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"I wanted to explore the journeys that those in college experience as they struggle to figure out who they are and what they're going to do with their lives. But the key here, and what sets our film apart, was to experience the drama realistically - to let the stories stand on their own. I wanted to stay away from the sensationalism so prevalent in film these days. I mean, it's great fun to see someone masturbate into an apple pie, or have epic frat parties that burn down the neighborhood. But they're not real. In "Through Different Eyes" we're saying, "You're not alone. Most everyone's totally confused about who they are, what they're feeling and where they're going." Regardless of race, gender, sexual preference or physical beauty, everyone's going through it. The key is never to trivialize the ethos and intensity we feel and create. I think there's a real tendency as we age, to forget how earth shattering it was to go through it all. To hear a great band for the first time, or to see "THE ONE" in the library. To feel like "I can totally see myself doing this for the rest of my life" one second, then wonder "how could I possibly have thought that?!?" the next.
We feel things with a greater depth and intensity in the High School and College years than we mostly will for the rest of our lives. What, then, could be more captivating than to share those moments as our characters learn to see themselves as they truly are, not as a reflection of what those around them see or expect them to be. A true to life account of those experiences from racially diverse points of view. I'd originally hoped that everyone that came to see our film would find someone or something in their current life to relate to. But as the project grew it became apparent that our story's far larger that - it's universal. That even the old folks will find something wonderful here as well. After all, they were young once. Well, at least most of them were...
- Joe Fremont, writer / director |
