The Taiwan Oyster is now available to purchase on iTunes or for rental/purchase on Amazon Instant Video.
I had the opportunity to screen The Taiwan Oyster just a little under a year ago since I worked alongside director Mark Jarrett on the production of another film. This is a unique and hugely aspirational debut feature from a triple threat kind of guy (that I happen to know personally and like a lot. You know, full disclosure and all.) The cinematography in the film is breathtaking: shot on location and taking full advantage of it’s Taiwanese backdrop. And the story is a road trip you’ve probably never seen before. There’s a humorous and meditative feel to the whole adventure, and I recommend you check the film out as it hits VOD this week!
So to celebrate the film’s release I thought I’d ask Mark just a few questions about The Taiwan Oyster. See what the man has to say about his unique debut.
Ed Travis: You co-wrote this film with your brother and the whole project is a bit of a family affair. What was the very first kernel of an idea that you had for this script? And additionally, what was it about this idea that inspired you to go ahead and write and make the thing?
Mark Jarrett: My friend and (our other co-writer) Jordan Heimer and I were brainstorming film ideas that we thought would be feasible to make for very little money. We didn’t want to be limited to the one or two set horror movie. We began to like the idea of a road trip story as a first film. We landed on the idea of setting it in Taiwan (to give the classic American genre a new, foreign backdrop, to draw from a well of stories Mitchell and I had about our experiences, and because we [erroneously] thought it would be inexpensive to make over there.) The idea for the body developed out of the Faulkner novel I was reading at the time, “As I Lay Dying”. We moved forward, eventually exploring themes from the work. The film used to open with a quote from the novel and we had Simon reading passages on screen, however, the Faulkner estate denied use (citing that it might be confusing because they happened to be releasing James Franco’s Adaptation of said novel. Hmmm). I am still a bit bitter about that one.
ET: You are able to capture some awesome visuals by shooting on location in Taiwan. What is the single craziest story you are willing to share publicly on the internet about shooting on location?
MJ: Mitch reminded me recently of the day we filmed the burial scene. He was left at the chosen site (which was on property we hadn’t secured YET) with a couple of shovels for the morning to dig the hole. Running out of time he flagged down an aboriginal road worker (who spoke neither English or Chinese) who was driving a backhoe down a nearby highway. Mitch charaded his request. He was able to get the man to drive to the site and dig what was (obviously) a grave, for about twenty bucks. That was a little loco. Nice fella though (I guess.)
That and filming in a working morgue. There were actual bodies in the drawers when we filmed the refrigerated unit.
ET: The film deals with a world I’m not at all familiar with, ex-pat English teachers. Does your film attempt to portray what these folks’ lives are really like? Or was this story just all about the characters? Or was it a combination of both?
MJ: We like to say our film portrays AN ex-pat English teacher experience in Taiwan in the late 90s (by no means definitive). That being said, I think it touches on feelings and themes that people who uproot themselves and move to another culture might share. At the end of the millenium, Taiwan was a wee bit wilder than it is now. We were and are trying to evoke that time/era a bit.
ET: How autobiographical did you and your brother go when writing this film? Are the lead characters extensions of you two and your relationship? And secondly, how challenging was it to write with authenticity about the Taiwanese culture when you clearly are not Taiwanese?
MJ: We all drew on stories, experiences and shared Taiwan lore, but we blended it and changed it, and made it unique to the film and the characters. The actors brought A LOT to the development of the characters that you see on the screen. I know that seems like I am stating the obvious, but they REALLY made the characters their own creations. They would sometimes ask what their character might do or how he/she would react in the early days of filming. But by the end of the shoot, they were suggesting.
Regarding the second part of the question, we had Taiwanese friends and producers help us with the cultural aspects and translations.
ET: Any final encouragements for those who are on the edge about whether they’re going to check out The Taiwan Oyster?
MJ: Take a little jaunt to southeast Asia. Give it 20 minutes and if you’re not hooked by then it might not be your thing. Oh, don’t forget that it is a dark comedy and it’s okay to laugh.
Mark is a funny dude, as you can see from this interview and as you’ll find if you get a chance to check out The Taiwan Oyster. I’m excited to see what future projects he can concoct, only to have them minorly thwarted by the Faulkner estate.
And I’m Out.
Originally published at old.cinapse.co on October 11, 2013.