Whether it was around the campfire, or sneaking a read with the flashlight under the covers, or catching a midnight movie, there was something vital and enduring about those supernatural tales. They whispered and bled the basics of storytelling genetics; something of the unknown, but also something far more familiar and terrifying... an opportunity to gaze into the abyss of the self.
Alabama based filmmaker Jay Burleson is currently prepping Unfinished Business a feature that goes back to that well in an intriguing lo-fi way.
After the death of her grandmother, 22-year-old Bailey Wallace is haunted by a ghost that lurks in her house. As she pieces together the tragic history of her home, she has no choice but to face the ghost head-on, and come to terms with the truth about a past she barely remembers.I first got word of Burleson's films during a visit to the Sidewalk Film Festival in Birmingham, Alabama at the end of August, where his previous feature, Anathema Ariennette, premiered. An intimate and raw look at depression and sexuality, the film was presented through the home movies and video diaries of its 16-year old heroine. I was intrigued by the film's curious authenticity; where did the fabrications end and the realities begin? How much of this was an authentic performance on the part of young Kaylin Quinlivan, or just her actual life? And did that matter?
Like the early work of Adam Wingard, something in Burleson's lo-fi, DIY approach made it all the more disturbing, thrilling, and human.
When I heard Burleson, his small band of filmmakers, and Quinlivan, would be embarking on a character-based Southern Gothic ghost story, I couldn't help but perk up at the prospect.
Unfinished Business is currently halfway through a Seed&Spark campaign that sees Burleson and Co. raising production funds for the film. With 16 days left, they're nearing $5,000 of a $12,000 goal, which in the world of independent filmmaking is a very doable number.
Head on over to the Unfinished Business Seed&Spark campaign page, get a load of the pitch video, their past work, and if so inclined toss a couple bucks their way, and know you've supported a truly independent, exciting new vision.