Damn you, Zachary Oberzan—I was just days away from filming my own one man Schindler’s List! Well, I’ve never seen the Rambo films starring Sylvester Stallone, but something tells me they’re not gonna pack half the charm of Oberzan’s adaptation of David Morell’s ‘72 First Blood novel.
Beyond adapting, though—and to further simplify the callsheets—Oberzan plays every character to boot, including John Rambo. He also served as his own director, editor, stylist, caterer, etc. Working with the exceptionally low budget of 96 bucks, Oberzan shot the whole thing in his 220-square-foot NYC apartment. Here’s what the fine folks at Cinefamily say of the film (where it screens in L.A. this Saturday):
Eschewing Stallone-style spectacle for a YouTube-esque zen, this feature-length no-fi epic ambitiously re-imagines the novel as a ludicrous, exhibitionist fever dream. Imagine if a Max Fischer play from Rushmore was imbued with Jean-Luc Godard’s penchant for sardonic realism, only to be filtered through a grade-schooler’s “Let’s build a fort!” sincerity. Sound crazy? It is—wonderfully so. Yet, the impressive, good-humored gusto with which Oberzan presents himself surprisingly makes the film gel into an affecting, emotional whole.
The Flooding With Love For The Kid trailer follows below, but you can purchase a copy of the entire film here.