PARK CITY, Utah (AP) 鈥� When writer-director Laura Chinn was a teenager in 2005, her mother moved her and her terminally ill brother to Florida. The idea was for him to spend his last days in hospice in peace. Instead, the place was mobbed by protesters and media because, as they鈥檇 quickly discover, Terri Schiavo was in that same hospice.
The circumstances provided the inspiration for Chinn鈥檚 directorial debut, 鈥淪uncoast,鈥� starring Nico Parker as the teenager in question and Laura Linney as her mother. It鈥檚 streaming on Hulu starting Friday.
Though it鈥檚 not unusual for a filmmaker to draw on their life for narrative guidance, within this strange and fraught and emotional time Chinn saw an opportunity to tell not just her story but a more universal one about grief and empathy. And she got to work, using the skills she鈥檇 learned over the years, writing for and acting on television (including creating the series 鈥淔lorida Girls鈥�) and learning some new ones too (like photography and how to shotlist).
Schiavo was in a vegetative stage for 15 years after a cardiac arrest at 26 in 1990 and had become the face of end-of-life legal rights, which beyond the bitter disagreement between her husband and her parents had ignited a national debate. In 2005, right before her death, it was a full-on media and political frenzy.
鈥淏ut also as a teenager being in that position, it gave me an opportunity to see a very political story that was on the news right up close and see that these were all human beings.鈥� Chinn said.
The film is still mostly fiction, however.
鈥淚t鈥檚 important to know that while Kristine is certainly archetypally based on Laura鈥檚 mother, while there may be some similarities here and there, I was not intentionally playing her mother,鈥� Linney said.
Likewise for Parker鈥檚 Doris, who is attempting some semblance of normalcy amid the turbulence in her teenage life, making new friends and pushing boundaries. Much to her surprise, she finds herself most comforted by a protester played by Woody Harrelson.
鈥淪he鈥檚 sort of wise beyond her years,鈥� Chinn said. 鈥淭his older person is someone she can connect with more so than the people her own age.鈥�
Parker, who is the daughter of actor Thandiwe Newton and writer-director Ol Parker, cried the first time she read the script.
鈥淚 just couldn鈥檛 stop thinking about it,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 couldn鈥檛 stop saying lines.鈥�
Plus the chance to work with Linney and Harrelson was one that Parker said she was 鈥渂orderline begging鈥� for.
鈥淲oody鈥檚 the best, he鈥檚 so weird and so funny,鈥� Parker said. 鈥淭hen when the camera is on him 鈥� and him and Laura are similar that way 鈥� life just beams out of him, he鈥檚 so present. Watching it up close is so interesting. I don鈥檛 know what happens in his face, but it鈥檚 just sunshine.鈥�
Linney said for her, everything was right there in the script that made it easy despite the heavy material.
鈥淚鈥檓 the daughter of a playwright, so the story comes first and you do everything you can to help move that along,鈥� Linney said. 鈥淲hen the script is good and the people are good and you鈥檙e having a good time, it鈥檚 easy. It鈥檚 not painful. You鈥檙e not like beating your chest. You don鈥檛 go home depressed 鈥� And there鈥檚 nothing better than feeling like you鈥檙e part of a younger artists鈥� launching.鈥�
Este Haim and her partner Chris Stracey helped craft the score, inspired by the music of the period. All were especially excited to get permission to cover The National鈥檚 鈥淕reen Gloves,鈥� sung by Monica Martin, for a pivotal moment when Doris is running to hospice.
She鈥檇 loved the song but didn鈥檛 realize how relevant it was until she read an interview with the group鈥檚 frontman Matt Berninger about how it was about grief, and missing someone so much that you start wanting to wear their clothes.
鈥淚t鈥檚 really a perfect song,鈥� Chinn said,
The 鈥淪uncoast鈥� world premiere at the last month was a teary occasion. Chinn鈥檚 own mother ran out of tissues and a stranger was right there with another to hand off. It was a common sight in a theater full of sniffling (鈥淪uncoast鈥� is funny as well).
鈥淚 hope that people can walk away with it being able to express more of their own grief, feel more of their own grief and feel more connected just to the idea that we all go through this and that there鈥檚 not really a right or wrong way to do it,鈥� Chinn said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e all just kind of doing the best we can.鈥�
Lindsey Bahr, The Associated Press
