Michael Long is a proud Liverpudlian, meaning born and bred in Liverpool, and he wants the world to know that. The actor-turned-director’s debut feature will have its world premiere at the Oldenburg Film Festival on Friday.
It was a big moment for Long, who admitted hollywood reporter It has been a “difficult” journey and at times he felt slighted at drama school because he was from Liverpool.
Oldenburg marked a turning point. his movies, baby brotherAdam (Paddy Rowan) cares deeply about his younger brother Liam (Brian Comer). But deep within the city, for families like theirs, intertwined with the culture is unshakeable generational trauma. When Adam succumbs to the dysfunctional environment in which he was raised, he feels forced to cultivate violence within himself, much to Liam’s horror.
Next, let’s talk about Long THR Proud of where you come from, bringing the charm and magic of Liverpool to Oldenburg and why it’s more important than ever to give these films the chance to shine on an international stage.
Congratulations on your first feature film. can you tell me something about baby brother What inspired this project?
It’s hard to pinpoint exactly what inspired it, but the film’s themes are deeply grounded in intergenerational trauma. The question is: Can we control who we become?
I grew up with people around me, my friends grew up with people I saw every day in Liverpool, people who did bad things. They have committed a crime. For this reason I have always had sympathy for them. I always regret that their lives have become so ingrained that violence is their only form of expression that they don’t understand how to express themselves in any other way. I have friends that I grew up with, people that I know from afar, they’ve been to prison or something, or they’re addicted to drugs or something, and it always shocks me. So me and my friend Tom [Sidney]The man who helped me write the script worked in a school in Manchester for a group of troubled children. The two of us sat down and talked about different stories about people I knew, and then stories about kids. The film really develops from there.
I don’t think people are born bad. Do you know what I mean? We do not emerge from the womb as evil individuals. Some people are born into circumstances where they have no other choice because that’s all they know.
Paddy Rowan and Brian Comer star as Adam and Liam in Little Brothers.
This is a very Scouse film (Scuse refers to the Liverpudlian accent and people from the city are called Scouse people)… What is the significance of the unique communication, interaction and lifestyle of Liverpudlians?
This is very unique. I went to drama school and when I auditioned for drama school people would look down on me. I don’t know what my own perspective is, but I feel like people feel sorry for me, like I’m a kid with a problem. But I wasn’t, I had a lovely childhood but people would look down on me because we were from Liverpool and people see Liverpool as a specific place… Don’t get me wrong, the subject matter in our film is very difficult. But it’s also a magical place with incredible charm, atmosphere and unique energy. As a writer and director, my dream is to show the world the magic of this city baby brother Shows a lot of its darkness, but over the next few movies, I want to show a lot of its light.
Like you said, the way we interact and communicate is different from everywhere in the world. We believe Liverpool is like the New York of the UK and I was always told I needed to leave Liverpool to be successful in this industry but I was against it as I always felt my city was never shown in the way it should be shown. I want to build an industry in my city and this is just the beginning of hope. I believe Liverpool can essentially become the center of film and television for our country and around the world. You’ll see talent from our city like Jodie Comer, Stephen Graham, some of the greatest actors in the world today. Our city is going to be a big part of this industry and I never want to leave it and forget about it because it’s a big part of who I am. I’m proud of where I come from and the people I grew up with.
As you said, the film is about intergenerational trauma and what’s been passed down in your family. But there are also class factors at play.
Of course, yes, there is actually a category element. There is an element of class to myself and the people in it. I’m a working class guy from Liverpool. I’m 31 years old now. My mum was a receptionist at the local hospital and my dad was a stonemason. Everyone involved was from the area where we were filming. The main character is Paddy Rowan. you may have seen him blue Broadcast by ITV, he played the murderer of Rhys Jones. He’s a very talented young man. We need more opportunities for the working class. I guess what I’m trying to show is, take what you have and we’ll build it ourselves, we’ll knock down the doors ourselves and start building our own industry and everyone else will come calling.
I want to ask about the name of the movie baby brotherand family aspects. Because we see that Adam is deeply affected by his upbringing and is also a loving big brother. I was curious about this theme because he was a caring person who was forced to develop a violent side.
That’s what this movie is about. He is a good man who is forced to do bad things. For example, there are a lot of people in the world involved in the drug trade, and drug dealers are seen as scary individuals who are destroying communities. Don’t get me wrong, these guys have that element, but I’ve met them, I’ve talked to them, and a lot of them are good people deep down. People think this is their only way out, or the only way to make a lot of money. Will you sell drugs and make thousands of dollars, or will you find a job in a store?
Paddy’s character Adam is at the center of the idea and his brother Liam is based on many people. In a lot of ways, he’s loosely based on myself. Because I was a kid, when I was young, I was over things like that. Apparently, that’s how I was raised. I have a sister who is autistic and I am always worried about what her life would be like in a more vulnerable situation.
How was it confirmed that your film would premiere in Oldenburg?
This was a relief because I had no connections to any festivals in the world and we just submitted blindly and got a lot of rejections. I told my friends, “Damn it, Jesus.” What are we going to do here? No one wants it. And then Oldenburg emailed us, and they had seen it a week before, emailed us… I jumped right on Zoom and we were fucking screaming like hell.
Honestly, my own journey trying to break into this industry was very, very difficult. So, starting to see glimpses of turning this into my life…it was such a beautiful moment. Being here now is very unique. Saw a Turkish movie and a Mexican movie in the cinema last night and it was so beautiful to see all the different cultures, man. It’s really exciting for Liverpool to be representing Germany and Oldenburg.
Oldenburg is a festival that really supports independent filmmaking and provides these opportunities to people early in their careers. How important is it to focus on these independent films in the current climate?
The way the industry works right now it seems no one wants to take any chances. I could be wrong, but from my perspective, no one wants to take the chance. No one wants to put others over others. When you give new artists the opportunity to share their talent and showcase their talent in some way and present it to an audience…in this day and age, a Martin Scorsese or a Francis Ford Coppola would get that Opportunity? It’s amazing the opportunities that festivals like this provide people. This is important.
baby brother World premiere at the Oldenburg Film Festival on Friday 13 September.
