Night cap with The Pull
An interview with Paul Szynol, director of The Pull
Why did you choose to explore the subject of addiction?
I was actually shooting a film about a poetry program in the New Hampshire jail where John was housed, and the full scope of the opioid situation hit me during that process, as I talked to the many inmates who were serving time on drug related charges. When John agreed to let me film him after release, I didn’t know that he would resume using – my hope was that he would abstain and I would be able to show him thriving. But of course, that’s not how things turned out. So, the film was first and foremost about John and his experience after incarceration, and it’s only because he resumed using that it became about addiction. I struggled with the idea of showing John in such a vulnerable state, but he wanted to make the film, and I wanted to highlight his experience so that we can contribute this particular perspective to the discourse about the opioid crisis in the US.
Can you tell us about the filming process?
It was very touch and go. There was virtually no planning. John was very hard to get in touch with and coordinate with. I basically drove up to New Hampshire from Brooklyn on a regular basis, sometimes entirely uncertain if I would even be able to find John, and I filmed whatever I could. There was very little control over the story or the process, so I had to film whatever I could, and make sense of it later in the edit room.
Are you particularly interested in the documentary genre? Would you consider branching out to fiction?
I love making documentaries, but I’m definitely curious about narrative fiction, too. I haven’t taken any steps in that direction, though. Maybe one day!
Can you tell us your background as a filmmaker?
I’ve always wanted to make documentaries, but I have no formal training in film, and I actually studied law rather than something art-related, and have been practicing as a media and tech lawyer. I didn’t start working on films until just a few years ago, when I bought a video camera and started shooting a short film in Uganda. Before then I spent a few years working with photography, though, which I think helped me a bit with finding a visual language and gave me the confidence to try film.
Would you say that the short film format has given you any particular freedom?
I think it’s easier to gauge the progress of a short project and to redirect it if need be. And if something isn’t working and you need to abandon it, the opportunity cost isn’t as great as it is with a feature, where you might have sunk years of your life. So, I don’t know if it’s given me artistic freedom per se, but I do think it’s liberating in terms of financial and time commitments.
The Pull was shown in International Competition.
