SXSW: Jenny Slate, Zoe Kazan and director Sophie Goodhart talk about making ‘My Blind Brother’

My Blind Brother had its world premiere at SXSW over the weekend and later earned a special prize for first-time director Sophie Goodhart. The film is a personal one for the director, who enlisted stars Jenny Slate, Adam Scott and Nick Kroll for the lead roles. Zoe Kazan and Charlie Hewson also star in the movie.

After the premiere screening, TheCelebrityCafe.com and a few other reporters got to sit with Kazan, Hewson, Slate and Goodhart to discuss the making of the film and what it was like to play the characters. The film stars Scott as blind overachiever Robbie, who loves to run marathons to raise awareness for the blind in his small Ohio town. Kroll stars as Bill, his lazy older brother, who is always overshadowed by his younger brother’s exploits. Slate plays Rose, the girl who gets in the middle of them.

My Blind Brother began as an award-winning short back in 2003. Goodhart had written it based on her own experience with her sister, who was diagnosed with MS. When making the short - and later the film - she decided to switch it form a sister relationship to brothers. Goodhart said that the decision was made to separate herself from the story a little bit. She was also inspired by the story of a blind swimmer.

Interestingly, the film takes place in Ohio. Goodhart explained that part of the decision was money and had originally thought of setting the film someplace else.

“But once I got to Ohio, it felt like a good fit,” the director said. “We shot a lot of it in quite a depressed town called Lorain that’s lost a lot of industry over the years… It suited the character of Bill. It suited the character of both brothers in some way. That kind of guy who’s been a big deal in this small town and this melancholic feel that I think Bill imbued.”

When asked what they think the film is really about, Kazan - who has a smaller role as Rose’s friend Francie - said that she thinks it’s a lot about feeling shame about what you want.

“There’s a clearness in Robbie… of wanting to be perceived in a certain way, wanting to be a winner and not wanting to let his blindness get in the way of his achievements,” Kazan said. “There’s a more serpentine path to what they want for Jenny and Nick’s characters. They have put blocks in front of themselves… Everybody can see Robbie’s blindness and no one can see in the same way, visibly, the things that are challenges for Rose and Bill. I think it’s about those challenges.”

Earlier in the discussion, Kazan and Slate were asked about working on a film that they hadn’t written. Kazan wrote the film Ruby Sparks, while Slate is experienced at writing jokes for herself. Slate said she wouldn’t have been interested if the jokes felt “recycled” or “borrowed.”

“I think what I look for is new ways to be funny,” Slate said. “People who are writing something different that I identify with, but is being expressed in a new way. … I would never say anything on stage that I would be too embarrassed to say in real life. … I look for that in a script as well because - well, it’s not that I’m always the most honest person in the world - I feel like it’s pulling teeth to say a line that I don’t believe in. It makes me feel like shit and I would just rather not say any line at all. So when I read Sophie’s script, I found myself wanting to read every line out loud and wanted to know how I sounded. I think that’s a good sign.”

My Blind Brother is still seeking distribution and you can read our review here. The film won the SXSW Gamechanger Award, which is presented to female filmmakers.