A Sneak Peek At – I’m Not Adam

This trailer looks pretty damn fine, I must say! It’ll be out pretty soon and I hope I get to see it someday. That this film will be good is a given as it is directed by Dennis Peters, a rather successful old film school classmate of mine along with his Heavybag Media company. How cool is that?

Man… a feature film… that sort of thing is just a dream (pipe?) for this guy. Damn! Kudos to ya, sir!

Interesting times they were… those oftentimes strange days at the University of Bridgeport’s film department. Ahh, yes, twirling Nagra knobs and Angenieux focus rings… there were some great moments back then. Anyway, on to the greatness at hand…

Uploaded by dpeters on May 23, 2010

The film I’m Not Adam is a psychological thriller about discovering who you really are. The Talking Heads song, Once in a Lifetime, was a big influence in creating the story for this film. This ode to existentialism written by David Byrne and Brian Eno is a brilliant work depicting the self-examination of life. David Byrne sings, “Who are you? And How did you get here?” The song explores being a conscious person.

Film Synopsis
I’m Not Adam is a feature length story about an everyday ordinary guy who is mistaken for a celebrity that someone is out to kill. He is pursued through the streets and back alleys of a nightmarish downtown, encountering strangers who have a mysterious connection to him. His only chance for surviving the night is to find his famous look-alike.

The film is directed by Dennis Peters.

Many great works such as the films of David Lynch influenced I’m Not Adam. Mulholland Drive, Lost Highway and Inland Empire explore the existential nature of life. The themes deal with the blurring of perception, reality and illusion. Being conscious and questioning who you are is often a central theme in Lynch’s films.

I think David Lynch is at the forefront of existentialist directors but many have explored the themes of personal identity, self-examination, and self-actualization. Other directors that were influential in helping shape the film include Stanley Kubrick, 2001 (my interpretation of the film is that Kubrick was saying no matter what we think we may achieve in life all we ever really do is eat, shit, fuck and die) Woody Allen’s film Love and Death, David Fincher Fight Club, and Terry Gilliam, The Life of Brian which is one of my favorites from the Monty Python guys.

There were a few philosophers that I referenced in crafting the story including the existentialist writings of John Paul Sartre and his thoughts on life and death and how existence comes before the meaning.
Carl Jung philosophy and writings about consciousness and the anima helped shape the characters in the film, especially the female ones.

In addition to Nietzsche, of course and Kierkegaard there is Albert Camus, most famous for his Myth of Sisyphus book. He was also instrumental in shaping the themes of the film. Camus’ absurdist philosophy states that the difference between the way life is and the way it should be defines the absurd.