As the pair prepped the script for LOLA VERSUS, their debut film, BREAKING UPWARDS, won a high profile spot at the 2009 SXSW Film Festival. Directed by Wein, BREAKING UPWARDS was co-written, produced by, and starred the couple. The film, made with a home video camera on a miniscule budget of $15,000, dealt with an unconventional relationship between two young people in New York City and established the duo as filmmakers to watch.
Wein and Lister-Jones caught the eye of producer Michael London of Groundswell Productions after The New York Times ran a profile of the couple in 2009. “The article was accompanied by a big picture of these beaming, wonderful young faces and an account of the movie,” London remembers. “It-and they-sounded fun and interesting, so I watched the movie, then tracked down their agent and met with them. I was delighted to learn that they were as youthful and inventive and unique in person as they were in the profile.”
London, who has helped shepherd a diverse slate of films to the screen, including SIDEWAYS, MILK, WIN WIN and THE INFORMANT! was won over by the film’s unique voice and look. “You hear so many stories about people making movies on their own, but too often the enthusiasm outstrips the talent,” says London. “Daryl has a very strong visual style and a real pop sensibility. He makes movies for a real audience, not just himself. When we met, I asked them what they wanted to do for their next project and offered to help them find an idea.”
But the young filmmakers surprised him by presenting a completed draft of LOLA VERSUS. “I read it overnight,” London says. “Perhaps three or four times in my life I’ve read something and felt like I knew the characters and loved them right away. This was one of those times. As I read the script, I felt like I was already watching the movie. The story of a 29-year-old woman experiencing all the crises and screw-ups that most people go through gradually in their early 20s in one fell swoop was very accessible and touching. I have a relationship with Fox Searchlight Pictures, so I brought the script-as well as Zoe and Daryl-to them as quickly as I could.”
Jocelyn Hayes Simpson, another of the film’s producers, has previously worked on films including I’M NOT THERE, INFAMOUS and THE NOTORIOUS BETTIE PAGE. She says Wein and Lister-Jones bring a fresh perspective that reminds her of her early days in independent film. “I like to see things I’ve never seen before,” she says. “From my point of view, they create really original material. Their first film came at a time in the industry when it seemed to be getting harder and harder to make independent films of any quality. Then along came these talented 20-somethings with a movie that looked great, got sold and had a theatrical release. It was really reinvigorating to be reminded that people keep making-and selling-wonderful movies.”
As a director, Wein impressed the producers with his confidence, determination and empathy for the characters. “One of his great strengths is that he is a writer, an actor as well as a director,” says Simpson. “He can think of a million ways around any problem and he never takes no for an answer. Independent filmmaking forces you to be really creative. Sometimes the best work comes out of that.”
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