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peter

the story behind peter

To the rest of the world, Peter seems little more than a blank canvas. As a mentally-handicapped young man spending his days in a state hospital, Peter remains unmoved by his confined conditions or the bleak future that awaits him on the horizon. But behind a mask of indifference, Peter hides remarkable talent waiting to burst forth. His secret is revealed only to one, Denise, a young college intern struggling with a pessimistic future of her own. Together they face a similar challenge: give up or move on.

the cast

Marcus Edward - "Peter"

Mentally-handicapped and left at a state hospital by his father, Peter does little and says even less. Despite efforts by the hospital’s head doctor, Dr. Macy, nobody seems able to reach Peter. All of this changes after Peter meets Denise, a college intern working at the hospital, and the two begin to bond. Unfortunately, it may be too late for Peter, as Dr. Macy has already set plans in motion to make Peter a ward of the state under his care.

Sara Stevenson - "Denise"

Ambitious and determined, Denise has her sights aimed high when her college education is completed by year’s end with a degree in psychology. Denise works hard to present a professional and successful personality, but her life is quite the contradiction. Dominated by her boyfriend, Mike, and at wit’s end with her finances, Denise finds her goals and their outcomes drifting further apart.

David Fox-Brenton - "Dr. Macy"

A man of authority and dignity, Dr. Macy finds himself deeply challenged by Peter’s total lack of response to his treatment. Frustrated, Dr. Macy believes Peter’s best hope for a comfortable life lies with him as a ward of the state. He watches Denise’s relationship with Peter with concern, worrying that perhaps Peter has become an unhealthy obsession. A villain in Denise’s eyes, Macy fights hard to keep Peter, leading to a showdown with his young intern.

Doug Aamoth - "Mike"

His drinking habits could rival Boris Yeltsin’s. His language has more cursing than Andrew Dice Clay’s. His personal hygiene...well, let’s not go there. Mike is loud, rude, and dominating. The only thing Mike can offer Denise is financial stability, but is it worth the price?

Nick Schrader - "Thalian"

Eccentric, obsessive and suffering from debilitating ticks, Thalian seeks to escape for one last fling with freedom. Peter’s neighbor at the hospital, Thalian tries to fill Peter’s head with dreams of the world outside the hospital walls.

Chayo Smith - "Bonnie"

Denise’s friend at work, Bonnie can’t understand why Denise continues to live with Mike. Her individualistic views and suggestions are sharply criticized by Denise who thinks striking out on her own is a dangerous proposition.

Sarah Chart - "Annette"

Dr. Macy’s chief assistant at the hospital, Annette trains Denise and introduces her to Peter.

other actors in "peter"

Anne Rutledge - “The Judge"

Mark Dahlen - “The Patient”

John Swon - “The Mugger”

Ryan Logan - "Dan"

about the director...

John Swon - Director/Writer

This is John’s third feature-length production as both writer and director. John has been making films of various shapes and sizes since he was 12, and continues to do so as a student at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design (MCAD). He lists directors Orson Welles, Alfred Hitchcock and David Lean as three of his major influences.

Day one of the peter showing (1/9/01) went off without a hitch. Thanks to everyone who showed up to see the film! Click here to hear welcome speeches by Chayo, John, and Doug!

(You'll need mp3 software to listen. Click here to get a free player.)

REVIEWS OF THIS FILM

PETER RITTER, City Pages

Back in the Eighties, when everyone wanted to be a rock star, there were garage bands. Now that everyone wants to be the next Martin Scorsese (and digital recording and editing equipment have made it more than a pipe dream), there are garage studios, which churn out films with budgets that wouldn't cover the daily catering cost of an average Hollywood production. A case in point is local auteur-in-training John Swon's Reel Cinema, whose feature-length micro-indie "peter" has recently received some limited exposure on the festival circuit. The film's basic set-up--a "Rainman"-esque Journey of Personal Discovery involving a mental patient (Marcus Edward) and his caretaker (Sara Stevenson)--is somewhat familiar to say the least, and the production values rank somewhere between an accomplished student film and a good porno flick. But there's alot to be said for Swon and Co.'s DIY (Do-It-Yourself) ethic: Even given "peter"'s limited means, it has more soul than some studio melodramas with budgets closer to Brazil's GDP than the price of a new Hyundai.

ROBERT GLATZER, Movies 101.com.

The film is a sometimes brutal yet at the same time tender look at the ways in which we respond to the mentally ill. A remarkable young actor named Marcus Edward gives an extraordinary performance as Peter, an adolescent almost paralyzed by his crippling stutter, the death of his caretaking father, and the fear of those who are more articulate than he. He lives in a supposedly therapeutic halfway house for the mentally ill, and is in danger of being condemned to institutionalization for the rest of his life. A young college graduate, Denise (Sara Stevenson) takes him under her wing and tries to move him out to live in the world.

Mental illness is the most difficult technical feat for any actor, and Mr. Edward is magnificent. As an actress, Ms. Stevenson is not yet past some college-theatre mannerisms, but her inexperience does not damage the power of the film.

Writer-director John Swon has chosen a fascinating visual approach. In his shots he often holds his camera still, both before and after the action of a scene, as though to give us a sense that something more than the moment, something larger, with overtones beyond the event itself, is there for us to grasp and understand. It's a bold way of looking at his story, and a contradictory comment by the filmmaker on conventional filmmaking. I was greatly impressed.

The Film Critiquer

Peter is a very low budget independent film by director John Swon, which follows a mentally handicapped young man (Peter) through the struggles of his life. Stuck in a state hospital where he and his talents go ignored by the doctors, he happens, by chance, to meet Denise, a young college intern who recognizes his talents and pushes him to not give up on himself. The rest of the world may have little hope for Peter but Denise never gives up hope for him and at the same time finds hope for herself.

Peter is a delightful film, which deals with the struggles of two people that are very different but very much the same. Although the film may at times be slow paced it adds to the reality that Peter must live with. The opening sequence of scenes beautifully puts the viewer into the world in which Peter must live with. It's a dull and monotonous existence where his true talents and personality are sequestered by the lifeless "prison" he must live in. Director John Swon has scripted a wonderful, textured story that, for the most part, is conveyed skillfully onscreen through decent acting and so-so dialogue. Swon also saves himself from not using an overabundance of camera techniques that generally plague most young director’s films. The result, though, is a compelling piece of filmmaking, in which director John Swon shows much promise.

DAVID KEYES, Cinema 2000

If the term “less is more” still carries any significance with the average moviegoing crowd, than a simple little picture like “peter,” which is stripped down to the very rawest of human drama, could easily melt the hearts of viewers in ways that few films this year have. Maybe those audiences will have better luck than me in getting past the drawbacks. The third feature film from ambitious director John Swon is easily one of the most smooth, appeasing independent pictures I have seen in recent memory, and yet one that doesn’t do its material complete justice. There’s nothing wrong with keeping things at a bare minimum, but shouldn’t it at least be a given to include a few side details so that we actually know what we are dealing with?

Allow me to explain. The title character peter (John Swon informs me that he is “so lacking in any definite personality or moral strength that we decided to rob him of a capital P, and as such rob him of being an actual person”), is a kid with a near-flawless knack for art (particularly sketching human figures with an apparent sense of solitude), who suffers from some mental disorder that forces him to be cooped up in a local care facility. A doctor and psychology intern in one scene argue over his condition like enemies on a debate team, throwing evidence at each other that displays him either as dependent on constant care or capable of leading a normal life in the outside world. But what exactly is peter’s condition? Something physical? Or perhaps a seriously damaging form of depression? There is no probing explanation on to what troubles him, making it more difficult for us as the viewers to get into the material. Swon argues it should be left up to the viewer to decide peter’s condition; I’m not sure if I agree.

The story begins with a stern series of shots of peter starting a new day, as he is awakened by an alarm clock and then gets dressed. Each of these activities goes extremely slow on screen, with breaks in between certain activities in which peter looks out the window in a sense of wonder and sadness. Scenes this slow can often deaden our anticipation for further events, but Swon effectively casts Peter against a bright window light, creating a sense of self-seclusion that sinks in slowly but surely in the audience’s minds. Once his isolation is established, we are introduced to Denise (who is effectively portrayed by Sara Stevenson), a Psychology major who is preparing to intern at the facility where peter, and other mental patients, are cared for.

Life outside of work is anything but rewarding for her, though, as she lives with a rather anal-retentive boyfriend who drowns his sorrows in bottles of liquor. When she begins to show interest in peter, it’s because she’s sees the kind of potential in him that she sees in herself, not just because she wants desperately to help someone out of their “medicated fog.” Peter’s art skills intrigue Denise, and she buys him paints and brushes to help provoke those desires, eventually challenging the facility doctor to let him free to live his own life. In the meantime, Denise pays little attention to her own life, and before the movie is over, her relationship with her boyfriend crumbles.

The big problem here, other than the lack of information, is the movie’s pace. For the first half hour, a good, firm tempo is established, but once Denise gets peter out of the facility, the movie slows down and almost forgets what direction it is moving towards. Then there’s the issue regarding the film’s ending: what exactly happens to these two people? Where does the road lead them? A more firm sense of closure could have been constructed to conclude things than what currently exists, even if the future of Denise and peter is meant to be left up to the imagination. The movie feels curiously unfinished.

But all the same, “peter” is a very determined picture, with a heart of gold guiding its characters through the rivers of life, teaching them how to break the cycle and take new ventures. The production budget is said to be around $5,000, which is very small, but it doesn’t show much; the movie features solid editing, concise direction, and basic but effective camera angles that don’t draw away attention from the more important qualities (such as intelligent dialogue and terrific, firmly established acting). I am satisfied with “peter” based on its “less is more” style. I just wish it could have answered a few more of my questions.