>> Funding for Director's Cut
is provided by the University
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providing access to online
degree programs and certificates
offered throughout the
26 campuses of the UW System.
Information is at:
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>> When you lose something,
you find a way to replace it
with something else.
I met her.
I met them.
That was pretty much
the beginning of it all.
>> Welcome to Director's Cut.
I'm Charles Monroe-Kane.
That was a clip from "NoNames."
Inspired by true events,
the film chronicles the lives
of a group of friends
in a small town in Wisconsin.
We're joined today by director
and writer Kathy Lindboe,
and producer Robin Van Ert.
Thank you for joining us today.
>> Thanks for having us.
>> Great film.
I really liked it.
>> Thank you.
>> Robin, first you.
Can you give me just a basic
synopsis of the film?
What is "NoNames" about?
>> "NoNames" is loosely based
on a true story about Kathy's
brother and his group of
friends, just growing up
in a small town, in central
Wisconsin.
Just their struggles and
troubles with becoming adults in
a small town where there's not
a lot to do except go to a bar.
Job loss is,
you know, at that time,
is affecting all of them.
And they're just really trying
to figure out what they want to
do with their lives.
>> It's really about a group of
friends.
We see them in the opening clip,
and they're young.
They must be eight or nine years
old there.
They were like the best friends
forever.
Can you tell me just a little
bit about, like how many people
are in their friendship group?
A little bit about them, because
that's the pivotal part of the
film, I think.
>> Sure, yeah.
There were six of them who grew
up together.
Some of them are based
on real-life friends.
Some of them are characters that
Kathy created.
So, you watch them as children
and their behavior then,
into adulthood.
So, they're a very tight group.
You know, some of them don't
have good parental figures
around and stuff like that.
>> It's an interesting group.
The film is based on true-life
events.
How true is the film?
When we see this film, are we
really seeing your life?
>> Certain parts of it,
but not exactly.
A lot of it is definitely
fictional.
The lead character, played by
James Badge Dale, is based on
my brother Kevin.
And the character Rich, his best
friend is loosely based on her
brother, Rich.
And you know, just some of the
circumstances that happened
throughout the film, you know,
give a through line of it.
And we created a lot of the
little things in between just to
keep it flowing.
>> It's interesting.
You have a bar in the film.
Two bars, but there's one bar in
particular which is called?
>> Jack's.
>> And I see that bar, which is
basically a house bar.
It's a house that's converted.
They're everywhere here, which I
love them.
And it reminds me of growing up.
I grew up in a small town in
Ohio.
We had The Gables,
it was the local bar.
And like, that's exactly how it
is.
That's what people do.
That's it.
>> I'm glad that you knew it was
actually the house attached to
it, because some people don't
get that right away, sometimes.
>> I love a house bar.
>> It has to be.
Exactly, it is.
>> I wish I had grown up in one.
Do you feel, when you go back to
that town, this is filmed
in Babcock, Wisconsin, right?
>> Primarily.
>> When you go back to that
town, and you go in that bar, do
you see the film, or do you see
the bar?
What do you see first?
Do you see what you've
fictionalized in your head, or
do you see what it actually is?
>> No, I guess I don't see what
it is in the film at all.
Though, the bar we used for
primarily Jack's is actually in
Milladore.
And it was a bare stage.
It was a canvas.
They were selling it.
There was nothing in it.
So we came in, it was white
walls and a linoleum floor.
So, everything you see was
created by our production
design.
And we went back there now,
I forget what it's called,
Plow Boys, I think.
And we thought they'd keep what
we had, because it looked like a
pretty cool bar.
But they took it all down and
re-did it.
>> Aw!
>> No, it looks great.
But I mean, there is a character
study that happens in any
small town bar.
I think that we both grew up
in these bars with parents,
and friends, and all that.
We were the little kids in one
of the bar scenes, the bad bar,
that's really based on us.
We were the two young girls,
at seven or eight years old,
hanging out playing pool in the
corner.
>> How important is it to be
realistic for you?
As a filmmaker, not for the
people viewing it, but for you,
as the director, how important
was it for you to be like, no,
guys, we've got to do that shot
again.
This is how it was.
This is how it was when I grew
up.
Or, did you not care, just as
long as it looked good
artistically.
>> No, I guess I didn't.
The script, you know, there was
so much work in the script, so
that's when that all happened.
Once we got there, it was really
just getting true moments from
the actors.
Not as much as like, this is not
how it happened in real life, or
what I thought.
It was definitely the actors',
you know, journey and what was
working for them at the time.
>> But it felt real.
It really felt like small town.
>> Good.
>> I liked that.
I want to show a clip, and I
wonder if you could set it up
for us.
This is Ed and Kevin talking at
a Fourth of July picnic.
Can you give me a little context
on who Ed is, so we can
understand the clip?
>> Sure.
Ed is a marsh owner, and he owns
a marsh where Kevin once worked.
He's kind of the father figure
in Kevin's life.
He gives him a little bit of
direction after Kevin's brother
and sister leave.
So, he just really wants him to
make something of himself.
He sees something in him.
And so, there's some dialog
about, you know, getting it
right.
Kevin feels like he's kind of
finally starting to get it
right, but Ed kind of just needs
to push him along a little bit.
>> It's a great clip.
The Ed character is a really
important character in the film.
Let's see another clip here
from "NoNames."
>> I'll ask around
and see if there's anything.
>> I could use
something right now.
>> Why aren't you using your
welding degree?
>> You got something
that needs welding?
Somebody else got something
that needs welding?
Maybe there's a new company
in town I don't know about.
Exactly.
>> You could go look somewhere
else.
>> Shouldn't have to.
>> That's the way it is, Kevin,
whether you like it or not.
I'm lucky.
I still get to make a living
on my land.
All those other poor bastards,
they got rained out, hailed out,
dried out, and they moved on.
They didn't have any choice.
They didn't wait around
for something to happen for.
When it's time to go,
(###) go!
>> Well, that's just it.
I don't feel it's time to go.
I'm just starting to enjoy
myself, just starting to feel
like I'm doing something right.
>> Should Kevin stay
or should he go?
Kathy, tell me, what's
compelling him to stay and
what's compelling him to go?
>> His friends are definitely
the main force, you know,
keeping him there, as well as
his relationship with his
girlfriend.
You know, he loved the land.
So the real story about my
brother, he loved the area so
much, and loved hunting so much,
and just found his own peace and
freedom there.
But in "NoNames," I mean,
we really gravitated toward
the theme of just the friends,
his family, that's all
he really had.
That's all he thought he had.
But should he go?
Yes, probably, because I mean,
he doesn't have a job.
There's little work for anyone
around there.
And it seems to be a struggle to
survive all the time.
>> And it seems so powerful to
me, when I think about it for a
moment.
Because it's easy for us to say,
well he should go.
Just get a job.
The guy, he's got a welding
degree, and he should go,
and just go get a job
in the Twin Cities, or Chicago.
It'll be fine.
But you're like, wait a minute,
that's not cool.
I mean, his whole life is here.
>> Yeah.
>> It seems almost unfair.
And I think that film really
helped me understand that, that
there is a lot keeping someone
to what we might think
is a dead end.
But that's not a dead end,
that's his family.
>> Mm-hmm.
>> It's interesting.
Where is this film set?
>> It's set in central
Wisconsin, in a fictitious town
called Dexter.
We shot in some small towns,
Babcock, Dexterville, Warrens,
Milladore, Port Edwards.
>> And you both are from central
Wisconsin, right?
>> Yeah.
>> Do you feel like, when you
watch this film, does it depict
central Wisconsin life,
like bam, central Wisconsin?
>> We talked about this a lot.
We think it depicts our
brothers' lives, and their group
of friends at the time, and
certainly different kinds of
groups of friends.
But it was mostly about this
group.
I don't think it depicts
everyone's life there.
>> No.
>> But it's just a little
picture of how they lived at a
certain time.
You didn't romanticize it.
I watch a lot of Wisconsin
films.
And some of the films, I think,
have a tendency to romanticize,
which I think I do, too,
romanticize small town life.
You did not romanticize it at
all.
>> We do in general, all the
time, just talking about it.
We're two of those girls who
always talk about, like, we love
the house in the country with
dogs, and horses running around
and that kind of thing, too, and
the beautiful landscape of
Wisconsin.
We have those stories.
We've talked about them.
This one, though, it isn't about
that.
It's not about romanticizing
what just wasn't romantic at the
time.
It was just hard, you know, hard
lives, and struggling to get by.
>> We forget that rural life--
We all know about urban poverty,
but I think we forget about
rural life.
It's hard with almost 10%
unemployment.
It's higher in a small town.
Like he said, was there a new
welding firm somehow opened up
in town?
If there's a job, you know it.
>> When we started filming this,
I think that's when the mill
shut down, right?
>> Yep.
>> It was right when we started
filming this, or right before.
I think we were going in
pre-production.
You know more than I do, but one
of the biggest mills of like 500
people they let go.
Right there, in that town.
So, I mean, all these small
towns I think are having just
real difficulties right now,
so what do you do?
>> Right, what do you do?
That's the thing.
What do you do?
We're going to show another clip
from the film.
This one is interesting in
talking about the fictional
story of the film.
Maybe you could set this one up
for me.
This is Kevin and his father
talking in the truck,
talking about money.
>> It's a scene with James
Badge Dale and Jim McCaffrey,
and you know, again, the dad
wanting Kevin to do more for
himself, and watching him
continually fall on his face.
Kevin receives a sum of money.
And his dad, you know, doesn't
want him to waste it away, like
he's done with so many other
things in his life.
He's lecturing him about that.
>> A lecture from dad to son.
This is another great clip
from "NoNames."
>> I don't want to give
it to you yet, but it's yours.
>> Fifty grand?
>> From mom's settlement.
Katie got hers
when she turned 18.
>> So I should've had mine
when I turned 18?
>> You weren't ready yet, Kev.
>> I've been living like this,
and you've been holding out?
>> It's not yours.
>> My name's on the check.
It looks like my (###) money.
>> Yeah, I put it away for you.
>> Why are you playing games
with me?
Why are you asking me how
I'm living, or how I'm gonna pay
my bills when you had every
intention of handing this over?
>> 'Cause I wanted to know
how you're gonna get by.
This isn't the goddamn Lotto.
You didn't just hit the jackpot.
You need a car.
You need a place to live.
Right there, that money's gone.
Then what?
>> That's for me to figure out,
right?
( sharp sigh )
>> You can do whatever you want,
Kev.
You always have.
Just remember
where it came from.
( starts engine )
>> That is an intense clip
from "NoNames."
Kevin gets handed $50,000.
He buys a car and a house with
it for him and his girlfriend.
There's this great moment in the
film.
It was actually one of my
favorite ones in the film, where
he says, "I'm not going to blow
it this time, dad."
>> It's one of my favorites,
too.
>> I'm not going to blow it
again, dad.
But you're watching the film,
and you're like,
he's going to blow it again.
>> Yeah.
>> Why? Why--?
$50,000 is a lot of money.
>> Well, the movie would be over
in like, 30 minutes.
( all laugh )
You know, it's such a happy
moment of, you know, he
recognizes the fact that, I'm
going to have a great life now.
It just can't end like that.
>> Right, because the external
circumstances obviously don't
affect how you live your life.
>> Yeah.
>> It's almost like, even if he
moved, his troubles were going
to follow him until he gets his
own self worked out.
$50,000 is not going to solve
his problem.
>> No.
>> It's not that much money.
It's interesting.
You know, I was thinking, that
dialogue there really makes me
think about it, and some of the
lines.
There's some really good acting
in this film.
And a lot of times, with
independent films, the acting
really gives it away.
You can have a great script and
you can have the right cameras,
but often the acting
is a little below.
Where did you guys find such
great actors?
You were able to pay them,
right?
>> Yeah.
>> And that's good, but where
did you find them?
>> A little bit.
>> Starving artists.
No, we were fortunate enough
that we got the script in the
hands of a casting agency
in New York.
So, they helped us get actors
like, Badge and Gillian,
so we were fortunate there.
And then, friends of ours that
Kathy went to school with, are
some fantastic actors, as well,
you know, from Minneapolis,
some from New York.
So we called them in.
And then, our locals did a
wonderful job, too.
We were really fortunate.
But it started off with the
casting agency.
That's right off of the script.
>> Yeah, you've got to have a
good script.
But still, with a good script,
an actor can still kind of
run into the ground.
>> What's cool about Badge, too,
is that we went into our casting
agency, and she gave us like the
top 50 names of all the people
we should approach, like big
names, that would do a film like
this.
And so, we looked at them, and
we're like who's the up and
coming, interesting one that we
might not know yet.
She circled him right away.
And he just got done shooting
the "Pacific," and was back in
town a week when we met him.
We met him, and he was
the role right when we saw him.
>> To go back to the film,
there's a fire.
There's a fire in the film where
the house that he buys gets
burned down.
It's a heartbreaking moment,
just because you know his dreams
are in that film.
But what it also brings up, is
that he fixed up that house and
bought that house with a girl
named CJ, one of the circle of
friends.
Could you tell me about CJ, and
who CJ means to Kevin.
>> In real life, there were
different people that really
influenced him and his
relationships.
This character wasn't based on
one person.
It was one of the few that was
kind of made up of just
different people and ideas in
his life.
In the film, she's his
girlfriend since he was,
you know, 13 years old.
Met her, fell in love, and they
were together ever since then.
And I think it's one of those,
you know, love stories that
stands the test of time.
It's just those two, kind of
against the world together.
>> Yeah, they're definitely
together against the world.
I think that was very clear in
the movie.
I'm going to show another clip
from the film.
This one features CJ.
We need to meet her.
This is a great moment where
basically having an argument
in a cafe.
Let's roll that clip.
>> Would you give me two years?
Hmm?
If you give me two years,
I'll build you that house.
We'll get you that house,
and it'll be better than before.
>> How was work?
>> It was fine.
>> Did he get you back on
full-time?
>> No, no.
I know I need something else.
>> So, what are you going to do
tonight?
>> I don't know.
I thought maybe you and I
could go to Jack's for a while.
>> Oh, no, I do not
want to go there.
I don't want to sit in that bar
all night.
I'm getting off late.
I'm probably gonna have dinner
with my parents, and stay there.
They want to help.
They're helping.
>> Don't take their money.
>> I'm gonna take everything
they give me.
My dad thinks he can
get me a job at the mill.
>> You're not gonna work
at the goddamn mill.
>> It's a union job.
>> I don't care, CJ.
It's not a place for you.
>> It's good enough for my dad.
It's good enough
for everybody else in this town.
>> Listen, I can take care
of us, okay?
>> No, you can't.
Not right now, you can't.
Did you call your dad?
>> You want your mom and dad
and everybody else to save you?
Why don't you start asking
people here?
Excuse me,
can you spare some change?
>> Stop it, Kevin.
>> Spare some change?
>> Stop it.
>> You want some handouts,
that's fine.
I'll get us money.
I'll buy you that house.
Anything you want, honey.
( line rings )
>> Hi, you've reached
the Williams.
Sorry we missed your call.
Please leave a message after the
beep and we'll call you back
as soon as possible.
Thanks.
( beep )
>> Yeah, hey dad, it's me.
Um, house burned down.
CJ and I are completely (###).
She wanted you to know.
>> Complicated relationships
in life.
This film is so close to life.
What has the reaction been from
your father, for example, who is
the actor he just calls up.
What was it like for your dad,
for you to make this film?
>> I don't know.
First, he's been super
supportive the whole way.
I think some things are too
close to home.
Some things are tough.
Some things he doesn't see the
same way I do at all.
But he's been there from
beginning to end, from script to
onset with us, to production,
to film festivals.
And he loves it.
>> But what about the moments?
Did you have to pause?
Moments like at a grave,
how do you handle that?
You're a director, but you're
also a daughter and a sister.
>> Really hard, yeah.
>> It seems almost
too difficult.
There must have been moments
that were too difficult.
There are certain moments in the
film that I can imagine
re-creating, not being very
pleasant.
>> I think the struggle was
like, Robin and I had to put
this face on, once you're in
production, with cast and
crew coming in from all over.
And we told them, you know, you
don't have to tiptoe around us.
It's not just re-creating my
brother's life story, because
that would be too difficult for
all of us.
So, we'd almost forget,
not about my brother, ever, but
those moments of how real it is
to us and our family.
And then we're at the cemetery.
And that's actually where he is
buried, along with my mother.
And you see my dad in the
background, and Robin and I
just lost it a couple times,
and had to take a step away
and just think about what we're
doing, and why we're telling
the story, and what it means,
and get back on track of why
I wrote it in the first place.
>> Yeah, and it's fair you
didn't romanticize your father.
You let him be real and you let
him make mistakes.
I think, as a grownup, I'm sure
he would appreciate that,
instead of either making him
all bad or all good.
>> I think he liked the actor
that played him.
( all laugh )
I think he thought I was
accurate in the looks
department.
>> That's important.
What about the actress that
plays you?
>> Not a redhead.
The little girls that played me,
I don't know.
I mean, we wanted to make that
more of the story, but it just
wasn't, you know.
I literally did disappear
once my dad and I moved away.
So, we moved away, and we
all stayed in touch, but Kevin
and I didn't have a real
brother and sister relationship
for many years.
We talked, but it was the same
as it would be with anyone else.
>> In the film, Kevin of course,
things don't go well.
His house burns down.
It's like a country music song.
House burns down.
Things go really bad for him.
He doesn't have a job, or the
job he does have
is pulling weeds.
It sounds horrible.
And Kevin ends up where you
think he'll end up.
He ends up in jail.
And we have a clip here I want
to show everyone.
If you could set it up for us.
This is Kevin and Kevin's father
talking in the jail.
If you could kind of give us a
little context around that clip.
>> Yeah, he just ran into some
trouble in the scene before in a
bar crowd, then he went to his
girlfriend's and caused some
trouble at her house.
So basically, the cops have had
enough.
They've had enough for years.
They've had enough now.
Now he's causing disturbances at
people's homes and stealing
money.
So, dad came back to visit and
say straighten out.
>> Well, here is dad telling
Kevin to straighten up
in "NoNames."
>> You could've gotten a year
or more.
But the Ryan's
aren't pressing charges.
Did you know that?
They're talking about you
doing 30 days in county jail.
Maybe you'll come stay with me
when you get out.
CJ can come stay with us, too.
That's fine.
But you have got to get your
life together, Kevin.
>> My life was together.
>> I'm going to find him, Kevin,
okay?
I will see to it that he rots
in hell for what he did to you,
do you understand?
I'll make goddamn sure of it.
But you absolutely need to
make some changes.
You hear me?
Every time I pick up the phone,
I get sick.
I don't ever want to answer
the phone and hear...
Listen, CJ is scared to death
right now.
She wants things to change.
>> You drive six (###) hours
to tell me what she wants?
>> No... I...
I drove six hours to see my son!
>> Wow, that's a great moment.
I really love that clip.
What did it cost to make this
film?
>> It cost, our budget was
around $850,000.
>> And you made it on film,
right?
>> We shot it on 35mm.
>> That's why it cost money,
right?
>> Yep, absolutely.
And you know, bringing people,
a huge cast and crew to central
Wisconsin where, you know,
the nearest airport is
an hour or two hours away.
>> This is your first film,
right, for both of you?
It's your first film.
>> Right.
>> It's your debut film.
You raise $850,000.
How in the world did you raise
$850,000 to make your first
film?
>> It started off to be a much
smaller project.
Kathy, you know, she wrote the
script.
Kathy and I have known each
other for quite a few years.
We go way back, since we were
like seven.
And so, she started developing
it, and had some other people
involved, and then asked me to
get involved, just because the
story was close to my heart.
I knew Kevin very well, and my
brother was a big part of his
life.
They were best friends.
So, initially, it was going to
be small budget, weekends,
friends, pulling a lot of
favors.
And then, you know, just getting
the word out there to people,
interest grew.
So, just by opening up your
mouth, we were able to get some
initial funding and shoot some
B-roll footage, which we
actually did use in the film.
That generated some more
interest from investors.
We were kind of able to showcase
what we were going to do,
give them an idea.
And it just went from there.
>> Everyone always told us,
like, we had talked to a lot of
people who had got budgets for
films before.
And the key thing was that
everyone said it's around you.
So, wherever you are, it is
around you, and you just have to
keep talking.
And that was exactly what
happened.
Finally, after years, you talk
to enough people.
And I think when we stopped
talking, someone finally asked,
like, what are you doing?
We're making a film.
Well, I want to make a film.
>> Everyone wants to make a
film.
My favorite moment in the film
is, they're in the bar, in
Jack's.
They're all sitting around
talking.
There's this old guy who's got a
bag and everybody yells at one
moment, "Bus!"
And the guy grabs his bag,
finishes his beer and walks out
and gets on the Lamer's Bus,
which is the bus we all see
going through these small towns,
and leaves.
That moment was so powerful.
I said to myself, it's so easy
to leave.
Just get on the bus.
You live in Brooklyn, right?
>> Yeah.
>> You live in Madison.
You don't live in central
Wisconsin anymore.
>> We got on the bus.
>> You got on the bus.
Why did you leave?
Why don't you go back to
Babcock, Wisconsin?
>> I didn't have much of a
choice.
I was 11.
I mean, I left with my dad.
And I went back all the time,
visiting my grandma.
She lived in Babcock until a
couple years ago, she passed
away, but her whole life.
So, I love it.
Why leave?
Because, you know, it's the
opportunity thing.
It comes back to that.
I don't know.
As a writer, you probably can
make it anywhere.
But then, I wanted to do the
directing, too.
And there's other aspects that
are only certain places for me,
right now.
>> Why did you leave small town
Wisconsin?
>> I left because I wanted to
take a different path, and I
wasn't able to do that there.
But you know, on the flip side
of it, people stayed, because in
Madison, Wisconsin, you can't
have a Marsh.
In Brooklyn, you can't have a
farm, things like that.
>> Farming out behind the barn.
>> Right.
>> That's why people stay.
So they choose that path, and we
chose a different path.
It doesn't mean it's bad that
you stayed, or it's bad that you
left.
>> Well, thank you very much.
Good luck on your next film.
>> Thank you.
>> You're both welcome back
when you have another film,
or maybe "NoNames 2,"
I don't know.
>> You never know.
>> Thank you very much.
And thank you all very much
for watching Director's Cut.
For more information
on "NoNames,"
please go to: wpt.org
and click on Director's Cut.
And while you're there, send us
an email, because we love
hearing from you.
I'm your host,
Charles Monroe-Kane.
For everyone here at Director's
Cut, thank you very much
for joining us.
Check the gate.
>> I like your shirt.
>> Thanks.
Wanna buy a ticket?
>> What do we win?
>> A case of beer, crafts,
like this toilet paper holder,
or something, a bag of chips.
>> That sucks.
What kind of beer?
>> I don't know.
It's all wrapped up.
>> What's the big prize?
>> I don't know.
>> Last year, the grand prize
was a quilt.
>> Funding for Director's Cut
is provided by the University
of Wisconsin System eCampus,
providing access to online
degree programs and certificates
offered throughout the
26 campuses of the UW System.
Information is at:
eCampus.Wisconsin.edu