1997
Writer/Director: Tom DiCillo
Cast: John Turturro, Sam Rockwell, Catherine Keener, Lisa Blount, Rica Maartens, Annie Corley.
Festivals: Venice, Sundance, Seattle, Toronto, San Francisco.
US Distribution: Trimark.
Books: Notes From Overboard, film diary and screenplay.
Related Blog Posts: Roll Model, Whacked But Fact 2.
Box of Moonlight TRAILER
Box of Moonlight was supposed to have been my 2nd film. The relative success of Living In Oblivion finally pushed one financier over the edge and one day in 1997 I found myself in Knoxville, Tennessee actually directing the film. It had been a point of the writing to get out of NYC, away from the Lower East Side rubble without a cause that had been the focus of so many films I’d worked on.
I actually spent a lot of time as a kid in small towns all across America. I wrote Box of Moonlight as an attempt to revisit that emotional landscape. There are some elements of my childhood in it (the flashcards), some aspects of my father (the flashcards) and some aspects of my belief that everyone should go through a healthy period of juvenile delinquency at some time in their lives.
I tried to maintain the family of actors and crew who had come together on Living In Oblivion as much as possible. I wrote the part of Floatie, the slightly dented phone-sex operator for Catherine Keener. Dermot Mulroney went pretty deep with the small town bully, Wick. Lisa Blount was new, though I’d been enormously impressed with her work in An Officer and a Gentleman.
The core of the film though is the relationship between Al Fountain (John Turturro) and the Kid (Sam Rockwell). My respect for both actors is tremendous. Both could not have had more different acting styles. Sam had auditioned for me for Johnny Suede and I’d been so impressed with him I kept him in mind for this film. It was Turturro’s performance in Quizz Show that made me really push to get him into the film.
It was a tough shoot. In fact, it blew my mind that shooting scenes of such pastoral beauty could be accompanied by such trauma. The day before we shot a scene of Turturro swimming in an abandoned rock quarry we learned a swimmer had just drowned in it. The rescue diver who’d tried to retrieve the body from the depths was bitten by a water moccasin and also died. I did not tell Turturro this.
The film was accepted by the Venice Film Festival. During the screening the sold-out audience was completely silent. I was convinced it was a disaster. Then the lights came up and the entire audience rose in a lengthy ovation.
But, nothing affects me as much as hearing to this day how deeply this crazy film has touched people. The ones it does, it touches strongly. Some critics minimized the film as a “hippy fairytale.” Even a cursory glimpse of Sam Rockwell’s damaged and troubled Kid shows that nothing could be further from the truth.
Mr Dicillo,
My favorite movie of all time is box of moonlight. I have the soundtrack, but the one song I really want is “Cerveza”
I have searched everywhere and can not find it! How can I purchase a copy of that song?
Thanks!
Steve (Very loyal fan!)
Hey Steve,
I’m really pleased you like Box of Moonlight so much. Unfortunately Cerveza is not currently available. I wrote and performed it myself during the editing of the film. We needed some background music and we’d run out of money to license anymore songs. If I remember correctly my editor, Camilla Toniolo sings on it.
I have no idea where the original complete song is. It would take some work, and some money to find it. But, I’ll keep my eyes out. If I make any progress I’ll let you know.
Thanks for writing. No need to call me Mr. DiCillo. The only people who ever called me that were annoyed highschool teachers and policemen.
best,
Tom
Love this movie. I grew up and still live where it was filmed swam in that same quarry, shopped in the same stores,and ate at the diners .knoxville is a beautiful home and this movie takes me back to 97.thanks
Hey Chuck,
Great to hear from you. I feel the same way you do about that part of Tennessee. Shooting in Knoxville was kind of a happy accident, but also one had some forethought. I needed a location that gave me flexibility in terms of weather–if the financing got delayed for a few months at least I could still shoot there and have it seem like summer.
But, from the moment I got down there and started driving around I felt something very strong. The surrounding countryside is almost mythically lush and beautiful. And that quarry. Man, some stories there for you. Turturro could not swim. I’d promised him he’d never have to be in water that was over his head. When I chose the quarry as a location I reported back to him and in response to his question about how deep it was I replied, “20 feet, in some places.”
Of course in most places the quarry was over 300 feet deep. And the week before we shot there a swimmer died after being bitten by a water mocassin. And the rescue worker who went down to retrieve the body died as well.
But, I have great memories of the shoot, especially from the amazing people who welcomed us so completely and so openly.
best,
Tom
Dear Tom,
Thank you very much for your film. It too touched me very deeply and strongly. There were so many wonderful scenes but I particularly enjoyed watching Al and the Kid meet the Dupre sisters by the rock pool and their time together back at Kid’s home. The awkwardness of these scenes was really moving, and it made me realise that many kids, or adults for that matter, are often unable to immerse themselves in these types of experiences. I think your film would also be of great benefit in therapy for anyone who has had difficulty in developing capacities for play, relationships and engagement in life. Thanks heaps, Sam.
Hey Sam,
Thanks for writing in. I’m interested in your comment. That was much of my intent in the film; to find a beauty and simple joy in some of the most commonplace aspects of life. Jumping into a clear pool of water, eating a tomato–THROWING a tomato. You know, it doesn’t take much–just a little mental and emotional adjustment and that childlike sense of wonder and goofiness can come back.
I don’t quite see film as therapy but more as simply taking someone on a journey. Don’t get me wrong; therapy is good–in a therapist’s office. For me films should should have no walls, no chairs and no couches so to speak. But, I understand your point.
I’m glad you liked the film. It was a bear to shoot but I’m proud of what ended up on the screen.
best,
Tom
Last night, my college aged daughter and a couple of her girlfriends came over to hang out with dear Dad. I promised them dinner and a movie. The dinner was steaks and potatoes and the movie was your contemporary classic Box of Moonlight. Another generation soon joined the ranks of those who loved the movie. It strikes many an emotional nerve but does so in a manner that evokes a lot of laughter and and a few tears. The acting is superb, each actor/actress so successfully conveying the emotional essence of the respective characters. The context was quirky but the message was clear. The juxtaposition of scenes of the gritty working class neighborhoods in contrast to the lush green rolling hills of the countryside was intriguing in and of itself. Of course, the fact that it was filmed in and around Knoxville and Maryville would have made it worth a watch for me as I have worked and resided in those two communities for many years. A wonderful woman named Ruby Love was the nanny to my two daughters for all of their minority. One day she told me her son Randy was flying a helicopter for a “Hollywood movie”. So it was a treat to get to see Randy’s name on the credits too. Incidentally, the scenes filmed from the helicopter were fabulous. While watching the movie, my younger companions howled in laughter at the scenes from Bambi’s Nightclub. Of all the dives in East Tennessee, you managed to find that one, lol. Just curious as to whether you spent more time there than was absolutely necessary for the production of the movie?? Belated though it might be, may i say a job well done. John
Hey John,
I really enjoyed your comment. It was inspiring to catch a glimpse of the obvious trust and interaction you’ve established with your daughter. Not too sure how many parents could convince their grown children to sit down and watch a movie with them. Maybe it was the promise of dinner.
But, I am pleased to hear the film was appreciated. It was a real departure for me after Living In Oblivion and most people seemed stupefied by it. For me it was worth making just to see John Turturro do his little dance around the fire.
I think you can tell from some of my other comments here how much I loved that part of the country. I can honestly say Bambi’s was used for shooting purposes only. But on our scout to see the location, one of the dancers (a single mother with two children) asked me if I wanted a Donut Dance. Perhaps you have heard of this. I politely declined but I wrote about the experience in a book about making the film called Notes From Overboard.
I had a lot of interaction with many of the people who lived in the area. You might find the book of interest. You should be able to find a copy floating around on the web somewhere. Randy is in it, including the part where he was turned around talking to me while flying straight at the side of a mountain. Also, his gut-dropping swoops down to roof top levels just for the hell of it.
On that same road out to Bambi’s there was a place that sold used CD’s and DVD’s. I got turned on to some cool music there by the extremely enlightened staff. But, one of my favorite encounters was with the guy who was living in the little cinderblock shack at the top of the tomato field. When we walked up and asked him if we could shoot the tomato fight scene on his land he said, “Sure.” Then he added, “I’ll be gone on that day but I’ll leave the door open. Y’all can just come in and use the house. Use the VCR if you want to; I got a lot of good tapes.”
I never got a chance to get inside to check his film collection but I appreciated his hospitality. Thanks for watching the film. And thank your daughter and her friends for giving it a shot.
best,
Tom
I have shared your movie with so many people in a variety of contexts. The scene of the kid’s open front door with the back side of the trailer open inspired me years later to buy a double wide mobile home (couldn’t find just a half) and set them 20 feet apart. Later, when I read about what your inspiration was for that part I was pretty surprised.
It’s an awesome and complex film and I find fresh meaning each time I see it.
Dear Mr Dicillo:
I am so happy to have happened upon this website …
The reason that I found it on a Google search, is that I was searching for the precise quote that The Kid said when the box with the moonlight was accidentally opened.
So you like it, Mr Dicillo, when people reminisce about Box Of Moonlight? I hope you read this, then.
Let me tell you MY story: when the film first appeared, I was in Manhattan with three other girlfriends and we were looking for a movie to see, in one of those giant movieplex places. (My taste was not the same as my friends – case in point, a few years later, I dragged one of my friends into the same multiplex theatre to see Hedwig and the Angry Inch and I was totally enchanted by the story and the music and she was certainly not!)
With Box Of Moonlight, I saw the poster for it and I focused on it, even as my friends wanted something far more mundane. Somehow, I won them over. I am not saying they loved it (hey, you can’t please everyone) … but it matters not. I was totally enchanted. The film left me feeling all the things that I wanted to feel from a movie. I wanted to be in the scene jumping in the water or jumping over the little fire.
To this day, I am enchanted by Sam Rockwell’s performance. I think it was genius. The rest of the cast was great – I am a big fan of John Turturro, not to mention the others. Floatie was touching, innocent and sweet.
The film was magical for me, I have the DVD and I love watching it on my TV but nothing beats a theatre.
Thank you so very much!
Merci,
Anita
A fan
This is my favorite movie.
Last year I found myself alone on the night of the Forth of July.
You guessed it, I put in Box of Moonlight. Had a good night after all.
One of the many seens I love is when the hub cap rolled off Kid’s car. Classic!
Thank you for this quality movie