DON'T COME BACK FROM THE MOON starring James Franco, Rashida Jones, Jeff Wahlberg, Robert Scott Crane, Jeremiah Noe and Cheyenne Haynes, opens in Los Angeles, New York, and select theatres and VOD on January 18th. It is directed by Bruce Thierry Cheung, which also happens to be his directorial debut as well.
 |
A scene from the film.
Courtesy of Brainstorm Media |
The film is based on the novel "Please Don't Come Back from The Moon" by Dean Bakopolous. It is a story of abandonment, where all the men in a remote California town walk away from their families, one by one. They leave their angry, frustrated sons and daughters behind — kids who act out, engage in acts of petty burglary and vandalism, and look for love and family connection in the aftermath of their abandonment, while trying to understand why their fathers have “gone to the moon,” leaving them to traverse the difficult path to adulthood alone.
 |
James Franco as Roman.
Courtesy of Brainstorm Media |
The idea for the film came when Franco and Cheung, who are long time friends and colleagues, were sitting down at lunch during a filming and Franco proposed the book to Cheung.
"I loved the book. It reminded me of a short film I did called "Disappearing Days," said Cheung. Franco helped him to cast Rashida Jones in the film as well.
 |
Rashida Jones as Eva.
Courtesy of Brainstorm Media |
If you have read the book, you will be pleasantly surprised to see that there are many similarities between the book and the film. What you will find different is the place where it all takes place - in the middle of a desert in California, in an old farmer's town that is dying. Cheung shares that he chose this place due to budget constraints but he also fell in love with it. The setting adds to the nostalgic and sad feeling in the film. "I fell in love with Bombay Beach the moment I saw it," he said. The film received a Panavision Filmmaker's Grant, which helped to make it.
 |
Jeremiah Noe as John.
Courtesy of Brainstorm Media |
Even though this is Cheung's directorial debut, the film is extremely well done and moving. In my interview with him he shared how the casting was done on the road in search for great talent in places like bars, deserts, schools, and the director was amazed by "the great and raw talent I found." Most of the actors you will see featured in this film are faces you have never seen before but faces you will remember as the acting is stupendous. The film has also big names like James Franco and Rashida Jones but it is heavily carried by the acting of young stars like Jeffrey Wahlberg, Alyssa Steinecker and other extremely talented stars. It comes with no surprise that great talent can be found anywhere and this cast was a proof of that. "I had a long talk with Jeremiah Noe at the American Legion in Bombay Beach. I asked him to improvise a scene and he said to me he has never acted before. He had to say goodbye to his son after deciding to abandon him. He broke my heart when I saw how gifted he was," said Cheung. The film was shot for 17 days in Bombay Beach. A lot of the actors are non-actors who lived in the area.
 |
| Courtesy of Brainstorm Media |
Cheung decided to explore and focus more on the lives of the children alone and the effects the absence of their fathers had on them. "My father and I were not on good terms for many years of my youth. My girlfriend, Jaeh, wanted me to become a father too soon. This made me think of my father even more. I think about how he was my age now when he had me, about his failures, and what I learned from him too. The film is very much inspired by him. The things I couldn't figure out how to say to him directly and wanted to say in the film." Even though he never felt quite ready to be a father in the beginning after making the film he feels it brought him closer to his wife and child. "I made this film with my wife. She is a cinematographer and by working closely together, it brought us closer together as a family," he said. The film helped him understand and appreciate being a father even more.
About Bruce Cheung
 |
| Courtesy of Bruce Cheung |
Cheung was born in the US from a Vietnamese heritage, in Hong Kong and LA, and he says he never felt he quite fit in. He is a former architect, cinematographer, screenwriter and now director. Cheung’s short film, EACH MOMENT IS THE UNIVERSE, premiered at Tribeca Film Festival and was a Vimeo Staff Pick.
He received his MFA in Film from NYU, where he served as a department Fellow and a teaching assistant for Spike Lee. His cinematography credits include the feature films THE ADDERALL DIARIES (Tribeca 2015), YOSEMITE (Sundnace 2015), THE SOUND AND THE FURY (Venice 2014), IN DUBIOUS BATTLE (Venice 2016) and ZEROVILLE (2017).
He is a frequent collaborator of James Franco and recently co-directed the post apocalyptic feature film FUTURE WORLD with him.
DON'T COME BACK FROM THE MOOM is his feature film debut.
