Speaking the truth is not always easy and the same applies when watching the new gay film with the same title. The psychological thriller depicts a toxic relationship between Caleb, played by Sean Paul Lockhart, and Jeremy, played by Rob Moretti. Caleb goes to the dark side in a graphic way, torturing Jeremy and holding him captive in the process.
Both stars have been in several films before this with Lockhart in Milk, and Judas Kiss and Moretti in Crutch and An Affirmative Act. The movie also stars Emmy Winner Blanche Baker as Caleb's overbearing mother.
Truth has already garnered recognition at the Chicago Reeling Film Festival, QFest in Philadelphia, and FilmOut in San Diego.
Windy City Times met up with the stars to talk about the Truth.
Windy City Times: Hi, guys. When did you start working on Truth?
Rob Moretti: In January 2012 I came up with it and sent it to him. We shot it in November.
Sean Paul Lockhart: The admirable thing about Rob, even though he put so much of himself in the film, when he made cuts and choices he didn't take it personally. We lost some themes in the film but he didn't have a problem making that call. For someone who is completely invested in a film, I found that remarkable.
WCT: That can be difficult.
Sean Paul Lockhart: It is and you can't let it all hang out. You have to ultimately make those decisions. There will be more on the DVD in March.
Rob Moretti: He feeds me baby food in one of them. The reason I cut it was because I was slowly declining and where it fell in the movie. The arc of my downfall didn't work.
Sean Paul Lockhart: We have a featurette that chronicles the process. We as filmmakers now rely on crowd funding today. What is happening in theaters today is tried and true but not interesting because it has been done many times before.
WCT: Where do people go to contribute to the film?
Rob Moretti: Truth-the-movie.com .
Sean Paul Lockhart: The film is kind of in debt because we put a lot into it.
Rob Moretti: I put most of everything I own into it.
Sean Paul Lockhart: We have more work to do on it like the score and editorial work. We have two prints that we need to make for the Los Angeles and New York run. We want everyone to go see it. So much energy goes into the colorization and sound. If you watch it on a laptop then it is diminished.
Rob Moretti: It is so much better watching it on the big screen. Hearing the laughter is so rewarding to me as a writer and director. The audience got things like the banter between he and I. You really see the true chemistry between us. We had a great time on set even though it was really heavy. People picked up on all of that, which was really good.
Sean Paul Lockhart: You can't force things like that and just one of the things that happens.
WCT: There was so weird laughter in parts at this screening.
Rob Moretti: Yes; it pushes that button and you don't know how to react.
Sean Paul Lockhart: Every audience is different and we didn't get some of the obvious laughter.
Rob Moretti: I have been sober 16 years so when I put that scene in at the end where he makes me drink is still hard to watch. I didn't think people would get it but I guess people do.
WCT: How much of it was putting yourself in the script? It deals with older and younger dynamics in a relationship.
Sean Paul Lockhart: I actually taught him that part.
Rob Moretti: Bitch! There was a lot of it. I was sick and that definitely effected my life. I wanted to take everything that I had and get it out there. I have nothing to hide, from being an out gay actor to my recovery and all of that. I thought at the time, "Either do it or not!"
Sean Paul Lockhart: He also thought there was a chance that his career was over. It is tough enough when you have limitations to deliver your lines and it is an uphill battle when you have physical limitations. It is a long process. It was about testing the waters and seeing if he could still do it. Lay it all on the line and reap whatever happens.
WCT: Where did you two meet?
Rob Moretti: While I was recovering I read about him. There are a lot of similarities that we have in our past and growing up such as he didn't know who his dad was and other crazy stuff. I reached out to the director from Judas Kiss to find him. I sent him the script and he actually got back to me a day and a half later. To get him to say yes and commit took a lot.
WCT: People compare this movie to Stephen King's Misery, but have you heard of his book Gerald's Game? It is more similar.
Rob Moretti: Yes someone mentioned it to me but I have never read it. I want to though.
WCT: If you character is handcuffed for days and days, when does he go to the bathroom?
Rob Moretti: You hear in on a black screen but I pee in a jar. A lot of people don't catch it. I left the screen black a little bit and it sounds like water running. That is one of those things I wish I could fix a little more.
WCT: You can talk about it on the DVD. Did you do a commentary?
Rob Moretti: We did a few weeks ago. After a theatrical release the DVD comes out Feb. 18. We are doing all of the distribution ourselves on iTunes and Amazon. We are going to do a huge thing with Vimeo. It is a cool platform and they allow us to keep one hundred percent of what we do. We can reach everyone with that. We can do it all in February.
WCT: Just in time for Valentine's Day!
Rob Moretti: [Laughs] That was the point. It is a sick love story!
WCT: What do you have after this?
Rob Moretti: I am flying to Tampa to shoot Out to Kill, which is a murder mystery comedy. I am the comedic actor in the film so it is totally different than this.
I am also going to write a book about all of this, maybe I will call it The Naked Truth!
Truth opens worldwide Jan. 10.
