Anyone who’s been in a relationship knows there can be moments of frustration.
Director, screenwriter and actor Kevin Goss remembers how his grandmother handled them: “My grandma was quite the character, and she sometimes used humor and pulled pranks on Grandpa as a way to address challenging issues in their marriage. I made this film because I think a lot of people have had similar issues in their relationships, and will be able to relate to the story.”
The film opens with Michelle (Jennifer Maxwell) trying to get things done at home while kids are fighting in the background. She’s obviously tired and frustrated, eventually reaching out to Tab, her husband (Goss), who is at the bowling alley. Without giving anything away, things don’t go the way she wants, and she plays a little trick on Tab.
In The Gutter is witty, fun, and family friendly. There is a character here that most can relate to, no matter your age. Goss wanted to honor his grandparents with this film, and many of the ideas came from the tales he heard from them.
Goss performed in school plays and church musicals, but stopped after high school. He found his way back to acting in 2012 and started making films in 2016.
It took about a week to write the script for In The Gutter. He ran it by the director, Sushila Kandola, a graduate of Yavapai College’s Film and Media Arts program who’s worked with him on other projects. The shooting was done locally in two days.
The casting call was done at the Prescott Public Library, and Plaza Bowl was used for the bowling scene and again at the end of the film as the lounge. Our very own Granite Lake may be recognizable by some, as well as a cottage near Old Senator Highway. It was fun watching the film and being able to spot familiar places.
Some challenges of shooting the movie were finding a local crew to shoot the film and two boys to appear in it. Goss found his crew in Phoenix, and his nephews, Aiden and Dakota Gossmiller from Tucson, play the roles of Tony and Ronnie.
You may recognize some local talent, such as Ariella Centeno as Natalie, who’s appeared in several plays at Prescott Center for the Arts. Goss asked that we “give all local talent a loud shout out!”
