A Film by Bastian Günther

a film by Bastian Günther n a small southern town in the US, twenty SYNOPSIS down-on-their-luck folks compete to win a I brand new pick-up truck, a prize that might finally tip the scales of life in their favor. The annual ‘Hands On’ contest puts the vehicle literally within their reach – the winning contestant is the last one standing with their LOGLINE hands held firmly on the truck. Armed only with their dreams and determination, the participants In a small US southern town, forgo basic human needs to stand around the the annual ‘Hands On’ endurance pickup truck for days to beat out their competitors. All for the benefit of an enthusiastic contest offers the chance of a audience and the glare of the local media who lifetime to win a brand-new turn up each year for the car dealership’s popular publicity stunt. As the blisteringly hot days and pickup truck. Each contestant long nights of struggle, exhaustion, mind has their own reasons for games, hilarity, loss of control and insanity add up, only one winner can drive away with the entering, but the true cost of truck. Each contestant has their own reasons for the competition is higher than it joining the contest, and as the hours tick by, their humanity is laid bare. Who will hold on and appears. win – and at what cost? Filmography 2020 - ONE OF THESE DAYS 2015 - CALIFORNIA CITY 2013 - HOUSTON Bastian Günther, born in Hachenburg on 2007 – AUTOPILOTEN (AUTOPILOTS) September 3, 1974, graduated in 2006 2005 - ENDE EINER STRECKE (END OF A TRIP) from the German Film and Television Academy in Berlin. After winning the First Steps Award with ENDE EINER STRECKE (END OF A TRIP), his first feature film, AUTOPILOTEN (AUTOPILOTS), premiered at the 2007 Berlinale. His second feature film, HOUSTON, premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, was screened afterwards on festivals worldwide. It won numerous awards and had its theatrical release in 2013. The essay film CALIFORNIA CITY was invited to the 2015’s Visions du Réel (Nyon) Competition. In fall 2015, it won the “National Gallery’s Price for filmart” – followed by a four month long exhibition. Bastian Günther lives in Berlin and in DIRECTOR Austin, Texas. BASTIAN GÜNTHER t first glance, ONE OF THESE DAYS is about a comic and grueling competition A associated with hope, grit and determi- DIRECTOR’S nation. But really it’s a universal story about us, about how we live, about Schadenfreude STATEMENT and voyeurism, poverty and dreams, humanity and capital. people, as well as representations of us all. It’s about how the lower class serves as Kyle Parson is the classic anti-hero who entertainment for the rest of us. What happens doesn’t stand a chance, but genuinely believes when the laws of the jungle rule? Only the something good will come of his actions. And fittest survive. And what needs to happen Joan Riley, the contest’s organizer, trying to before this can change? suppress her fear and anxiety, to convince I wanted to navigate between drama, hilarity, herself that all is well. The climactic event at hysteria, hope, the infamous 15 minutes of the end of the contest ultimately brings about fame and the calm before the storm. In its an “awakening” for Joan. She too has an iconic compact, concentrated form – and far beyond function. its pure entertainment value – I think this How far will we go to delay facing our fears, to contest has a lot to say about our world and deny facing reality? How long can we maintain ourselves. this, and what has to happen, before we do Although the film is inspired by true events, face them? Just like the contest, life can at Kyle Parson and Joan Riley are entirely fictio- times be a “circus” in which we are ringmaster, nal characters. They are both “ordinary” spectacle and audience. thing that made it fascinating is that during the contest, there are 'funny' or 'bizarre' INTERVIEW moments happening all the time. If you have 20 people standing around a with the truck for several days and nights without sleep, things are going to happen. So there is DIRECTOR for sure an element of entertainment Bastian Günther involved. But to me, there was also a strongly exploitative element that stuck out: We have people who can't afford to buy a truck themselves, participating in the How did you discover the tragic contest to win the truck, and in the process serving as entertainment for other people. true story that inspired the film, The audience is by definition made up of the and what made it compelling to privileged, people who wouldn't need to submit to this kind of humiliation. you as a filmmaker? It felt like the contest managed to reflect, in I first heard about the 'Hands On A Hardbody' a simple and startling way, something more competition about 10 years ago. It was a profound about our lifestyle in the capitalist Texas thing and my wife, who had lived system. It illustrates the 'Darwinism' that there, told me about it. There was also a this system entails. That was really what popular documentary film that had captured was so intriguing to me. And as I started to the contest back in the 90’s and had played research the event further, that's when I for a long time in theatres in Texas - way found the old local press coverage about the before the tragic incident involving a tragedy from back in 2005. competitor's suicide took place. The first INTERVIEW do for it. Then you have to give them the those little moments in the actors. Blinking with theDIRECTOR room to work with. Each role has their eyes, sweat, fragments of dialogue, laughs Bastian Günther moments and every one of these little side or even just real signs of exhaustion. The stories is very important to the film. Every weather was hot and humid, and they were Filming a contest like this character brings something to the film, and I really there, standing around the truck for needed to use all of them to maintain the hours and hours every day. In a way, there meant the challenge of tension and keep the story going. So although was a balance for me and the crew to find. shooting mostly in a single the film does have two clear main charac- We also had to be passive to some extent, ters, for much of the running time it is really and again to have that trust in the ensemb- location, with characters who an ensemble piece. That was something le. This method of shooting was the founda- are not moving very much. How essential to me for the film to work. What I tion for the film. But creating the final wanted was for Kyle to slowly evolve out of rhythm was another process that unfolded did you find the dynamic and this crowd of contestants and become the in the editing room. It was very important pacing for the film within those main character. At first we see him as one of for me not only to find and create the right many, but as the film progresses he becomes pace for the story, but also to get the constraints? its center. He becomes representative of all balance right between all the actors and the contestants and their stories. characters. It sounds weird to say but yes, this is in some ways a chamber piece set in a parking lot. Another way we worked to bring out the And since you have to work with all of those characters, and through them the narrative, limitations, in terms of locations and was by shooting a lot of long takes. We would movement, it forces you to think about all of start with the script and the scene, and then the characters in a deeper way. It was based on that, let the ensemble improvise, essential to precisely define for all of them – try different variations, and even when a who they are, what they do, why do they scene was supposed to end and nothing was want that truck and what are they willing to happening, we always kept rolling to catch How did you assemble the LA casting agent, suggested him, I immedia- tant' character as well. Even if she's not tely liked the idea a lot. Joe is capable of competing, she is the one organizing the diverse cast capable of bringing a mix of innocence and anger to the whole thing and she is personally very carrying the film this way, table - he has a sadness but also an explosi- attached to it. Except that while it's all veness that make his performances incredib- happening, Joan's story also continues outside including a surprise turn from ly strong and gripping. of the contest as she goes on living her life. Unlike them, Joan isn't 'held hostage' at the cult singer-songwriter Bill Joe is also British, so we did have a great truck. So her story is what gives us a break dialect coach who worked with him on his Callahan? from the competition from time to time. It's Texas accent both before and during the almost a relief when we can leave the truck It was crucial to put a strong ensemble shoot. And actually Joe kept the accent on and follow her somewhere else. Even if the together. I wanted everyone to have a for the entire shoot, during all of which he encounters or experiences she has aren't southern accent and to be so believable that also stayed more or less in character.

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