Joey, 16, the middle of 3 boys, shy and still very much a kid, wants to grow up and be like his dad and brother, strong charismatic steelworkers.
We all have these moments, which of memories will stay imprinted in our minds forever. ‘The Immaculate Reception’ is a about one of those moments. It’s 1972 in the hard-working steel town of Pittsburgh, PA. Joey, 16, the middle of 3 boys, shy and still very much a kid, wants to grow up and be like his dad and brother, strong charismatic steelworkers. Joey has his chance to prove himself when the girl he has a crush on ends up at his house to watch the infamous playoff game between the Steelers and the Raiders.
I was 12 when my family moved to Pittsburgh, so my relationship with the city is as both insider and outsider. It wasn’t until I left that I really connected with the city. When I would go home, I started to realize how the city’s history is visible in the landscape: the abandoned mills, the libraries, twisty roads that lead to beautiful views, staircases cut into streets too steep to climb otherwise. I began to see how the stories I wanted to tell were best articulated through the city’s landscape and people.
The beautiful thing from Charlotte Glynn and ‘The Immaculate Reception’, is not only the combination of Football, sex and drugs, but also the incredible representation of the eclectic 1970’s era.
The Immaculate Reception is a culmination of years of work, influenced by my background in documentary and my desire to use film to explore issues of race, class, and gender in the U.S by capturing the small, honest and revealing moments in everyday life. I’m excited to continue exploring the themes, characters, and of course the city of Pittsburgh in my next project, a feature film that’s currently in development.
