11 August 2000
The Chapel Hill Herald
"Man of action is making action movie," by Susan Broili
CARRBORO--Words rode a fast train out of Aaron Freeman's mouth as he sat on his front porch one afternoon and talked about his new movie, "Thru Yonder Window Breaks," now in production here.
He appeared wired with enthusiasm fueled by his dream--and caffeine. Three pebble-size ice cubes floated in the remnants of a glass of Coke, his sixth of the day.
Undaunted by a heat index that could melt fingernails, the 20-year-old junior at UNC explained that he took the title from a line in Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet.."
But in his screenplay, it's not a light but a brick that breaks through the window. Attached to |
the brick is a message that starts the plot hurling along.
That plot revolves around Duke (UNC graduate Aaron Cantrell), a guy whose fantasy world takes over. Choice of the lead character's name had nothing to do with Carolina's rival over in Durham, the filmmaker said.
"He's a guy who lives a life like many guys I know; fascinated by action, money, violence, women. He wants to live that life. He doesn't want to settle for a regular life. He's bored with reality," Freeman said.
The filmmaker said he and a friend have elaborate imaginations and talk about what they would do if someone pulled a gun on them.
"I know a lot of guys-they talk real big. They do seek this very, very exciting life, " Freeman said Movies influence this quest, he said.
But in this film, Freeman's |
character learns too late that the life he had was really the good life, Freeman said.
The filmmaker shows how Duke's fantasy encroaches on his real life. When Duke and his girlfriend are having dinner at an Italian restaurant, he lifts the cover of his entrée to see, instead of spaghetti, a gun! As soon as his hand touches the gun, three thugs appear, he fires at them and they chase him.
This scene was shot at Café 101 in Hillsborough...on Tuesday night when the Italian restaurant was closed.
Executive chef and co-owner Jeff Orel treated the cast to some home-cooked spaghetti sauce... |