‘Little Death’s Jack Begert & Darren Aronofsky Discuss Their “Hyper Postmodern Whirlwind” Premiering At Sundance & How Hollywood Is “On The Edge Of A Defining Moment” With AI
deadline.comWhen setting out to make his feature directorial debut with Little Death, a surreal genre-bender premiering tonight at Sundance, Jack Begert looked to synthesize “two very powerful influences” — a love of “surreal” cinematic stylings, carried over from his work in high-profile music videos, as well as a much more “grounded, authentic, humanistic” mode of filmmaking.
Produced by Academy Award nominee Darren Aronofsky for his Protozoa Pictures, the film is visually and, to an extent, tonally reminiscent of the director’s early works, Requiem for a Dream and Pi.
A formally experimental feature telling a series of interconnected L.A. stories, which makes memorable use of AI-generated art, as well as visual and practical effects, it hones in on a series of dreamer characters on a darkly comic collision course — a middle-aged filmmaker (David Schwimmer) in the midst of a existential crisis (or breakthrough?), and a pair of dopehead taco truck entrepreneurs (Talia Ryder and Dominic Fike).
A native of Miami, Florida, Begert partnered with friends to launch the production company Psycho Films, focused on “zero-budget music videos,” after attending USC’s School of Cinematic Arts, breaking out with his stunning videos for everyone from Doja Cat and Jack Harlow to Olivia Rodrigo.
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