Most people would have you believe that Hollywood is a superficial town where people never truly connect. The climate is one of self-promotion at all costs and reinforces the notion that the only commodity worth possessing is youth. Films like SallyWood expose this concept for the false premise it is. Surely a portion of negativity exists in every city but so does friendship and the idea that hard work gets rewarded. Written/directed by Xaque Gruber and producer by Steven J.
Wolfe, the film is populated with several Oscar Nominees including Sally Kirkland (also a Golden Globe Winner), Jennifer Tilly, and Eric Roberts, as well as ALMA Award-Winner Maria Conchita Alonso and Jasper Cole (of the Primetime Emmy Award Winning Series American Horror Story). Reportedly created on a miniscule budget as a passion project, SallyWood delivers the kind of moments that vacillate between laughs and tears at nearly a moment’s notice.
Despite the budget constraints, the immensely talented crew behind the scenes has materialized a world that rivals any deep-pocketed major studio project while still retaining the charm of an Indie sensibility and its uniqueness.
SallyWood is a love story about friendship rather than romance loosely based on the real-life relationship of Xaque Gruber and Sally Kirkland. Zack (a proxy for Xaque) is a young man from Maine who moves to Hollywood. After meeting Sally Kirkland (played by the actress herself in this film), he takes on the personal assistant duties for the famed actress. The story spans a number of years and sees Kirkland from the height of her stardom to a time not so centered on the spotlight.
Always believing in Sally’s talent, Zack is a professional and personal foundation for Sally. When a young director offers Ms. Kirkland a role in a zombie film, it’s Zack who trusts in her greatness even though the actress is riddled with doubt. The zombie film ushers in a welcomed “second act” for this well-deserving talent but the real success of the story is the bond that these two main characters establish through the trials they face together, supporting each other as if they were actual family.
The most charming element of SallyWood is its willingness to play with the idea of not taking itself too seriously. That’s not to say that it is farcical but rather that it possesses an awareness of how unusual life in the world’s film mecca is. The paper thin line that separates reality and storytelling is as evident in the settings of this film as with the characters.
The enthusiasm is prominent in the voice of production designer Filippo Savoia who communicates, “I really had an opportunity to explore different sides of Hollywood for this movie. One of the most interesting designs was in fact recreating Sally Kirkland’s house. We didn’t use her actual house but she allowed myself and my team the use of some of her personal belongings in our recreation. Completely different but equally fun was creating the spaceship set for a film shoot in the movie.
My design featured color palettes like blue and green, to symbolize a comic 80s sci-fi style. There were neons and a smoke machine, sci-fi suits, and weapons. It was vital to the set to decorate the on-screen movie set as cheesy as possible, almost like they were shooting in an amateur way. That was interesting and funny and my design remained on point with the perspective and tone of the movie.”
SallyWood may be set in a town and industry that focuses on what’s new and trending but this film shows that the ties which bind friends together supersede anything. It’s a story about believing in one’s self and others without the need to feel superior.
Writer: Coleman Haan