Comfortless: Q&A with Ryan Manley

Comfortless: Q&A with Director Ryan Manley

1.    How did you shoot Comfortless?

While I was writing the film, I knew I wanted it to be different. So many thrillers and dramas exist, but I wanted to make this one a little bit different. I decided on shooting the entire film with an iPhone, which was a bold move, that in my opinion, really worked for this film. Comfortless is a realistic film… abusive relationships happen in real life, and I wanted to create a film with something people use every day: their cell phones. Another reason I decided on this was because it allowed us to get some cool shots. With our budget, some shots would have not been possible by using high-dollar professional equipment. There is one scene, I really love where Rebecca is walking through her house. It’s made to be an intense scene with no cut. It simply follows her for about three minutes, and I feel it’s a strong, intense scene of the film.

2.    Why did you choose Madison Sturges and Jared Battle for the lead roles of this film?

My producer Zachary and I had a ton of auditions to sit through for this film, both online and in person. We opened auditions to anyone, anywhere, and didn’t specify how a character should look, other than being young high-school age and the character’s matching gender. Writing the script, I had no idea what any of these characters would look like. We solely wanted to choose our lead cast based on acting abilities. I feel it is a casting director’s job to give equal opportunities to anyone, and base auditions on acting performance, which we did. After a long selection process, Zachary and I decided on choosing Madison and Jared as these lead roles. Both roles are very significant to the story, and I feel these actors’ have done an amazing job becoming the characters they are in this film. I feel like Madison put a lot of work into preparing herself for the emotional situation of Rebecca. And, Jared, he is also an amazing actor. Jared is one of the nicest actors I’ve ever worked with. In real life, he’s a really cool, relaxed person. It was incredible to see how his versatile acting skills helped him to prepare for this role.

3.    What do you want the audience to take away from Comfortless?

I feel as though this is a difficult question to answer, as I don’t want to tell an audience how they should interpret the story. It can probably be interpreted many ways, but one thing is for sure, it has several important messages. Some may see the film as a story of hope, getting out of a bad situation. Others may see the film as a narrative film reflecting the “Me Too” movement.  Whatever the audience thinks, I hope they find an important message somewhere.

4.    What has been your biggest achievement in your career so far?

Comfortless has been my biggest achievement. I’ve always wanted to make a film with great emotional power, and superb performances. I feel as though this is it. I’m not sure what I will be creating after this, but as of now, this is my biggest achievement.

5.    What are your plans for the film after the premiere?

I just want as many people to see it as possible. I want to read reviews, talk to people about it, maybe even win some awards along the way. I’ve entered the film into several film festivals, and maybe one day it will be distributed on a larger scale.