NZIFF 2022 Q&A: Shut Eye director Tom Levesque

Tell us about your 2022 Film festival film

Shut Eye is a film about a twenty something dropout who befriends an ASMR streamer to cure their insomnia, where the lines between friendship and obsession become blurred. 

What inspired you to make this film?

Being someone who used ASMR for a few years before making the film, I became interested in the people who both performed and listened. There's a mystery to the world of ASMR that I wanted to dig deeper into. Also, on a more emotional level this was a film where I wanted to explore some questions I had around what it means to be connected in today's world. 

How has your filmmaking changed during these Covid-19 times?

It's for sure required myself to be more flexible and patient with the whole process. We were lucky we didn't have to shut down production due to an outbreak, but we did have contingency plans in place. Maybe it's a good thing to be a little more patient in the process, as filmmaking can be all consuming. 

What’s the moment you want your audience to remember most from your film?

I'd hope that they walk away with a few insights around the theme of the film - where my intention is to start a discussion about getting to know ourselves. However uncomfortable it may be, knowing who we are with the good and bad and everything in between is the ultimate form of connection. 

Aside from your own, what’s the one film that you reckon everyone should see at the festival?

Triangle of Sadness, I just cannot wait to watch this!

What’s the last film you saw and how was it?

I actually just recently watched the animated film Soul from Pixar. What a charming delight that was! I was so impressed with how they managed to pull some deep questions about purpose and finding one's voice in such a compressed story. 

What’s the film you wished you’d made, and why?

So hard to answer this! But I would have to go to Terrence Malick's The Thin Red Line - this was the film that pushed me to pursue a career in filmmaking.