You spend so much time there and over there that you’re not really where you’re supposed to be. You start to fixate and dwell on your past, while trying to figure out the future. It’s something that we all struggle with as human beings, particularly as adults. The biggest thing that I’ve gotten out of making this film is my realization as to how important it is to remain present in your life. Did Isaac have any idea as to what was going on while you were shooting the movie? We spoke briefly about this before, but child actors are always so intriguing to watch, especially when they’re performing at such an early age. It’s a sigh of relief! Now we can have a conversation instead of pretending to be people that we’re not. When you go to a party and see people not really being themselves, you meet that one person who’s totally themselves and that sort of gives you permission to be yourself. To make a film that’s really steeped in incredible amounts of honesty and vulnerability, it allows people to relate to it. I think a lot of people walk around with so much vanity that they forget what it’s like to be in intimate and loving relationships. I love seeing vulnerability in people in real life. And you’re right, it is a very transparent film. It’s really therapeutic for me and I get so much out of it. Writing is an exploratory process of themes and questions that are running through my own life. I’ve struggled with maintaining my income while providing for my child. It was incredibly personal although I’m a much happier guy in real life. How personal is this film to you, really?
It’s certainly not an autobiography, but you play an actor in the film and you even cast your real life son. I like your use of the word “transparent”. If you live in one of these ten select cities, you can go watch it on the big screen. Now with this theatrical run we’re getting, it’s like the film is getting another life. Video on Demand and iTunes alone put the movie into the homes across the country where maybe they don’t have these little art house theaters. On this film, there’s a mutual admiration on all of our parts. Oftentimes, they turn the film over to a team of people, supposed experts in their field or arena, and squeeze a crucial person out of the creative process. This person probably has the best idea about how to market the film to get it seen by as many people as possible. What a lot of these companies usually do is push out the one person who understands what’s best for the film. It sounds like a very honest relationship that you formed with these two companies. They were very upfront and clear about what the movie is and how it should be distributed. We talked almost on a daily basis to discuss strategy. I got really lucky in finding Gravitas Ventures and Variant Films, two companies that really embraced the change of how movies are being seen nowadays. I’ve been a part of so many indies that have great premieres, but then end up with a company where the filmmakers go through a torturous period. It’s like, “We’re going to take your baby and we’re not even going to tell you what the poster will look like.” “We’ll let you design the poster, but we’re keeping all the money and we’re going to lie about where that money is going.” It’s sad when stuff like that happens. But the conundrum with independents is that you try to get people to buy your film and you turn it over to some corporate entity that strips you of all your rights. You get to tell the kind of stories you want to tell. It has been interesting! You have a lot more control when it comes to independent films. What has the journey been like having premiered the film at Sundance last year and now getting it up on the big screen? We caught up with Webber via phone in a follow-up conversation to the one we had at the Sundance Film Festival last year where the The End of Love made its world premiere. The film features cameos by Michael Cera, Jake Johnson and Amanda Seyfried. Endowed with a raw but vibrant truth, The End of Love is a story about the universal pain of loss and the courage it takes to change.
Having cast his real life son Isaac opposite himself in this stark, yet intimate film, we can’t help but bear witness to the most private moments between father and son. When he meets Lydia (Shannyn Sossamon), a young mother, he’s no longer able to live in the comfort of denial. Their fates, now intertwined, hang in the balance as Mark grapples with his ability to grow up. When the mother of his two-year-old son suddenly passes away, he’s forced to confront his shortcomings. In Mark Webber’s second directorial feature The End of Love, Mark (played by Webber) is a struggling actor who’s stuck between the life he once knew and the one that’s waiting for him.
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