Those have been Sundance Film Festival can attest to how excitingly chaotic the event can be, especially for those who are there to work. Between the weather-related challenges of being held atop mountainous Park City, Utah and the fact that Sundance is effectively the first major movie event of the year — not to mention the buzz surrounding movies making their world premieres — there is always something to do. , someone to meet, somewhere to go.
Travina Springer know this well; in fact her movie, To live and die and live, had just had its premiere at the festival hours before she and I got in touch by phone for our interview. “It was so much fun,” Springer said of being able to see the film with a general audience. “To have [them] reacting and dealing with things in real time, collectively, was especially good.”
Selected as part of Sundance’s NEXT program, To live and die and live marks the return of writer/director Qasim Basir to the renowned festival (his previous feature film, A boy. A girl. A dream., premiered here in 2018). With his latest film, however, Basir turns his lens to Detroit and tells the story of Muhammed (Amin Joseph), a successful Hollywood director who returns home to bury his recently deceased stepfather in Islamic funeral traditions. To Muhammed’s family, he is a savior of sorts, taking on the financial burden of the funeral and dedicating himself to taking care of everyone. What they don’t know, however, is that Muhammed struggles with addiction, and one night in Detroit, after the bars have closed, he meets a young woman (Skye P. Marshall), who fits his play for reasons of her own. hard energy. They form an instant attraction, even if it’s a precarious connection, one that forces them to look inward perhaps for the first time in a long time.
Playing a version of Basir’s Real-Life Sister
Before filming To live and die and live, Springer had formative conversations with Basir about the story and characters, particularly his vision for the film, which only confirmed that she made the right choice in signing on. The actress plays Raina, Muhammed’s sister, who is probably the only person in their family who is not as impressed as everyone else by her brother’s fame and success. Springer revealed that she, Basir and the rest of the cast playing Muhammed’s family all had dinner together prior to shooting. Of course, more than just using the time to get to know each other and bond in front of the camera, Springer recalled that they had a “really great in-depth conversation about the story and who everyone was and what it meant. It was just real inspiring, and I think so [conversation] informed my performance.”
Interestingly enough, Raina was based on Basir’s real-life sister: “She was there watching us as we filmed, so it was a lot of pressure. But it was also great. I had a great time.” – and it was through her conversations with the director that Springer built a character whose emotional complexity, though not necessarily the focus of To live and die and live, is always evident when the camera cuts her. “What was really cool was there was some great stuff in the script, but when we got on set, we were able to play, and there were things I could expand on,” said Springer. “Qasim just trusted me to make those choices and move in that direction.”
A love letter to Detroit
In his “Meet the Artist” video at Sundance Institute’s YouTube channel discussed Basir how To live and die and live arose from a desire to capture the beauty of his hometown of Detroit, something that sadly hasn’t been done enough in the history of the medium. “He shared [with me] how this was a personal story for him and a love letter to Detroit,” Springer said. Later in our conversation, the actress added, “There’s so much talent in the city of Detroit. This movie highlights very well the local talent that was behind the scenes. I would like people to appreciate the city of Detroit.”
To live and die and liveThe idea of changing the public’s long-held — and erroneous — perception of a city also extends to its residents, especially black men. If there’s one thing Springer would recommend audiences take away from her movie, it’s the “beautiful images of black men [vulnerable] with each other.”
Springer mainly played in last year’s Mrs. Marvel as Tyesha, wife of Aamir (and thus sister-in-law of Kamala Khan), who pioneered Muslim representation in the superhero genre. As a Muslim woman, Springer is well aware of the power of on-screen storytelling. And she sees the power To live and die and live holds. “The themes of addiction and grief, those are things that so many people struggle with, but it’s not something you see portrayed with a Muslim protagonist — and I think that’s really powerful.”
To live and die and live is currently showing at Sundance. Visit the festival website for the full programme.