Ry Russo-Young’s new film, You Won’t Miss Me, is turning into a real hit on the film festival circuit. It has been nominated for a Gotham Independent Film Award and after featuring in festivals like Sundance, SXSW, and Marfa, it will be screening at MoMA on the 19th and 21st as part of MoMA’s Best Film Not Playing At a Theater Near You. Eagerly anticipating the screening, Johnny Misheff spoke to Ry about the film for Dossier.
Having not seen it myself, I’ve been kind of obsessed with watching the trailer over and over. There’s something so relatable about this film. Talk to me about Shelly (played by Stella Schnabel) and how this character came about.
Well, when Stella and I first sat down together we knew we wanted to do something but didn’t know exactly what. We started out by creating a character named Shelly Brown. We made up where this girl was from, where she went to school, what her first loves were and on and on. I then interviewed Stella as the character for about three hours in front of a camera. I was pretty fascinated by this interview and wanted to see more about the way this character interacts with the world and how she functions. I think it was at that point that the movie was set in motion.
You used a lot of different techniques and non-techniques while shooting in order to create what you’ve referred to as an “evocative picture of a contemporary rebel.” This is awesome. Describe the process a little more. What sort of challenges did you come across during shooting/editing/etc.?
The film is really a portrait of a person and in order to fully understand this person, it made sense to see her in many different lights. So the whole film is shot on five different formats, each format expresses an aspect of the character’s psychological state. The formats are constantly changing and yet it all feels fluid, like the broken pieces of a mirror slowly being glued together.
You Won’t Miss Me is so utterly New York. Tons of NY’s finest creative types lent their acting chops (some for the first time) to the project. Renowned poet Rene Ricard is featured, along with performances by contemporary icons like The Virgins. Having grown up here in the city, is this film in some way an homage to your hometown?
I really love New York and feel like a true New Yorker. I think Stella feels that way too. The character is kind of like New York herself, she’s always hungry and unhappy but she kind of thrives on it.
By the way, what was it like working with Mr. Ricard?
I’ve known Rene since I was about five years old and he never would of agreed to be in the film if it wasn’t for that.
The film has been featured in festivals like Sundance, SXSW, and Marfa, including one Best Actress award for Ms. Schnabel’s performance, and is now slated to screen at the MoMA! How is all this resonating with you as a fairly fresh face in the film world?
The film was made on a very small budget so it’s great when our hard work gets recognized in some way.
What other projects do you have on your plate at this time?
I have two other films that I’m in the early stages of working on.
Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
Making more movies!
