The filming of “The Tomorrow Man” got a lot of attention
locally when cast and crew arrived to shoot here for about six weeks in August
and September of 2017. Brought to the area thanks to New York State tax
incentives and the work of the Rochester/Finger Lakes Film Commission, the
production had a bit of additional intrigue due to the presence of big-name
actors John Lithgow (who coincidentally was born in the area, though never
lived here) and Blythe Danner headlining the otherwise small, independent
production.
At the time,
local media was abuzz, publishing photos of Lithgow on location, and crews were
spotted in a few towns around the greater Rochester area, from Brighton and Gates
in Monroe County to Lyons in Wayne County.
Timelines of
film production being what they are, it would be some time before we’d get to
see the results of those efforts. But the film finally premiered at the
Sundance Film Festival this past January, and began its roll out to theaters
last month before finally reaching Rochester this week.
Music-video director
Noble Jones writes and directs what turns out to be a sweet story about two
lonely souls in search of a connection. Lithgow plays Ed, a doomsday prepper
who spends his days obsessively stocking his fallout shelter in anticipation of
an end-of-the-world scenario that may never come. When he’s not haranguing his
son (Derek Cecil) over the phone for not following his lead, he’s dispensing
his wisdom via online message boards.
One day Ed
sees Ronnie (Danner) at the local market and mistakes her deliberate shopping
methods — frequent trips to the store, selective buying, always paying in cash
— for signs that she’s a fellow “prepper.” She’s not, but does have a secret of
her own, though it’s revealed late enough in the movie that mentioning it feels
like a spoiler.
Suffice it
to say that each of them have their own unique ways of maintaining control in a
world that appears to be steadily careening toward chaos. By his own admission,
Ed’s preparations are a “safety blanket.” He and Ronnie are each eager to
escape some pain of their past, while possessing an often debilitating fear of
the future. But together they might find a more manageable present. Their
gradually-revealed backgrounds add a bit of intrigue to what’s at heart a
fairly straightforward late-in-life romance between two lonely, misunderstood
people.
Veteran
actors Lithgow and Danner are lovely together, investing their slightly
eccentric characters with an innate sweetness and humanity. They are let down
slightly by the script, which can at time be too self-consciously quirky. The
scenes involving Ed and his strained relationship with his son’s family,
including a daughter-in-law (Katie Aselton), and
teenage grandchild (Sophie Thatcher) who are more than a bit wary of him, are
somewhat stilted.
The inherent
creep factor of Ed’s initial advances to Ronnie are admittedly off-putting: intentionally
blocking in her car in the supermarket parking lot in order to start up a
conversation, and following her and repeatedly engaging with her when she
clearly has no interest. And without saying too much, the film’s ending is a
bold choice — one that seems bound to divide audiences.
But the
chemistry between the two stars helps maintain the film’s idiosyncratic charm.
And with movie romances being such a young person’s game, it’s always nice to
get the rare love story aimed at the over-60 set.
Rochester
seems to be standing in for any anonymous, rural, small-town America, and this
production uses its local farmland and country settings to great effect. Jones
acted as his own director of photography, and the film has a lovely, rustic
look to it. Though I will say, it’s hard not to notice that while a portion of
the film takes place during Thanksgiving, the locations are clearly displaying
their summer greenery. It is a kick though, to see the city’s skyline behind
the anchorwoman on the TV news broadcasts that Ed watches (and occasionally
believes to be addressing him directly).
The
production of “The Tomorrow Man” employed a number of local crew members in
behind-the-camera roles, from casting to extras, catering to camera operators,
and it’s a treat to see their efforts up there on screen. With the success of
this production, I sincerely hope this leads to more major film projects utilizing
the area. Considering Rochester’s active filmmaking community and wealth of
behind-the-scenes talent, it surely won’t be long before more come to take
advantage of everything the region has to offer.
This article appears in Jun 5-11, 2019.
