|
 Coppola, 27, adapted Franco's book "Palo Alto," a collection
of short stories exploring suburban ennui in his California
hometown, into a film starring young talent, led by Emma Roberts
and Jack Kilmer, out in U.S. theaters on Friday.
The filmmaker, the daughter of Gian-Carlo Coppola, who died
before she was born, and niece of director and writer Sofia
Coppola, began working on the film five years ago after
graduating from college with a photography degree. She wanted to
tackle a subject that she could relate to - the plight of the
American teen.
"When I read (Franco's) book, I just really fell in love with
it," Coppola said. "The dialogue felt real, and I haven't seen
anything like that in a while that really articulated what it's
like to be young today, even though his book took place in the
'90's."
Coppola's family has a history of exploring coming-of-age
stories, from her grandfather's 1983 films "The Outsiders" and
"Rumble Fish" to her aunt's 1999 feature film debut with "The
Virgin Suicides," all of which Coppola said she referenced
during her own debut process.
The film features vivid cinematography influenced by the
director's photography training, and follows four characters who
Coppola pulled together from the stories of Franco, who also
appears in the film.
April, played by Roberts, is introverted and mysterious, the
object of Teddy's (Kilmer) affections but who is seduced by her
35-year-old teacher, Mr. B (Franco). Fred (Nat Wolff) is the
dangerous rebel without a cause who woos the shy and quiet Emily
(Zoe Levin), only for their relationship to take a dark turn.
While Franco's book is set in the 1990s, Coppola sets her film
in the present, sprinkling cell phones in lightly, but she said
she wanted the film to feel "timeless."
TEEN BOREDOM
Franco, 36, wrote "Palo Alto" as part of his Master of Fine Arts
writing degree at Brooklyn College, and while he has delved into
writing and directing films, he said he didn't want to adapt his
own book as he felt too close to the material.
[to top of second column] |
 He chose Coppola, whom he met five years ago, to direct the
adaptation after seeing her photography.
"The photos seemed to have the sensibility that was similar to
the one I was trying to capture with the book," he said.
"They looked like little glimpses at youth that was filled with
dreaming, a bit of the mundane, a bit of skepticism about the
world around them, but also engaging with the world with a
creative spirit."
The actor was quick to emphasize that his own childhood growing up
in Palo Alto, an affluent San Francisco Bay Area community, was a
happy one, but he wanted to capture the boredom he and his peers
suffered.
"Even though I was in this great place and I was at a really good
school and I had friends and people thought I was cute, I still
remember feeling more like ... nothing works out," he said.
Despite Coppola's Hollywood ancestry, Franco said financing the film
was difficult due to the darker premise of the teenagers' stories.
He said he donated his own salary from a film project to make the
movie for a budget of under $1 million with his production company
Rabbit Bandini.
Playing physical education teacher Mr. B wasn't so easy for Franco,
who made his own breakout in Judd Apatow's "Freaks and Geeks"
television series as a brooding rebellious teen. The actor said he
"hated" one particular scene in "Palo Alto," which didn't make the
final cut, in which he reprimands two teen boys.
"I hated being on that side of things, because my alliance is with
the kids in the book, all my feelings align with the kids, so I
hated being the bad adult," he said with a laugh.
(Reporting by Piya Sinha-Roy; Editing by Mary Milliken and Leslie
Adler)
[© 2014 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2014 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. |
