Cherry Tree Lane is a home invasion thriller that premiered in the UK back in 2010, but it was just released Stateside this week thanks to Image Entertainment. I had a chance to briefly talk with writer/director Paul Andrew Williams, who told me about his inspiration for the movie, working with young actors, and his thoughts on "less is more."
Thanks for taking the time to talk with me today. Can you talk about the inspiration behind Cherry Tree Lane? With there being a number of home invasion thrillers in recent years, was it difficult to get this project off the ground?
Paul Andrew Williams: It was an idea I've had for a long time because it's happened more than a few times in England. The ultimate fear is that we can open our doors to anyone. What is to stop anyone doing what happened in the movie, especially when you have kids that interact with other people?
There was another film I just finished and it's coming out soon, but it was stalling and I had to make something in the meantime. I wrote it quickly and we raised the money quickly, because it was very low budget. We did this as quickly as we could and, thankfully, it worked out well.
Other home invasion movies attempt to shock audiences by what is seen on screen, while you take a different approach. Can you tell me more about your belief that "less is more"?
Paul Andrew Williams: It's mainly that I personally don't like to see that stuff. For me, it's more frightening to see the reaction of someone unable to do anything whilst the person they care about the most is being brutalized. Most people imagine a scenario that's much worse that what I could show, anyway. The less you show them, the more they think, but it's never done to intentionally confuse the audience.
One of the interesting things about this movie is that it deals with fairly young antagonists. Can you tell me about working with the younger actors? Did they offer any creative input that helped improve the final product?
Paul Andrew Williams: I wasn't trying to make a racial statement or anything like that. It was always about casting the best people for the roles, and we saw sixty kids audition for the three roles. I've worked with younger actors, and it's interesting how I perceive that generation as a white, working class, person. I tried not to make it bollocks, but when I spoke to those who are around these types of people, I found that there are differences. I had the actors tell me if there is something should be changed. I only have a perception of what it might be, but they really know. We had lots of improvisation during rehearsals and all of the actors were great.
Although the movie is being released in the US this week, it first screened in the UK in 2010. Looking back, are you happy with the way the movie was received in the UK? What are your thoughts on audience reaction to the ending?
Paul Andrew Williams: I've made four films now and all of them have been received differently. I've had every kind of review you could imagine, from being called the greatest filmmaker in the whole world to being called someone who is completely useless. The best way I can make the movie is to not think about what people will say about it.
The thing about frightening people is that it's a massively subjective thing. Some people can't make it through Cherry Tree Lane and have been completely uneasy. Other people watch it and say, "What's going on over here? There's nothing..." They don't see what I intended, but I can't blame them. People watch a film with their own experiences in mind. If some people got it, then at least I knew the movie wasn't sh**, but I knew I wouldn't get everybody.
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