After talking about wanting to direct a movie for over a decade, and getting to work with a diverse group of filmmakers that includesJudd Apatow,Martin Scorsese,Nicholas Stoller,Ricky Gervais,Bennett Miller,Evan Goldberg,Seth Rogen,JoelandEthan Coen, andGus Van Sant, I figuredJonah Hill’sdirectorial debut,Mid90s, was going to be something cool and unexpected.
I was right.
As you’veseen in the trailers, the film follows a 13-year-old (Sunny Suljic) over the course of a Los Angeles summer as he makes friends with a group of neighborhood skaters in, you guessed it, the middle of the 1990s. Cast with real skateboarders and non-professional actors, Hill’s film takes all the gloss off the time period and throws you into the room almost like a bystander on the wall. The characters smoke, drink, and act like real teenagers without any sense of inauthenticity. In addition, Hill shot the film on 16mm using a 4:3 aspect ratio, so you almost feel like you’re watching a video that was shot by the very people you see on screen. It’s a great debut feature and I can’t wait to see what Hill does next.
A few hours before seeing the film, Jonah Hill and some of his cast (Sunny Suljic,Olan PrenattandNa-kel Smith) came into the Collider studio at TIFF. During the interview they talked about why Jonah chooseMid90sas his directorial debut, the aspect ratio and convincing A24 to make it that way, if he felt any studio resistance to casting non-professional actors, what it was like for the cast to work with Jonah as a director, howMid90swas born out of an idea for a different film that had flashbacks to the main character when he was 12, and a lot more.
Check out what they had to say in the player above and below is exactly what we talked about. Mid90s opens October 19th. For more on the film,read Adam Chitwood’s review.
Jonah Hill, Sunny Suljic, Olan Prenatt and Na-kel Smith:
Finally, big thanks to the partners who made our TIFF interviews possible:
Aurora,Presenting Partner, one of Canada’s largest federally licensed cannabis companies and an official partner of the Toronto International Film Festival. Aurora’s involvement is anchored by its passion for the arts and commitment to providing financial support for the creative community.
Toasting the evening’s festivities will beLa Marca Prosecco, an elegant, luxurious sparkling wine. The premium wines of California’s Ghost Pines Winery will also be served!
Frank Rea Event DesignsToronto’s top event florist and ambient designer Frank Rea creatively lends his support with décor statements and floral designs through Forget Me Not Flowers & Frank Rea Event Designs.
The Collider Studio at the House of Aurora was produced by A-list Communications and The Substance Group.
