Box of Moonlight is perhaps my most misunderstood film. I wrote it during the four years it took me to raise the money for Johnny Suede, and it was supposed to be my second film. Up to that time, my entire filmmaking experience had been in the intense, gritty reality of New York City. As exciting as that was, there was a part of me that was curious about making a film in a totally different world.
As a kid, I moved to a different city in the United States every two years. Most of my childhood was spent in rural towns. One of the great excitements about Box of Moonlight was shooting it outside, in the open, in the woods of the small town America that I had known.
So, I chose Knoxville, Tennessee, for the location. It had an authentic Southern charm as well as all the fast food, strip mall cheesiness I needed for the story. But, just as crucial was the surrounding countryside. It had lush, rolling hills, meadows, streams, and densely wooded forests that evoked an almost mythic America that existed long before the Europeans arrived. Sam Rockwell came in to audition for me for Johnny Suede. He so captivated me that I wrote the part of The Kid for him. He waited four years, committed to me, until the money finally came through. Catherine Keener and Lisa Blount are wonderful in the film, as are John Turturro and Dermot Mulroney.
David Zeiger (Trailers from Hell) on BOX OF MOONLIGHT
Most people misinterpreted Box of Moonlight as a “hippie fable.” Which is too bad because it is the exact opposite. David Zeiger, at Trailers From Hell, is one of the few who noticed that. He just posted this video piece about the film. It was a pleasure to see how easily he observed the different levels of meaning.
Trailers From Hell: https://bit.ly/3GzGDf2
Watch Box of Moonlight
Streaming: https://bit.ly/4lL9HR4
Buy DVD: https://bit.ly/3EoDDBM
The Book: https://amzn.to/4lFrtFn
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