The Plumber tells the very true story of Irena Sendler, a Polish nurse and social worker, who served in the Polish Underground Resistance in WWII in German-occupied Warsaw and helped rescue over 2500 children. The film is produced by Chilean-American and legally blind filmmaker Jay Everley and is directed by his long-time creative partner (and wife) Cate Carson, a Navy veteran-turned-director and writer. Christine Celozzi plays Irena, while the rest of the cast is rounded out by Hunter Jackson-Brier, Eddie Troy, Alex Yiakoumatos, and Niko the dog.
In our email interview below, Everley talks about transforming their LA location into WWII Warsaw, the creative shorthand he has with Carson, and the utmost importance of hope and art in times of crisis and disaster (in both the past and the present). The latter is perhaps what makes The Plumber an exceptional entry in this year’s HollyShorts Film Festival: the moments of silence between Celozzi’s Irena and Jackson-Brier’s Nazi pilot are chilling and deafening, but it’s ultimately Irena’s heart and service that shine through. Indeed, The Plumber reminds us that there were and still are good people in the world.
Before we get into The Plumber, I wonder if you might tell us about your own filmmaking journey? Where did it all start for you?
My filmmaking journey began about 10 years ago when I was still working in the construction industry full-time. My wife, Cate, had wanted to get into filmmaking and just started making content. While she was wearing most of the hats during production at the time, she needed help in all things technical, so that’s where I came in. I taught myself everything from DIT and sound to editing and VFX. It’s also where I fell in love with editing; the perfect blend of creative and technical to satisfy my brain. Fast forward to 2015, I was diagnosed with Stargardt disease, a progressive condition which is causing me to lose my eyesight. I was still working construction full-time and went through a bit of a rough patch where I had to just come to terms with reality. My current career was no longer an option, so I had to take a more serious look (pun intended) at life in film. And honestly, it was probably the kick in the ass I needed because I was really just afraid of a complete career change at the age of 30. It’s a weird thing because of course I’d rather not be going blind, but I’m not sure I would have had some of the clarity that came with the life-altering change. And the best part is I GET TO MAKE FILMS! Yeah, it has its moments, but once you get the bug, there’s no substitute for it.
Irena Sendler’s story is so powerful and indicative of the difference one person can make. Where did you first learn about her story? What inspired you to translate it into film?
Her story is incredible. It’s indicative of the types of unsung historical heroes whom we love to represent in our film-work. We had first read the anecdote of Irena and her dogs in a small article about two years ago. That led to us taking a deep dive into the incredible history of her and her team’s work. Obviously this story deserves a longer format, but in being realistic about what we could achieve at the time, it was shelved. Fast forward to the pandemic during which we went through a bit of a rebranding, we needed a new calling card to be able to show to execs. This meant keeping it as short as possible while packing as much a narrative punch as we could muster. And Irena’s story was just perfect fit. It gave us a chance to showcase who we are by putting a refreshing spin on what is typically a heavy genre. We decided, in keeping with Irena’s spirit, that the film should be a celebration of the efforts and sacrifice made by her and her team.
The Plumber is set in WWII Poland, but you shot in LA. Can you tell us about the filmmaking magic that went into transforming the space you filmed in into 1942 Warsaw? Were there any particular challenges that you faced?
I’m glad you asked this question! For a period piece like this, locations and costume can either elevate or ruin the film. The whole project was actually predicated on whether we could find locations that would work as WWII Warsaw ghetto in LA. Having filmed in LA before certainly helped in understanding what we could get away with in terms of being an indie project, which essentially means whatever’s the cheapest option that doesn’t require permits. We were very lucky to find the fire-ravaged house at La Tuna Locations which was essentially already set dec’d for the time period. But like most things in LA, the daily rate was cost prohibitive. They were gracious enough to negotiate a deal for a partial day, but that meant we had a total of six hours to load in, set up, film, and completely wrap. That was a pretty hectic day but having lots of preproduction time allowed us to ensure a fairly smooth day. It was also incredibly helpful that both the La Tuna house and the alley set (Nazi encounter) had a lot of the period-appropriate production design already on location which reduced the amount of vehicles, crew, and cross-town trips we had to make. All in all, it went about as well as I could have hoped for!
What I loved most about the film was how a lot of the narrative and emotion translated beautifully through the moments of silence, either between characters or of the space itself. It really heightened the urgency and suspense of Irena’s mission. What was the creative process like with Cate, and how did you settle on this approach to the story?
First of all, I’m super happy to hear all of this. So often as creatives we find ourselves second guessing decisions, so it’s alway great to hear when it’s coming across as intended. Being married to Cate, the director, probably makes our working relationship both easier in some respects, and more difficult. On one hand, we share a lot of sensibilities and I can usually tell what she’s thinking before she even speaks. It also helps in many situations where I am acting as her proxy, to intuit what she will and won’t respond to creatively.But on the other hand, we are both Type A personalities and when we disagree, it can be…exhausting haha. But at the end of the day it’s a working relationship like any other—and a great one at that.
The development of this script was heavily influenced by the limitations of the pandemic. On our heaviest day we had a total of 9 people on set including cast. As such, we knew that we needed a situation in which the audience could quickly be brought up to speed in terms of understanding the situation and the stakes, but we also needed a story that could lean into situational suspense with minimal characters. These are all factors we considered before we even decided to settle on Irena’s story. And then there’s the MUSIC. We are both largely influenced by the music of cinema, and more specifically, the melodic and thematic scores that you don’t really get nowadays. Every script we develop starts with a playlist that is a foundational element of development for us.
The Plumber is evocative of feelings of fear, isolation, social division, and even hate, which are sadly still floating around today, particularly in the midst of our current global pandemic. How important was it for you to tell this story and to ultimately give hope (because the film could arguably be read as a message of hope)?
HOPE! Yes, you hit the nail on the head. And also as you have pointed out, when producing historical pieces there are, unfortunately, many parallels to be drawn compared to modern day. But in terms of how we want to tell our stories, this film is imbued with the tone and emotion that obviously embody who we are and really drive us as filmmakers. In a world where we still face so many difficulties, we are very deliberate in wanting to create films through which an audience can escape on their own adventures. And it is certainly a reflection of the types of films we grew up loving. And in a way, those films helped us through difficult times in our past; something to love and be passionate about as an audience. As we move onto bigger projects, affecting the audience the same way would be the biggest reward.
HollyShorts is an incredible platform for filmmakers. What does it mean for you to have your film screen here? How will you be celebrating?
I know! I’m still pinching myself. The Plumber is incredibly lucky to be on a great festival run, but it can be very exhausting at times. So I think to celebrate we’ll be taking a week or two off to literally do nothing and just relax haha!
What’s next for you? And where can viewers follow you and your work?
Even though we’re on year two of the pandemic, this year has been oddly busy. We’ve been in development on three features that we’re hoping to start shopping around next month to the many great connections we’ve been making through our festival run. Fingers crossed! And oh god I’ve always been terrible at social media, but have recently been really trying to focus my efforts on my Instagram account, especially as a person with an invisible disability who wants to create awareness around the whole community.
Website: sensoriumpictures.com
