A Homegrown Movie

“It’s a neat time to be a filmmaker in Louisiana, because it’s still very new here,” said Baton Rouge native and independent filmmaker Richie Adams. “There’s a freshness and newness that people want to be a part of. That’s kind of magical, and it’s not the same case in places like California or New York where some of the romance has gone away.”

Richie Adams is one of the lucky few to hit his directorial stride in perfect time with the swelling Hollywood South movement. Released earlier this year, his second feature film, Una Vida: A Fable of Music and the Mind, is a story about a neuroscientist who helps a New Orleans street singer make peace with her past in the midst of Alzheimer’s and extreme poverty.

The film presents a musically rich portrait of Louisiana life and culture and is a critically acclaimed example of the kind of independent cinema that can be accomplished in the Bayou State. For those Louisiana cinephiles who hope the Hollywood South movement produces quality art, Una Vida will be an encouraging watch.

Adams has loved movies for as long as he can remember. He recalled, as a six-year–old, going to the old drive-in theater on Airline Highway in Baton Rouge to watch a double feature of Zorro and Mel Brooks’ History of the World: Part I. “My parents and sister fell asleep, but I was glued to the screen the entire time,” said Adams.

Adams’ love of film and television prompted him to leave his hometown to study motion picture advertising in Los Angeles, where he eventually made his own way as a commercial and feature film director. “Once I focused on becoming a director, I realized it would be much harder for me to make it as a small fish in a big pond like L.A. or New York City,” said Adams. It was around that time that the Louisiana tax-incentive program enticed him to return to Baton Rouge, where he founded a film and television production studio, River Road Creative, and where he’s been honing his directorial skills as an indie filmmaker. 

His work is not going unnoticed. Una Vida is quickly collecting accolades on the national film festival circuit. The film has already taken eight awards. He just snagged the title for Best New Director at the 2014 Vancouver International Film Festival, and he also won the Visionary Award for Best Louisiana Film at the 2014 Louisiana International Film Festival. Its next screening will be at the 2014 New Orleans Film Festival on October 19 and 21. 

Adams’ Una Vida presents an example of cinema aligned with the spirit of music; the story is peopled by characters whose lives center around music. Luckily for Adams, his home state is as music-centric as they come.

“The state is a hotbed for artistic talent. The quality of musicians you get here is almost unparalleled,” praised the director. He teamed up with Carlos José Alverez, the composer who scored Adams’ first feature, Inventing Adam, to pull off an award-winning score, which has already taken the Audience Award in the music category at the 2014 Newport Beach Film Festival. The film’s powerful, yet simple, score incorporates just three elements: strings, clarinet, and an Argentine accordion, or bandoneon. Alvarez’ soundtrack is not unlike the soundscape you would imagine hearing in a European cafe, which is a fitting approach for a portrait of New Orleans life. In a movie where music is the central theme, the composer’s creative influence is felt just as profoundly as the director’s, and in this case the collaboration was a successful one. Of Alvarez, Adams said, “He is the composer that I will probably work with until the end. He’s the epitome of bringing what’s right for the film from a musical and instrumentation standpoint.”

The soundtrack isn’t Una Vida’s only strength. Adams collaborated with a knock-out cast: Aunjanue Ellis (The Help, Ray) stars as Una Vida and Golden Globe award-winning actor Joaquim de Almeida plays the neuroscientist, Dr. Alvaro Cruz, who endeavors to help reduce the street singer’s suffering. The movie’s tone is emotional yet realistic, a difficult balance to achieve, but the cast pulls it off with performances of both subtly and depth. The critics have taken notice, especially of Ellis, who has already received the award for Best Actress at the 2014 American Black Film Festival and the 2014 Breckenridge Film Festival.

With a beautiful soundtrack and an all-star cast, Una Vida should make it onto the movie-goer’s itinerary at this month’s New Orleans Film Festival. Adams will be in attendance to discuss the film with audience members. “I love the experience of film festivals. It’s a tremendous rush being with other filmmakers and those that really love movies,” said the director.

In Adams, movie audiences in Louisiana have gained an artist with the pedigree and expertise of old Hollywood; and Adams wins, too. He gets to make movies in a place he loves and calls home. “The quality of life and the people here—Southern hospitality is a very real thing, and it makes working as a filmmaker in Louisiana extremely rewarding.”

Photo: Richie Adams on the far left with cast and crew members of Una Vida.

Details. Details. Details.

More info at neworleansfilmfestival.org

61 Bullets, another Louisiana-produced and -directed film about the assassination of Huey P. Long, also premieres at the New Orleans Film Festival. Read a review by Jeff Roedel here.