in my next film, I have a very prominent actor who we’re trying to get attached in a supporting role. He watched Chariot and his response was, “You know, I can’t say I fully understood it, but I really enjoyed the parts that I understood.” That is the perfect praise, that’s what I want.
Well, to your credit, it’s a well-acted, well directed film that I have a desire to go back and watch again. I thought it was amazing.
That’s good, then my work is done! It’s an ambitious concept and I did my best.
Ok, so, I’ll start there. Where did the concept for Chariot come from?
I love high concept sci-fi done on a smaller scale. I really wanted to tell a story about death and reincarnation but not in this big epic, sweeping Matrix-y kind of way, but in a more subtle way. So, that’s what I set out to do and maybe I accomplished some of my goals here and there.
The impetus behind the story is the last sort of frontier that humans have not demystified is death. there are a lot of things throughout history that have been mystified from why the sun moves across the sky to why we don’t float off the earth to why there are waves in the ocean. We came up with these sorts of mythological explanations for these things that we didn’t understand. Science has solved pretty much everything except death. No one can look you in the eye with scientific certainty and precision what happens after we die.
My goal with Chariot was not to present my opinion about what happens after we die — I don’t think John Malkovich is going to come find you, just so you know — but to give the idea that maybe it’s something that’s sort of mundane. Something that’s just simple. And it’s not something that needs to be mystified or so terrifying.
So, that was my ambition philosophically with the film.
Interesting, so where do you even begin with something like this?
Well, there are two aspects of Chariot. There’s the story and then there are these sorts of odd segues into these odd characters. Hopefully, this answer makes sense: some of the filmmakers I really respect are guys like the Coen brothers or David Lynch. When they have a theme they want to express, they don’t necessarily look at [it like], “OK, I need to take a linear approach to how I’m going to convey this.” Instead, they try to tell a story that conveys the emotions and makes you think about that theme.
With Chariot, there are two aspects, there’s the story with Thomas and Rosa and John — the guy is having a dream, he keeps remembering something from a past life and he doesn’t know what it means, it turns out it’s a girl, they reconnect, he starts remembering more, Malkovich realizes it’s this glitch and he’s got to find it. That’s the basic story, and it’s pretty simple.
Then there are the other aspects with these side characters. And those accomplish a couple of things. They contribute to the overall atmosphere of the film on a superficial level, but they almost tell short versions of the theme of reincarnation and life and the duality of a person. Hopefully, that makes sense in how I crafted it.
Absolutely, but you also keep the film relatively light with touches of comedy here and there.
I think you have to. When you’re trying to be this ambitious on an Indie scale, you have to keep it light. Humor is the best way to communicate these kinds of concepts. If you go too heavy with it, not only is it confusing or not only is it nonlinear and challenging but it’s also heavy, and then it’s like, “Oh my god.” So, if you try to keep it lighter it is more easily digested.
What’s the most complicated aspect of a production like this?
Getting it financed. I mean, let’s be real … it’s always an incredibly strange journey from writing a script to getting it made in the Indie world. That’s the most complicated aspect, especially for someone like me who doesn’t set out to do a thriller or an action or faith-based film. I’m trying to make avant-garde films. So, I have to be a really good salesman and communicate the concept in a way the producers can understand.
What was the selling point?
It is a universal concept. Everyone thinks about death, what comes next, and reincarnation. Most people have lost someone and so those are universal themes. If you can touch on those points even the coldest of businessmen think about those concepts. I’m very passionate about my work, so I can communicate my vision and at least what I’m trying to accomplish. Then it’s just about them believing in it.
Attaching John Malkovich doesn’t hurt, because then they’re like, “OK, other artists that we respect are passionate about this as well.” Then it becomes easier, though it’s still a challenge right up until you’re in production, and then it’s even more challenging, but that’s the basics of it.
You touched on John Malkovich, but you’ve got an amazing cast — Thomas Mann, Rosa Salazar, and even Vernon Davis, which, as a Seahawks fan, I’ll forgive.
[Laughs] Yeah, I’m not a 49ers fan either. That was such an interesting experience and Vernon was so amazing.
What made you choose these actors for these specific roles?
You know, I wish it was a crazy story where I was at a party and just got them all in, but the truth of the matter is it came through a variety of different ways that are pretty boring. John was the first domino, and that as just an introduction through a friend. John just loved the script. We did a Zoom meeting and he said, “Adam, I love the script and I’m doing the movie,” and I said, “Ok, let’s close with your agent,” and he said, “All right, if you want to, but I’m doing the movie. You can book my travel.” He just loved the script. He told me he usually gets a lot of bad scripts that he has to rewrite, but he loved the script and told me, “I thought it was very intelligent and I’m not changing a thing.” That’s amazing praise from a guy like John.
Rosa was the next one and that was just a submission through her agency. She just loved it. Rosa is like me. She’s very Avant Garde and very independent minded. Sure, she’ll do a Robert Rodriguez comic book movie, but she has a very independent spirit. When we had those two attached, Thomas is with the same agency as Rosa and they pitched him. I liked all of his work and thought he was amazing in this movie.
Vernon and I share a publicist and he kept saying you gotta put Vernon in this movie. I was like, “This guy is on my fantasy football team,” and he was like, “No, he’s a very serious actor.” I spoke with Vernon a few times and he was very into it and had a lot of great ideas.
Now, my production designer referred me to Scout Taylor-Compton and she was great. And Shane [West] has been a friend of mine forever. He was one of the first people I ever met out here and we always wanted to work together, and this was the one.
Is it intimidating to have all of these big names on set?
It is with a guy like John, but he’s so cool and so nice and so unassuming and so professional. He was so easy. I had no idea what I was gonna get. I heard he was difficult, I heard he wasn’t difficult, but he was a kitten. So nice and so professional and so into it. If they’re passionate about the project, it gets really easy to work with them. It becomes just work, you know, let me get the best performance out of these guys. That’s it.
Is there a particular moment you want audiences to pay attention to?
I love the opening. I got a lot of pushback during prep and never felt like it was going to happen. But I wanted to establish a timelessness of this story. The timeless aspect of this “corporation,” so I really love the way the opening turned out with this phenomenal actor named Chris Mullinax – this guy from Alabama who was perfect for this role.
It kicks things off on an interesting note, then you have the jump cut to present day …
Strange as it was, that sequence worked exactly how I wanted it to. It was great.
So, this is the fifth project you’ve worked on as a director, following When Starlight Ends, The Two Dogs, Stakeout, and the Astral Man TV series. How has your style evolved since your first project?
I think I’ve just learned a lot about indie filmmaking and what works and what doesn’t. One thing I’ve learned throughout all of my films and especially on Chariot was “simplify.” It’s so hard to make an Indie film in general, the more complexities you introduce in any department, the less chance you have of it being amazing. So, if you can simplify, do it!
Any upcoming projects you can share with us?
Yeah, I’m heading to the U.K. to work on my next project. We’ve got a big star attached who I’m really excited for. We can’t announce it yet, but I’m really excited for it.
