FIVE QUESTIONS WITH “I AM NOT A HIPSTER” DIRECTOR DESTIN DANIEL CRETTON

A dubious term to be sure, it seems that one of the pre-reqs for hipster certification is denying that you actually are one. Based on this criterion, Brook, the main character in Destin Daniel Cretton’s feature debut, definitely qualifies. But I Am Not a Hipster is not so much concerned with labels as it is with crafting an intimate, small-scale character portrait. Adrift in San Diego’s music scene, Brook’s lackadaisical lifestyle is interrupted when his family visits with the intention of spreading his late mother’s ashes. Cretton, who made a splash at Sundance in 2009 with his Grand Jury Prize winning short Short Term 12, has employed the musical talents of singer-songwriter Joel P. West to help bring to life this introspective exploration of a character, a music scene, and a subculture.

Filmmaker: How long have you been involved in the San Diego music scene? How did your experiences within it influence this story?

Cretton: I lived in San Diego for 10 years and fell in love with a lot of local bands there. I can’t really say I was heavily involved in the music scene, because I’m not a musician (more of a groupie). But being a part of the creative community in that city was a constant source of inspiration for me. It’s just a really great group of down-to-earth people who love to get together and do creative things, whether that’s music or art or building a mini golf course in someone’s living room. But the movie isn’t just inspired by that community; it’s literally made by them. We shot most of the film in San Diego at a lot of the same venues we hang out at (The Casbah, Habitat, San Diego Velodrome). We basically rallied all our friends there to help make the movie. There was absolutely no way we could have done it without them.

Filmmaker: How did you conceive of Brook, the film’s main character? Was his backstory developed from personal experience?

 Cretton: Brook’s backstory is fictional, but still based on emotions that are close to me. I’m not a musician, but … Read the rest