“The Goats” taps into theme of bullying

“The Goats” taps into theme of bullying

An interview with the film’s producer

By Frank Bradley

Sentinel writer

Camera’s were rolling again in Towns County on Monday as the movie crew for “The Goats” were getting final shots of kids on the beach.

Two weeks earlier, the crew had completed most of the beach scenes, but a failure with one of its cameras produced some unusable film clips which necessitated a reshooting of the scenes, according to Emily Berger, one of the film’s co-producers.

On Monday, everything seemed to go well. The two 12-old actors who had been brought in to handle the lead roles seemed to take everything in stride and were cool as a cucumber.

Annalise Basso has appeared in a string of film and television shows including Bones, Children’s Hospital, Alice in Wonderland (featured with Johnny Depp),Desperate Housewives, as well as having  lead roles in C3 (pilot), Penguins Can’t Fly and Ghost Image.

Berger said casting started in March of this year and that Annalise was selected for the role of Grace in May after a near perfect audition.

“We needed someone with the acting skills to carry through the entire move, and she has that. She also has beautiful red hair and can handle a range of emotions that are required. The moment she walked into the room, we knew she would be perfect for this role,” Berger said.

Chandler Canterbury, who lives with his parents in Huston, Texas, also has a wealth of acting experience for his age. He handled the role of a young Benjamin in “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button; he was in Repo Men, A Bag of Hammers, After Life, Knowing, and in the TV series: Fringe and Criminal Minds.

Chandler was selected through a casting company. Berger said, “We hadn’t actually seen him in person until he came out to Georgia. He has striking, beautiful eyes. He is cast in the lead role of Howie.”

In the novel, “The Goats” written by Brock Cole, the story takes place at a summer camp in Maine in the mid-1980’s. It involves a pre-teenage boy and girl who are picked on, bullied and harassed by the other campers. It is about how they respond to that humiliating treatment.

Berger said  D.J. Caruso, who is directing the film, wrote the screenplay based on the book about 15 years ago. The setting for the movie has been shifted from Maine to North Carolina, although all the filming is actually being done in Georgia, primarily for economic reasons.

“This is an important story that needs to be told,” she said, especially in light of the increased awareness of bullying that is taking place across the country.

Other well known actors in the film include Radha Mitchell, who is in the role of Meg, Grace’s mother. And Val Kilmer, who has the role of “a crazy character,” Berger said. He will be coming into town this week, and scenes involving his role will mostly be shot at Tallulah Falls.

Local people are being used in the film as much as possible, Berger said.

Other footage of the film is being shot in Habersham and Rabun counties. Berger said filming is scheduled to conclude on October 25th. After each day of shooting, the scenes are sent electronically back to Los Angles for editing.

“We are under an extremely tight deadline to get the film completed by mid-December so it can be entered into the Sundance Film Festival in Utah,” she said.

She was extremely complimentary of local governmental officials, including Commissioner

Bill Kendall. “It has simply been amazing how helpful and accommodating everyone has been,” she said. “The people here are so beautiful. They have welcomed us with open arms.”

Caruso, who is in his mid-40’s, has directed several films: Taking Lives (2004), Disturbia )2007) and Eagle Eye (2008).