An alcoholic thirtysomething father attempts to reconnect with his estranged son at the local arcade. When his ex-wife and her new boyfriend learn about his unannounced arrival, Cutter must confront his personal demons or risk losing his family forever.
Director’s Vision for ‘Arcade Moon’
I remember watching Yasujiro Ozu’s ‘Tokyo Twilight’ for the first time with my brother Robert at Film Forum in New York City about five years ago. The film was by turns moving and tragic, and I recall somewhere around the hallway mark, it ignited a passionate spark of imagination in us. One of the principal plot points involves an absent mother visiting her wayward daughter at the local mahjong parlor. The mother begins to probe about her life, although the daughter isn’t quite sure of who she is. The question arose: aren’t powerful stories truly universal at their core?
It was then that the creative seed for ‘Arcade Moon’ was planted: transpose this dramatic scenario onto a modern setting and update the characters – an Angeleno father reconnecting with his son at an arcade. I suppose, to some extent, our story could have had a myriad number of faces but we decided to make it a personal one in the development of the script. Throw in a splash of ‘Paper Moon’ and a dollop of ‘A Woman Under the Influence’ and you might come up with something like ‘Arcade Moon’.
Ultimately, I’d like for audiences to walk a mile in these characters’ shoes, to try to understand them in spite of any faults or wrongdoings. Growing up, I witnessed relatives who struggled with alcoholism and the personal consequences of substance abuse. ‘Arcade Moon’ examines social issues like parental estrangement, mental health and addiction. Indeed, when all is said and done, I believe our families are often bonded stronger if and when we emerge on the other side.
And so, I want ‘family’ to be at the forefront of the themes I explore and the values I champion most in this life. My hope as an artist is that people will watch this film (and each film I make) and see pieces of themselves or of friends and loved ones that they know.
