Drawing With Chalk
“Drawing With Chalk” is about that most time-tested of stories- the dysfunctional family. It’s a film where the writer-director is also the star of the film. Thankfully, it’s also a film that captures the difficulties of life, love, and family with heart, smarts, and good humor.
Co-writers Todd Giglio (who also directs) and Christopher Springer star as friends Jay and Matt. They both work at Matt’s father’s steel mill, but want to do something more with their life. Namely, start a rock band. Jay’s had some marital problems with his wife Jasmine (Pooja Kumar), but they’ve done well in creating a life for them and their son Brian, although dealing with the in-laws is still an issue. But this holiday season, well, let’s just say these 30-somethings are at the point in their lives where they think maybe they need to do something more with their lives.
Every story has an infinite amount of directions it can go until the filmmakers boil it down to the direction they want to go in. This movie took me very much by surprise. It’s performances are natural, it’s story unpredictable, it’s themes very relevant in these economically-tough times.
How do you follow your passion when life pulls you in different directions? For Jay and Matt, it was always music. Needless to say, I identified with that. But when does doing what you love get in the way of doing what you need to for your family? That’s when choices get tough, especially when your livelihood is lost. The trick is finding a way to bring your passions and your responsibilities into as close an alignment as possible.
I get the feeling watching this that Giglio and Springer understand this better than others. Most indie filmmakers do I imagine- that’s why their first film tends to be on the fly (and made on the cheap) and not for millions of dollars. That’s why most writers-directors are also in front of the camera in their films. Here, they capture that determination to do what you love, and the way it conflicts with everyday life, as well as anyone ever has…maybe even a little better.
And I gotta say, there’s a lot of really great music in the film as well.
