''Station to Station'' (released in Germany and Austria as ''Las Vegas und Andere Stationen'') is a 2021 psychological drama written and directed by
Benjamin Bryant. Filmed in a
production bubble during the coronavirus pandemic, ''Station to Station'' was selected as the opening night feature for the 2021
Las Vegas International Film and Screenwriting Festival, where it received multiple jury nominations including for Best Film, and won two, including the festival's Audience Award. The film was released in the United States on January 8, 2022.
Plot
After learning a long-held family secret, Major Tom Ryan (named for
David Bowie
David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known professionally as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer-songwriter and actor. A leading figure in the music industry, he is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the ...
's performance persona
Major Tom
Major Tom is a persona of David Bowie's, referenced in songs "Space Oddity", " Ashes to Ashes", " Hallo Spaceboy", "Blackstar" and " Angel With A Shotgun" Bowie's own interpretation of the character evolved throughout his career. "Space Oddit ...
) the son of a
Hamptons
The Hamptons, part of the East End of Long Island, consist of the towns of Southampton and East Hampton, which together comprise the South Fork of Long Island, in Suffolk County, New York. The Hamptons are a popular seaside resort and one of ...
housekeeper moves to
Las Vegas
Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...
, where he initially finds work as a handyman and has a brief romance with his boss's daughter. After losing his job and girlfriend on the same day, Tom accepts a job offer from Jordan, a stranger he meets out on the town. While Tom is hired to perform maintenance work, he grows increasingly immersed in Jordan's fast-moving Vegas world of youthful excess, easy temptation, and short-term rewards. Tom soon develops close bonds with the eclectic group of people who work for Jordan; as well as a budding romance with Sarah, the brash young woman living across the street.
While Tom's new world seems ideal for a young man seeking to lose himself in the present, emotional remnants of the painful past he left behind in New York start to emerge. Tom pushes even harder to forget, straining his new relationships and creating both internal and external pressures. In a dramatic series of third-act events, it becomes clear to all involved that Tom's unresolved issues make his presence subtly destructive and destabilizing.
Production
''Station to Station'' was conceived, written, cast, and filmed during the
coronavirus pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identified ...
. Principal photography took place on location in
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...
, in September and October 2021, with actors living and working in a "
bubble
Bubble, Bubbles or The Bubble may refer to:
Common uses
* Bubble (physics), a globule of one substance in another, usually gas in a liquid
** Soap bubble
* Economic bubble, a situation where asset prices are much higher than underlying fundame ...
," eating together onsite and unable to do any sightseeing on their days off.
Bryant and producer Tommy Zamberlan scheduled the 11-day principal shoot to minimize the amount of time cast and crew were on set. Changes to the script and desired scene blocking to minimize unnecessary physical proximity for cast and crew were made.
Additional material and a reshoot of the scenes involving Tom and his first girlfriend Jennifer (Cheyenne Alexsys) were reshot in early spring in two locations outside of Bryant and Zamberlan's home base of
Washington D.C.
)
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, Na ...
![Benjamin_Bryant_-_2018_Daytime_Emmys](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b4/Benjamin_Bryant_-_2018_Daytime_Emmys.jpg)
Plans to shoot at real life bars, restaurants, and other Las Vegas locations fell through or were changed due to local coronavirus mandates and related closures.
A key scene between the characters of Jordan and Tom at a nightclub was shot on a set when the planned location canceled two days prior, and an extended series of scenes scripted to move throughout a hotel was changed to take place entirely within a suite due to restrictions at the location. Writer-director Bryant noted his initial frustration with these restrictions, but felt the ultimately less ambitious scope and scale of the film allowed for a smaller, more intimate experience for viewers, and may have improved the film creatively and created an affinity for the city within the cast and crew.
The film was shot on a
microbudget
A low-budget film or low-budget movie is a motion picture shot with little to no funding from a major film studio or private investor. Many independent films are made on low budgets, but films made on the mainstream circuit with inexperienced or ...
of less than $25,000, with Bryant stating he is "proud to note" that the shoot was fully insured and all cast and crew on set were paid at the time of the shoot. Zamberlan also served as sound director/recordist, COVID-19 coordinator, set decorator, and assistant editor on the film; and Bryant also served as editor, colorist, production and costume designer, with savings achieved by both deferring compensation.
Bryant and Zamberlan's existing joint ownership of professional
film
A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere ...
and sound equipment allowed the production to avoid camera, sound, and lighting equipment rental fees. Bryant noted the process of making ''Station to Station'' as a micro-budget film was complicated, involving "a lot of planning ahead of time, and a lot of compromise and trading-off of those plans when it came time to shoot."
Original songs and score
Bryant co-wrote three original songs for the film with Austin-based musician and
composer
A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music.
Etymology and Defi ...
Francis McGrath.
The
nu-disco "Sexy Nightmare" and
dance duet "Closer to You" are featured within the film in the nightclub scene when Tom and Jordan first meet, and the
rock ballad
A sentimental ballad is an emotional style of music that often deals with romantic and intimate relationships, and to a lesser extent, loneliness, death, war, drug abuse, politics and religion, usually in a poignant but solemn manner.J. M. Cu ...
"Changing Stations" plays over the final moments of the film and the closing credits. The melodies of all three songs are woven into McGrath's original score.
All three songs are credited as "performed by Francis McGrath featuring" singers Kimberly Pollini ("Sexy Nightmare"), Benjamin Bryant and Taryn Hacker ("Closer to You"), and Jon Hacker ("Changing Stations").
The film's music received multiple honors during the festival run, including "Best Musical Score" at the 2021
Las Vegas International Film and Screenplay Festival.
Release
On October 31, 2021, the Las Vegas International Film and Screenwriting Festival revealed ''Station to Station'' to be an Official Selection for the 2021 program, and a finalist for the festival's "Best Drama Feature" honor. On November 5, the festival announced the film would debut as LVIFSF's opening night feature, making its world premiere on November 9, 2021. The film received a total of eight jury and festival nominations and won two. Additionally, it was selected by festival attendees as the "
Audience Award An audience award is typically an award at a film festival (or some other type of cultural festival or similar competition) which is selected by the audience attending the festival, rather than by the festival jury or a group of critics.
Examples ...
winner."
Due to Coronavirus concerns, plans for a limited theatrical release beginning Thanksgiving weekend were scrapped in favor of a January 8, 2022 ticketed "
virtual theatrical" global release, with
streaming
Streaming media is multimedia that is delivered and consumed in a continuous manner from a source, with little or no intermediate storage in network elements. ''Streaming'' refers to the delivery method of content, rather than the content it ...
and
TVOD availability in the United States starting mid-to-late Q1 2022.
In late January 2022, the film's VOD distribution expanded to Germany and Austria under the title ''Las Vegas und Andere Stationen'' and in a series of regional international releases over the following weeks.
On February 28, 2022, the film's producers announced that film would no longer be available via VOD platforms in Russia or Belarus, in response to the
2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
On 24 February 2022, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, which began in 2014. The invasion has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths on both sides. It has caused Europe's largest refugee crisis since World War II. An ...
.
Reception
Reviews of the film were favorable, with critics mostly praising the Bryant's approach to the subject matter and the acting performances in the film. Markos Papadatos of ''Digital Journal'', found the film "compelling," "intense," and "provocative," praising the writing, direction, and acting, particularly David Eggers II in his role as Tom. Papadatos likened Bryant's "bold" film debut to that of Paul Thomas Anderson. K.P. Smith of ''We Are Entertainment News'' called the movie a "roller coaster ride" noting the story's twists and turns and a "deeply satisfying film," full of strong acting performances.
While Matt Cassidy of ''IndieEye'' found the film to be a "a well-spun and twisty tale about relationships, trust and acceptance...and worthy of awards,"
specifically praising Bryant's ability to bring an ambitious and sprawling story with a large cast to the big screen in his debut film,
he felt the film could have benefitted from more activity in the longer two-person scenes and fewer scenes utilizing handheld camera techniques. Cassidy noted his criticisms reflected "common indie film challenges," related to smaller crew sizes and budgets.
Awards and nominations
References
External links
Official Film Page* {{IMDb title, 12657454
Virtual Cinema Feature: ''Station to Station''''Station to Station'' Official VOD (USA and UK)''Las Vegas und Andere Stationen'' Official VOD (Germany)''Station to Station'' Official VOD (Global)Movie of the Day: ''Station to Station''
American independent films
American drama films
2021 films
2021 independent films
2021 drama films
Films set in Nevada
Films postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic
Films by African-American directors
Films about actors
Films about addiction
Films about sexuality
2021 LGBT-related films
Gay-related films
Bisexuality-related films
Films about Asian Americans
American LGBT-related films
Films shot in Maryland
Films shot in Virginia
Films shot in Nevada
2020s English-language films
2020s American films