Lance Edmands, "Bluebird"

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Lance Edmands of "Bluebird" talks about assembling a monster cast — Amy Morton, John Slattery, Margo Martindale, Adam Driver —and other challenges as a first-time feature-film writer/director.

Q. How did you come up with the idea for this film? Were you inspired by any real-life event?

A. As a filmmaker, I’m especially inspired by landscape and atmosphere. The relationship between people and their environment fascinates me, and I think that’s ultimately what compelled me to explore the mythology of where I grew up — in Maine. There, the dense forest looms ever-present, reminding us that nature is king and we are simply at the mercy of its will.

I was drawn to the stark images found in our northernmost towns: snowmobiles crossing a frozen lake, old paper mills billowing smoke, logging machines tearing down trees. The atmosphere is serene and beautiful, yet lonely and terrifying at the same time. It was an incredible mix of emotions, and I wanted to make a film with the same multilayered feeling.

The central event was actually inspired by a childhood memory. My brother fell asleep on the school bus when he was in kindergarten and was forgotten. As his older brother, it was my job to walk him home from the bus stop, but I chose to ignore him because I wanted to sit next to my friends. I never noticed when he didn’t get off. He was later discovered locked on the bus in the municipal garage.

It was autumn, so things didn’t turn out as badly for him as they do for the boy in the film, but this event, and the guilt that came with it, always stuck with me. It was a simple, mundane mistake — life slipping through the cracks — but after that day, I realized that a small error could have enormous consequences.

Q. What's your background? What other filmmaking experience do you think helped prepare you for shooting this film?

A. I was born and raised in a small town in Maine, so I figured the only way to get out and learn how to make movies was to go to film school. I moved to New York City in 2000 to attend NYU. After I finished, I began working as an editor, cutting documentaries, commercials and features. I edited “Tiny Furniture,” Lena Dunham’s first movie, as well as the documentaries “Wild Combination” and “Brock Enright: Good Times Will Never Be The Same.”

As an editor, I've been able to see projects through from the initial idea to the final screened product, so I had some insight into what elements from the script are essential, and what are useful as building blocks for atmosphere and pacing. I felt my editing background helped me on set to concentrate on what I knew was going to end up in the final film as opposed to on the cutting room floor. But it's still very, very difficult to know for sure. I think only the masters can truly do that.

Q. One of the things I liked about "Bluebird" was that it was not overly plot-centric. Rather, it had one pivotal event and then observed how it reverberated through the lives of the various characters. Talk about your storytelling ethos.

A. I feel drawn to stories that look deeper into the banalities of everyday life in order to find meaning in the things we take for granted. For example, the central tragedy of “Bluebird” isn’t fantastic or extreme. In fact, it’s rather mundane. But it’s the very simplicity of the situation that allows the story to go one level deeper and explore the inner lives of these characters.

The relationship between people and their environment is also very important to me. I’m fascinated by how our simple human struggles stand in stark contrast to the stoic natural world. As a result, I favor visuals that emphasize setting. I like wide-open frames with room to breathe and time to consider. I believe atmosphere and mystery are important to cinema, so in my films, I strive to have everything feel vaguely unknowable, not neat, clean, or pretty.

I still admire the classical tools of cinema: music, sound, cinematography and performance. To me, these are tools that reconfigure reality in order to lead us to a more concrete understanding of it. I don’t think film is very good at telling stories. That’s the job of journalism. I think film is the best medium for creating and sustaining a mood. So that’s what I try to do.

Q. The New England locations, accents, etc. are integral to the movie's tone. How did you come to choose your locations, and why?

A. The small communities established at the edge of the Great North Woods have become ghost towns. The mills are closing, the economy is failing and they’re all focused on one industry. Forestry sustained the region for a century, but with the housing crisis, cheaper foreign products and the decline of paper use, the old way of life has eroded. I feel like every character in “Bluebird” has been trapped, forgotten or left behind in this dying town. The metaphor of the boy seemed to be a perfect starting point to explore the atmosphere I was interested in.

Q. Obviously, this is an incredible cast. How do you go about assembling a group of high-profile performers like Amy Morton, John Slattery, Margo Martindale, Adam Driver, etc.?

A. We got a pretty incredible cast. Some of the actors are going to be recognizable to film goers, such as Amy Morton, one of the best stage actors of her generation, alongside veteran film and TV talent like John Slattery and Margo Martindale. But we also have younger, hugely talented actors that are going to be new to people, like Emily Meade and Louisa Krause.

We even cast some roles locally in Maine to get some truly authentic faces. We had a great casting director, Susan Shopmaker, who helped us get in touch with a lot of these amazing actors. John Slattery is originally from New England and so he understood that world. He also really wanted the opportunity to play someone who doesn’t wear a suit! John was in the original cast of the play “Rabbit Hole” on Broadway, so he had a good sense of how to inhabit a family tragedy story.

Every actor was like that; they were an organic choice for the role. We got very lucky that people liked the script when it was sent to them.

Q. As a relatively untested feature-film director, how did you approach directing these actors? What does one say to an Emmy winner/nominee on the set?

A. I tried not to think about it too much. I just said what I was feeling. I think if you get bogged down in being intimidated by the actors, then you become frozen and unable to give feedback. It’s a simple thing, really. You watch closely and if something doesn’t seem right, you try and find the language to correct it. It’s also not a one-way process; it’s a collaboration. So ultimately, it’s just about communicating. You get better at developing a language as you go along.

Q. What's next for you?

A. I’d like to continue making challenging, emotional films that push the boundaries of traditional narrative. I want to write a play, I want to do a photo series and I’d love to make a documentary. I think this is the most exciting time to be making films. There’s so much diversity in style and subject matter while the ways that artists can connect with audiences continue to evolve. It’s certainly a challenge to fight at the margins of mainstream filmmaking, but it’s more than worth it. I’m glad to go to battle every day.