I heard the footsteps go into the laundry room. (Note again: The kitchen leads to the laundry room and the back door.) So I went to turn around and I began to say, "Hey Un-" and there was no one there. I thought it was my Uncle Jeff coming home early. Then I heard the same work boots in the kitchen. Then I heard somebody walking on the carpet. When the door closed, I heard something like work boots on the tile floor. (Please note: When you enter the front door there is a little square of tile flooring then the rest of the room is carpet until you hit the kitchen.) One night, about 10:30 or so, I was getting a drink of water and I heard the front door open and close hard. Jeff works in the oil rigs and he went to a different state for a couple of weeks.īefore I get into the story, I should tell you that a few years before my Uncle Heath died in a motorcycle accident that killed him instantly.Īnyways, my mom and I lived there for a couple of weeks and everything was totally normal. So we moved in with my mom's brother, Jeff. Its relatively simple plot encompasses a substantial range of nuanced emotions, making the story relatable and life-like, while fictional embellishments make it sufficiently dramatic when it needs to be.My mom and I wanted a new beginning for our lives. ‘My Dead Dad’ balances the personal experiences of its lead actor and director with a fictional story pieced together by the two. Thus, the slightly rundown building serves as an ideal backdrop for Lucas’ coming of age story. The director and the lead actor decided to make the film in a setting that wasn’t too expensive and could encompass the story.
However, most of the narrative is seemingly pieced together by Correa and Frey, making the final story a broadly fictional one.Īnother aspect that molded the movie seems to be the setting, which was kept accessible because of potential budget considerations. They imbibed the story with versions of their personal experiences. When Correa took his initial idea to Frey, the two co-writers got to work imbibing the idea with the “fish out of water” theme.
The apartment in Peru is embellished to a building full of eccentric tenants in the movie. The film, at this juncture, departs from Correa’s life and explores a world where the central character’s father does die, leaving him to manage a building in a completely new city. However, this seed of an idea led to the film’s other major theme - a character that is a fish out of water. Thus, the actor didn’t have to go through the experience of managing an apartment in a completely new setting. The two even reconnected to an extent subsequently. However, unlike in the movie, Correa’s father got a lung transplant and survived. In the interview, the actor stated how daunting a task that seemed to his 14-year-old self.
The father told a barely teenaged Correa that he must manage an apartment in Peru that belonged to his father. His father, who lived in Peru, informed him that he was dying of lung cancer. When he was about 14, the actor got a call from his father after years of being apart from him. Much like Lucas finds out in the movie that his father has died of lung cancer, Correa was suddenly informed of his father’s apparent impending death. In an interview, lead actor Pedro Correa described how his parents divorced when he was young. However, the initial idea for the story is seeded in real life. Most of the characters in the film appear to be fictional.
The two seemingly spent a good time discussing and refining the idea for the script, drawing from experiences from both their lives. Correa has reportedly worked on a number of short film scripts as well. The film is Fabio Frey’s feature-length debut and is co-written by him and lead actor Pedro Correa (who essays Lucas Varela). ‘My Dead Dad’ is partly based on a true story. Let’s take a look at whether that’s the case. The story of ‘My Dead Dad’ could very well have played out in real life.
The film incorporates nuanced emotions that feel genuine.