‘Clock’ Interview: Writer and Director Alexis Jacknow

The psychological thriller ‘Clock’ marks director Alexis Jacknow’s feature-length directorial debut. The movie starring Dianna Agron is now streaming on Hulu.

What Is The Plot Of ‘Clock’?

Directed and written by Alexis Jacknow (‘Again’), ‘Clock’ is predicated on a brief movie by the same name, additionally directed and written by Jacknow. The brief premiered on Hulu in 2020 as part of its “Bite Size Huluween” lineup. The function movie is concentrated round Ella, a girl who has enrolled herself in a medical trial to attempt to repair her seemingly damaged organic clock after dealing with the strain to have youngsters from pals, household, and society.

“It’s counting down for a purpose.”

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R1 hr 32 minMar twenty eighth, 2023

Who Is In The Cast Of ‘Clock’?

‘Clock’ stars Dianna Agron (‘Acidman’, ‘As They Made Us’) as Ella, Melora Hardin (‘Self/less’) as Dr. Elizabeth Simmons, and Jay Ali (‘The Illegal’) as Ella’s husband Aidan. The movie additionally stars Grace Porter (‘Spoiler Alert’) as Shauna, and Saul Rubinek (‘True Romance’) as Ella’s father Joseph.

ECinema News not too long ago had the pleasure of talking with author/director Alexis Jacknow about her newest movie, increasing the story from a brief movie, her personal expertise dealing with the societal strain to have youngsters, and what attracts her to the horror style.

‘Clock’ author and director Alexis Jacknow.

ECinema News: Alexis, this movie actually hits near dwelling, and I feel that many ladies who will probably be seeing this are going to really feel the identical manner. Can you speak about your inventive course of and your writing course of for the movie?

Alexis Jacknow: Yeah. Well, the movie was initially primarily based on a brief that I made a few years in the past, however it took over a really completely different storyline as soon as I used to be requested to develop it right into a feature-length. And it was an extremely private story for me. I struggled for a lot of, a few years about whether or not or not I wished to have youngsters. It was completely the factor that was retaining me up at night time and tormenting me, and I simply felt that that was a extremely excellent place to write down a horror story from.

MF: Let’s speak concerning the brief, as a result of it’s primarily based on primarily the identical expertise and the theme surrounding the “organic clock”. Can you speak concerning the greatest problem you had taking that concept and that brief movie and increasing it to function filming size?

AJ: Well, the brief was actually concerning the second {that a} lady’s “organic clock” kicks in, and I do know no person can see us. We preserve placing that in air quotes as a result of, and I do know that that’s truly not an actual factor. It’s one thing that some artificial up within the 70s. The brief is concerning the second {that a} lady’s organic clock kicks in, after which actually the compromises she has to make between household and profession. But to maintain it as a function, I used to be actually extra concerned about exploring one thing that was a bit of extra private to me, which was the concept of a girl who didn’t need youngsters and was shouldering the burden of what society was throwing at her, what her tradition was throwing at her, pals, household, et cetera, and having to unpack that over the course of 90 minutes.

Dianna Agron as Ella Patel in Hulu’s ‘Clock.’

MF:  At any time in the course of the writing course of, did it really feel nearly therapeutic placing it on paper and making it into this different tangible factor that may be a movie?

AJ: I feel the cathartic factor for me has been the viewers response usually because I’ve had so many individuals attain out to me on social media or simply after having seen the movie coming as much as me on this planet and simply saying, “Thank you a lot. Because I really feel much less alone now and I really feel seen and I haven’t seen this character or this perspective represented in a movie earlier than.” To me, that was the cathartic half, as a result of artwork just isn’t my remedy. Therapy is my remedy. So the catharsis of this movie for me personally was figuring out sure, I could make options. I can direct movies. Great. Let’s preserve going with this profession. But I feel on a bigger scale, the most effective catharsis, the most effective good feeling coming by all of this has been seeing these those who have felt actually marginalized or felt actually alone, saying, “I really feel much less alone figuring out that there’s a group of individuals on the market that really feel the identical manner I do, and that it’s okay to speak about that.”

MF: Is that what you need the viewers to takeaway once they see this movie?

AJ: Yeah. I imply, I simply need individuals to really feel much less alone as a result of it’s not a movie saying that ladies shouldn’t have youngsters. It’s not a movie saying girls ought to have youngsters. It’s a movie saying, “We ought to go away girls alone and allow them to select their very own paths and both assist them alongside the best way. Or should you can’t do this thoughts your individual enterprise.”

Dianna Agron as Ella Patel in Hulu’s ‘Clock.’

MF: So let’s speak about your lead for the movie, Dianna Agron, who is totally implausible and is in actually each single scene. Can you simply speak about her efficiency and your expertise working together with her?

AJ: Dianna was nothing in need of a dream to work with. I bought extremely fortunate together with her. The factor that you just identified about her being in each single scene and the efficiency that she gave turns into much more spectacular once you perceive the context of our movie being green-lit. Then we began prep two weeks later, so she bought the script perhaps two or three weeks earlier than we began shooting. To tackle 90-plus pages of that materials, which is a wild journey for any actor, it’s so much to chew on that half. To present up each single day in nothing in need of an awesome temper and simply totally dedicated to the whole lot was a miracle. I imply, I simply bought so fortunate to have her as my companion. I used to be very blessed to have her on this undertaking.

MF: What have been probably the most difficult scenes for Dianna each emotionally and bodily?

AJ: She simply went for it and there was nothing she wouldn’t do. She pushed me. Many times I stated, “No, no, I don’t need you to do this. I’ve a security concern about it. Or let me simply maintain that in submit.” She would very kindly ignore that after which do the factor. I feel that the one factor that she didn’t love or that bothered her a bit of bit was the second the place she needed to run in the direction of the cliff and we had an awesome stunt workforce. We had her connected to a line and the whole lot was clearly very protected, however that was the one stunt that she didn’t love doing. But you requested her to place her head two inches from a dwell tarantula. And she’s like, “Yeah, no drawback.” So to every their very own.

Dianna Agron as Ella Patel in Hulu’s ‘Clock.’

Related Article: Female Directors: Iuli Gerbase Talks ‘The Pink Cloud’

ECinema News: So the scene the place she goes primarily diving off the facet, that’s her?

AJ: Well, we now have a stunt performer, Joy (Dashnaw), however there are various photographs of Dianna operating in the direction of the cliff, Dianna stopping in need of the cliff. And then there’s one take the place no spoilers, however we did have a stuntwoman concerned for a kind of photographs. Yeah.

MF: There are just a few actually creepy parts on this movie.  Can you speak about creating the creature’s look and form?

AJ: I wished her to be very looming. I imply, she’s actually bigger than life. The idea of her is bigger than life. She’s taken over this concept of lineage and heritage and this concept of Judaism being handed by the mom. So to me, she needed to be actually elongated and this lengthy mouth, it’s nearly like her previous was making an attempt to shout one thing to her to essentially be heard. And simply the horror of feeling such as you’ve perhaps let down your ancestors who’ve been by a lot and it simply feels outsized to me. So that’s how the very tall lady got here to be outsized as nicely.

(L to R) Writer and director Alexis Jacknow on the set of Hulu’s ‘Clock’ with actresses Grace Porter and Dianna Agron.

MF: I additionally love the best way you performed with colour on this movie. Everything was tremendous vibrant together with the best way all of the characters dressed till the third act when issues get extra muted. So what impressed you to strategy it that manner?

AJ: Well, I knew that I’d be directing it. So once I started writing it, I requested myself, “Well, what do you’ve in your software belt visually as a director? What can you’re taking away from her as a profession lady to point out that, as a result of she’s betrayed herself, her profession’s going to go down the tubes.” I thought of colour, and that actually performed into my choice to make her an inside designer and never solely an inside designer, however the “Color Authority.” That’s her jam. That’s what she’s identified for as her eye for colour. That was one thing I knew I might take away from her, which was not simply accomplished as a result of we did it each virtually and in colour. But should you look, like the primary time we see her within the kitchen, she’s over this stunning crimson pot with colour all over the place within the kitchen. Then the second time we see her within the kitchen with Aiden, we’ve eliminated all the colour from it. Everything’s changed with black and white, et cetera. So quite a lot of that was accomplished virtually by my manufacturing designer, Kristin Gibler. Then the remaining we took care of in colour with my sensible colorist Kath Leish.

MF: I actually love these touches. Even from the meals, to the caviar and the eggs, the small print, I actually loved seeing all of that. Can you speak about the way you paid consideration to all of the little issues within the background?

AJ: Yeah. Well, the factor concerning the eggs that actually simply hit us arduous later was Roe (v Wade) was overturned in the course of the making of the movie. The movie begins on pictures of Roe and which is, after all, Roe (v Wade). And it simply lends this entire different lens that we watch it by now that I hadn’t initially meant. But right here we’re.

Melora Hardin as Dr. Elizabeth Simmons in Hulu’s ‘Clock.’

MF: What is it that pulls you to the horror style?

AJ: I simply assume it’s a extremely nice strategy to make individuals sit up and listen. Horror will get eyes, individuals love horror. It’s entertaining. I don’t assume that if I had written this as a straight indie drama about feminine physique autonomy and ladies’s selection, that it could have even gotten made or that it definitely wouldn’t have gotten the quantity of eyes on it that it has. So should you disguise the greens, persons are extra more likely to tune in. If you make it entertaining alongside the best way, the messaging can nonetheless be in there.

MF: Finally, what can we sit up for seeing from you subsequent?

AJ: That is tough to say contemplating the (writers’) strike, which I very a lot hope is resolved swiftly, and I’m on the market picketing as a lot as I may be proper now. I’m a member of a number of unions, so simply staying in solidarity on this interview. But yeah, I’ve a few tasks. I’ve one with 21 Laps movie known as ‘The Blinding,’ which can be a horror movie that I’m actually enthusiastic about getting on its toes in some unspecified time in the future. I do have an indie drama known as ‘The Villager’ that I’ve a beautiful solid connected to. I’m equally excited and keen about that topic materials as nicely.

‘Clock’ is now obtainable completely on Hulu.

Writer and director Alexis Jacknow on the set of Hulu’s ‘Clock.’

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Buy Dianna Agron Movies On Amazon

‘Clock’ is produced by twentieth Digital Studio, and presently obtainable on Hulu.