Boxoffice - March 219

How did you find out about this program? And secondly, why was
this right for a movie? What compelled you to write a screenplay about
it? >> I actually found out about it through an article in a French newspaper.
It was five years ago and I became really fascinated by this story about a
therapist who was introducing animals to inmates: rabbits, chinchillas, birds.
It seemed so unusual, funny even. I’ve always been intrigued by the idea of
punishment—how these institutions and systems function, the impact of
punishing someone. The subject grabbed my attention, so I called the therapist
and she invited me to go spend a day with her. I went and it was not
fun at all. It was heartbreaking but also wonderful to see how those inmates
could connect with love and empathy through little animals.
I was affected by that experience and wrote Rabbit, my short film,
based around it. I shot Rabbit in Rikers Island, and very soon after that I
traveled to Nevada to explore the horse program they had there. I called
journalists who had written about the program. From there, I ended up
getting picked up from the airport in Sacramento and going to Carson
City, Nevada. I spent three days in prison observing this program and
seeing [a horse] auction. I was fascinated; the first draft of The Mustang
was born after this experience.
I traveled back and forth from that place for four years, mainly to this
prison in Nevada, but we also visited like four or five prisons with different,
unique men who had similar paths. That really helped me understand the
factors that could trigger someone to violence, to lose control, and how
empathy can help these men with this profile of physical abuse.
So you went from reading a newspaper in France, to a five-year journey
through prisons in Nevada with violent inmates. >> [Laughing] Yes,
I know. I love taking a journalistic approach. I wanted to write a story that
reflected my experience and all this research.
With the level of research you conducted, and depth of access you
had, why not just make a documentary? >> A feature on this subject,
and in general, allows me to take a poetic license where I can still have this
authenticity but still tell an innovative story. It allows me to take something
real and be able to make it dramatic, poetic, and reflective. That was my
goal. I was so inspired by this program and felt there was definitely a film in
this story. Visually alone, there are so many contrasts, from inside the prison
to the space outside with the horses.
I’ve always been
intrigued by the idea
of punishment—how
these institutions and
systems function, the
impact of punishing
someone.
How many of your characters were influenced either directly or indirectly
from your research? >> I had some ideas in mind when I started
writing the film, but it was all very green. I didn’t know anything; basically
I had read an article and knew I wanted to include a female character, but
that was it. I knew I wanted my lead to be in prison for domestic abuse, a
very common crime that affects so many families. That’s roughly all I knew,
but after going to the prisons, everything got a lot more precise.
The characters of Roman and Henry are based on real people, different
stories that I heard. Connie Britton’s character, the psychologist, is based on
a woman who helped me get access to the prisons and explore these programs.
I thought it was interesting to show that there are two ways to handle
counseling for violent inmates. Yes, there’s the regular counseling sessions—
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