Filmmakers Marisa Guterman and Keith Gerchak discuss ‘Lost & Found in Cleveland’

Keith Gerchak and Marisa Guterman. Photo Courtesy of Double G Films

Filmmakers Marisa Guterman and Keith Gerchak chatted about their new film “Lost & Found in Cleveland” and being a part of the digital age.

‘Lost & Found in Cleveland’

This marks their feature film debut, which they wrote and directed. In “Lost & Found in Cleveland,” five storylines meet at the equivalent of “Antiques Roadshow” when it comes to their town—Cleveland!

“It has a documentary and mockumentary feel to it,” Guterman admitted about the concept of this film.

“This is about the American dream today in post-industrial America,” Gerchak said. “We basically asked the question ‘Does the American dream still exist? And if so, does it exist for everybody? We said emphatically ‘yes’ and that it is alive and well and it is living in Cleveland, Ohio.”

“This film is kind of our own American dream,” Guterman said. “It really is. Keith and I stumbled into doing it together. The vision of this film was so clear for us from the very beginning.”

“This is the same movie through and through, and it’s because Keith and I co-wrote it together. We believed in this vision of what we were trying to say. We produced it with breadcrumbs and just following the next piece forward,” Guterman elaborated.

“Also, we directed it because the people who invested in our film believed in our vision and saw that we were the only people that could execute it. We really cast the film ourselves, and we couldn’t be luckier with the cast that we got,” she added.

Working with June Squibb and Stacy Keach

On working with veteran actors June Squibb and Stacy Keach, Gerchak said, “We had written the role for June Squibb. She was always who we had in mind.”

“We had originally written with Ed Asner in mind to play her husband, but Ed had passed away, and we cast Stacy Keach, and their chemistry together was off the charts,” he said..

“They are both absolutely wonderful together, and you believe that they have been married for 63 years,” Gerchak admitted. “June and Stacy are treasures of American cinema. Their performances are so heartfelt, and they have the funniest lines in the movie. They are also heartbreaking. June Squibb deserves an Academy Award for the 45 seconds of her putting lipstick on in the mirror.”

“Stacy plays a character with dementia,” Gerchak said. “The nuances and the flashbacks that he has through his eyes, you see the man’s entire history flashing across his eyes and back in the present day. This is a remarkable thing to witness.”

“Stacy really lived in this role on set, and he never came out of character,” Guterman said. “We were just blown away. Stacy loves to work, and he comes alive there. He just connected with everybody.”

Working with Loretta Devine and Jon Lovitz

“Loretta Devine is everything in this film,” Guterman exclaimed. “Loretta is Broadway royalty, and she kills it in this film. She does this nuanced performance where she is hilarious, she can educate, and you fall in love with this woman. It’s such a three-dimensional character.”

“The fun thing about our cast is this wonderful ensemble,” she admitted. “Jon Lovitz was interesting, and he played the mayor of Cleveland. Jon was very serious about the project, and he really delved into the thinking and the psychology of his mayoral character. There was a real seriousness to the craft that Jon brings.”

“Jon is giving this transatlantic mayoral voice; it is a beautiful character and it makes him instantly timeless. He brings magic and seriousness to it. This role is Jon’s Jimmy Stewart performance in ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’,” she added.

The digital age

On being filmmakers in the digital age, Gerchak said, “It is interesting. We think that this film is meant to be seen in a theater. There Is nothing quite like seeing it in a movie theater.”

“At the end of the day, it is about the American dream. It’s a holiday film so we expect it to be a perennial favorite. To be able to have it streaming and accessible to the audience is really kind of a wonderful thing,” he said.

“The question of accessibility is really important for us,” Guterman underscored. “We believe in the democratization of film, and having people get to experience that. I think technology has been really wonderful for that.”

“The great thing about the digital age is the preservation and legacy aspect of the film,” Guterman added.

Advice for young and aspiring filmmakers

For young and aspiring filmmakers, Guterman said with a sweet laugh, “Don’t believe anyone. Go out there, and find out yourself. Anyone that tells you ‘no,’ probably hasn’t done it before.”

“You have to go out there for yourself and you need to fight for it. There is nothing passive about success. It is very active. You have to believe in it more than other people say that you can’t do it,” she said.

“You are the expert in your project. Nobody else can tell you otherwise. “You just need to keep going,” Gerchak added.

They both concurred that timelines are ambiguous; it is all about making something that is meaningful to you. “The right people come along, and the right locations come along,” Gerchak said. “We’ve faced it all. It all happens at the time that it’s supposed to happen with the people that it’s supposed to happen.”

Stage of their lives

On the title of the current chapter of his life, Gerchak said, “In the Thick of It.”

“Keith and I joke that we need to write a book about making this film, which will be just as interesting as the movie itself,” Guterman said. “There is lost and found in Cleveland, and then, there’s lost and found in Hollywood, and we are doing a lot of that right now.”

Superpower of choice

If she were to have any superpower, Guterman responded, “I truly believe that independent filmmaking is a superpower.” “I truly believe that,” she reiterated.

Success

On their definition of success, Gerchak said, “Being able to do what you love with the people that you love. That’s what wakes you up each day.”

“Also being able to focus on things that feel bigger than you, yourself,” Gerchak added.

“For me, the word success evolves, and it looks different, and it is also about endurance,” Guterman said. “Success and endurance are equal ideas for us.”

Favorite mottos to live by

On their favorite mottos to live by, Gerchak said, “President Theodore Roosevelt once said, ‘Keep your eyes on the stars and your feet on the ground’.”

“You have to do that in this industry. You have to keep dreaming, keep believing, and keep envisioning that. Also, have your feet planted so that you can take actual steps to make that a reality,” Guterman said.

“This is the quote that I used on my college application essays,” Guterman jokingly laughed.

Closing thoughts on film

“We want people to get hope out of this movie,” they both concurred. “We hope that everybody can see a little bit of themselves in all of the different characters and the different situations, and find common ground in our human nature,” Gerchak said.

“That is what the American dream ultimately is. It is what wakes us up every morning and it gives us a sense of hope, and I hope that people will find that,” Gerchak added.