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When novice criminals Ilya and Alexei, who are two minor players in New York’s Russian criminal underworld, are sent to pilfer from a mobster’s mansion, they never anticipate the hijinks awaiting them. Their target? The home of a notorious gangster hosting his daughter Oxana’s teenage slumber party, a scene set for unexpected twists and a perilous heist. This is the intriguing premise of Sebastian Kim’s latest short film, Slumber Party, where a simple break in spirals into an entanglement with fatally armed pre-teens and a mentor ready to cut ties at the first sign of trouble. From the authenticity lent by a Brooklyn mansion with its own criminal connections to the personal touches contributed by co-writer Oceanna Pak, Sebastian’s Slumber Party is a narrative quilt stitched from the fabrics of reality and fiction.
As we peek behind the scenes, we uncover the dedication and passion that fuel Sebastian’s craft, and the exciting future projects he’s brewing, promising more stories that challenge the boundary between the real and imagined. Join us in reading on as we explore the creative landscape of a filmmaker who is as fascinated by the lives he depicts as we are by the stories he tells.
What inspired the plot for Slumber Party?
I read about this low-level Russian gang based in Brighton Beach staging home invasions and robberies of more established criminals and something about that really captured my imagination. I started bouncing ideas around with my co-writer Oceanna Pak and she immediately thought of the slumber parties in Howard Beach she went to as a kid at the home of someone who may or may not have been involved in organized crime. Once we had those elements in place, the story came together pretty quickly.
What message or experience do you hope audiences will take away from the film?
The characters are already beyond the point of no return by the time the film starts and that’s a decision we made in order to maximize the intensity and directness of what happens from there. My hope is that audiences will feel fully immersed in what’s happening on screen and leave feeling like they caught a glimpse of something playing out within a much larger story world.
What was the most memorable moment for you during the filming of Slumber Party?
I knew the house we ended up shooting in was perfect the moment I laid eyes on it. A mother and daughter live there and the daughter, Mina, gives a stellar performance in the film. Pretty far along in the process, I learned the family has some firsthand experience with certain criminal elements adjacent to the ones portrayed in the film and of course that came as a bit of a shock. As a result, we ended up getting some free consultation to help make things more authentic— which was great. I was more than relieved it didn’t become a problem.
Can you share any behind-the-scenes stories from the set that encapsulate the spirit of the film?
This is my first narrative film as a director and also my first experience acting and directing at the same time. I knew it was critical to prep as meticulously as possible. The fact that we only had one night to do it just made matters worse. I was terrified of what I saw in my head not translating into reality, but my fears faded away when our armorer Ruth DiPasquale and prop master Annie Shapiro, two legendary pros who generously lent us their support, called me over to see the slumber party girls holding their assault weapons for the first time. The actors looked even scarier than I had hoped they would— which was awesome for me as a director and completely spine-chilling as the character on the receiving end. Brian Deming and Peter Nashel, who generously composed the original score which runs like a deadly electrical current throughout the film, did a fantastic job accentuating that surge of adrenaline. I still have to pinch myself every time I see that moment play out on screen. I think that just goes to show what a difference the amazing crew I got to work with made. I’m incredibly grateful for everyone’s individual talents, belief in my vision, and willingness to come along for the ride.
How do you approach blending genres, such as dark comedy and crime thriller, in your filmmaking?
I try to be as open as possible throughout the filmmaking process and for me that means fully immersing myself in my surroundings. Whether it’s in an artificial environment, which isn’t my favorite, or at a real location like on Slumber Party, the result of that is usually some blend of scripted storytelling and real moments from everyday life. I can be pretty earnest as a person, but I’m also pretty quick to laugh and I try to not take myself too seriously, so I think the films I make naturally follow that mold.
What was it like shooting on location in Manhattan Beach, Brooklyn, and how did the choice of location enhance the film?
Arriving on set the day of the shoot felt a little like passing through the looking glass. New York is like an ocean of people floating, drifting, and crashing into each other and I’m constantly wishing I could stop time and enter someone else’s world. Part of what I love about acting and filmmaking in general is that it lets you do that, or I mean almost does.
We spent maybe only an hour at the house while scouting before the shoot and I built a digital 3D model of the interior to help plan everything out, but it just feels different when you’re doing it for real. The film is definitely a work of pure fiction, don’t get me wrong, but it’s infused with the reality of where we shot and that’s something I’m really proud of.
Could you share a bit about the collaboration process with co-writer Oceanna Pak and how her personal experiences shaped the film’s narrative?
Going into it, I had certain interests rooted in real life characters and events and working with Oceanna helped me channel those interests into a story that felt tangible and could fit inside the scope of a short film. No one ever broke in during those Howard Beach slumber parties she attended as a kid, and she never handled any illegal military-grade firearms— at least to my knowledge— but those choices didn’t feel like big leaps once we started getting into all the what ifs. Oceanna is a brilliant writer and thinker and collaborating with her was a ton of fun.
Looking ahead, what kinds of stories are you passionate about telling, and do you have any other upcoming projects you can share with us?
I’m really into projects that blur the line between reality and fiction and so that’s pretty much where my head’s at right now as an actor and as a writer/director. I can’t say much about it yet, but I’m currently directing a feature length documentary about a dog that sold over $100k of paintings in the early 2000s and I’m working with an amazing editor named Harry Jackson and Executive Producer Sam Widdoes. I’m also collaborating on a feature length screenplay. My friend Conner Lovett started writing about an architect going through a midlife crisis. Other than that, I’m on the lookout for more opportunities to act. I just wrapped on a short film where I got to play a tortured video game designer and now I’m itching to get back out there.
You can follow along with Sebastian through his instagram at @baz_gk, and follow along with the film’s instagram at @slumberpartyfilm.
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