NewEnglandFilm.com

They say good things come in small packages, and that is definitely the case for the upcoming short film Memories For Sale, set to premiere on April 20th in Lowell, Massachusetts.

The story follows Charlie O’Neil (David Sullivan), a passionate and kindhearted writer desperate for his big break in the literary world. Charlie is hopeful that his break will come in the form of a biography he has spent years working on about comedian Sid Freedman (Bob Colonna), now an elderly man who was once made famous by an act he shared with his comedic partner and friend Sam.

In order to make his book successful in this drama-driven world, Charlie’s agent Bruce Halpern (played by Jerry Bisantz) convinces him to get more details about Sid’s personal life even if that means putting the friendship that they’ve built in jeopardy.

Sid arrives to Bruce’s office escorted by his granddaughter Rachel Wagner (Melissa Penick), however she and Bruce decide to leave and give Charlie the privacy for the uncomfortable task of prying into the old man’s personal life. You will never guess what gets uncovered and how Charlie must wrestle with morality and the privacy that everyone deserves but rarely gets in today’s society.

It is truly remarkable how four actors can portray so many riveting emotions in a 25-minute performance, the entirety of which is set in one room. A large part of this success can be attributed to the writer, Jerry Bisantz, a local writer who actually plays Charlie’s agent.

Jerry has been writing plays since 1997 and has since written countless award winning scripts and musicals; Memories For Sale being one of them. The play was produced on three different stages including one in his hometown in Buffalo where he was able to share the experience with his mother.

“I wrote this play a fairly long time ago, I think in 1999, and my concern was that as a society we have to know everything about everybody and we have no dignity anymore. That’s what drove me to write this.”

Fourteen years later, the modest performance piece has turned into an incredibly compelling short film for which Jerry commends the director, filmmaker Christian de Rezendes.

“One of the things about Christian’s filmmaking that I’m impressed by is his ability to create tension with a camera,” said Jerry.

Jerry met Christian, a skilled filmmaker and documentarian, at a mutual friend’s screening where they began discussing potential projects. Christian had an impressive resume of different film genres, but was looking to get back into narrative films as he had recently worked on a number of documentaries. Jerry had a script that he felt would make a great screenplay, and the rest was history.

“Usually the best way to never hear from someone again is to send them a script; it’s hilarious. But the next day I got an email from him saying, ‘when are we making this movie?’ I never got a reaction to anything that strong,” said Jerry.

One might assume that directing a film starring the screenwriter would be an overwhelming feat, however this was not the case for Christian.

“It was great working with him. He was very hands-off in allowing me to do what I wanted with the film. His background is theater and mine is with film so you have to trust what the other person knows and vice versa,” said Christian.

In fact, the entire cast was made up of local stage actors. It was the first screen project that David Sullivan, who played Charlie, had ever worked on. All four of the actors offered their input, which was ultimately included in the final cut, making the film a collaborative effort.

The film was shot in Lowell, Massachusetts on a local college campus and the entire cast and crew was made up of either Lowell and Rhode Island natives. The set design was carefully constructed to pay tribute to the film’s home.

“Actually the two book posters that you see in the back, because the agent was a literary agent, are actually of books written by local writers who were friends of Jerry’s,” said Christian.

Jerry has been a long time supporter of the local art scene in Lowell. In addition to creating his own works, he has put together numerous platforms and events for playwrights to share their work. He is also the founder of Image Theater in Lowell, where he acts as co-artistic director along with Ann Garvin, who helped produce Memories For Sale.

“I’ve produced well over 200 plays. I’ve been producing so much that I haven’t had much time to do any writing. But this was my first time ever making a movie and I caught the bug. I’m psyched to keep doing more,” said Jerry.

It’s amazing how the issues of privacy that inspired this script over a decade ago are still prevalent today, making this funny, quirky and heartbreaking film a timeless story.

“I’m attracted to different challenges and angles of stories. I loved the message that came across in it. The question looms what price is a man’s dignity, do we have to know everything when does this aspect of social media end? When does it stop?” explained Christian.

Jerry said that he doesn’t like to explain his stories, and, instead, prefers people to gather their own interpretations. He hopes that Memories For Sale, like all of his work will make people think and provoke a discussion… just as long as its AFTER the performance.

“I think anytime you can get people to put down their God damned cell phones and come together, especially today, it’s a great thing.”