Only Boys: Alberto Achar Discusses this Upcoming Film
Only Boys is a film which covers a topic not common in films these days. Though drugs, murder, and justice are often found in Hollywood dramas, the setting and characters in this film are not the tropes we regularly see. The cast is quite familiar; starring Ann Mahoney (Bad Moms, The Walking Dead, 99 Homes, Logan Lucky), Uly Schlesinger (Golden Globe nominated television series The Sinner), and Adrienne Lovett of the upcoming Warner Bros. film Joker (starring Joaquin Phoenix and Robert De Niro) and Golden Globe winning TV-series Master of None. Scheduled for release later this year, Only Boys is gritty and realistic by design. Revealing the intense drama in very realistic and dire situation rooted in everyday people, the film is likely to provoke as much discussion as entertainment.
The story takes place in Reading, Pennsylvania: one of the poorest cities in the US. Mel is a lower-middle class mother whose son is shot and killed on his own porch during a drive-by shooting. When law enforcement does not make finding the killer a priority, she pursues the investigation on her own. Mel learns a great deal through her journey, including the fact that her son was involved in a heroin-dealing gang.
Producer Nick Young procured Alberto Achar to serve as production designer for the film. Achar is the extremely creative and versatile production design whose credits include such eclectic projects as the fantasy film Intrepid which won numerous awards at festivals from LA to Tokyo and The Sandman (winner for Best Animated Short at the Hollywood International Moving Image Awards). Attracted by the script and the film’s aesthetic contrast to his recent work, Alberto relates, “One of the things I like about the process of production design is repurposing a real location into something that it is not. The set decoration for this film was designed to be purposely minimalist with really washed out colors to depict the social class setting of the characters and the decay of a town run down by crime. One of the biggest challenges and the most fun for me, was transforming a middle school into a police station.” Director Jaclyn Noel emphasizes, “Because we shot on location in Pennsylvania, not everything we needed was so easily accessible. I relied on Alberto for a number of things, including materializing a police station within twenty-four hours. Alberto and his team were critical to our success. The most important aspect of the film to me was authenticity. Growing up in rust belt Pennsylvania, I wanted to show the area as it truly was. We shot on location but instead of borrowing items from prop houses or purchasing items Alberto and his team procured these locally. These decorations breathed life into the entire film.”
Only Boys offers a somewhat neo-traditional approach to filmmaking; appealing to the audience through emotion rather than spectacle. There is an absence of complex multifaceted sets and wardrobe which is the result of restraint on the part of the filmmakers. The intent of this it to direct viewers to the plot and characters solely. An approach such as this is as demanding on those involved in the production because it does not allow for any excess or superfluous ingredients, requiring the best and only the best. Only Boys will make its festival run next month with a public release to follow.
