SXSW 2019: TONE DEAF Director Richard Bates, Jr. (Video Interview)

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Director’s Statement:

Tone-Deaf is a modern spin on a traditional home invasion horror film, a darkly comedic critique of the bizarre cultural and political climates in the United States, and hopefully a heck of a lot of fun. 

Whereas my previous films deal with very distinct characters and the details of their emotional traumas, with Tone-Deaf I felt it necessary to take a different approach. Fascinated by the troubling times in which we live, and how they’ll be perceived in the context of history, I decided to take a broader, more observational approach. And in doing so, the film serves dual purposes. 

First and foremost, to entertain and provide social catharsis for modern viewers. I created a heightened reality in order to hold a magnifying glass up to various aspects of the current generational divide, while still providing a sense of midnight movie escapism. 

Secondly, the movie exists as a cultural artifact – something to be re-discovered and gain perspective from, as it relates to a small but important piece of a much larger puzzle. 

Tone-Deaf was initially inspired by Norman Rockwell’s painting, The Connoisseur, which many believe sets out to satirize the artwork of Jackson Pollock. A gentleman wearing traditional business attire stands alone, inside an art gallery, staring off into a void of abstract expressionism. But the closer this director looks, the more I see a portrait of a frightened and confused old man at odds with modernization. 

Directed and Written By
Richard Bates, Jr.
 
Starring
Robert Patrick, Amanda Crew, Hayley Marie Norman, Johnny Pemberton, Nancy Linehan Charles,
AnnaLynne McCord, Keisha Castle-Hughes, with Ray Wise and Kim Delaney
Runtime: 87 Minutes | Rating: Not Yet Rated
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