THE FIRST AND LAST THING I REMEMBER (2019)
A man, who cannot retain any memory, plans to end his life until a girl flashes back to his mind.
Director Statement
The story for The First And The Last Thing I Remember was first inspired by my friend, David Holmes’ poem, “Forgetting”. I felt a strong connection to the story of his poem – a young man whose self began to fade away with his memory. I’ve struggled with memory problems much more intense than anyone else I know, my age.
I also had been going through some difficult problems in my life, suffering from depression, and ended up trying to push many people out of my life.
I wanted to tell my story in a way that captured both of these aspects. I wrote a story that attempts to show the difficulty and pain of forgetting the littlest and most important things in life, while also showing that love is more rewarding than the greatest pain, even if that love somehow reminds you of that pain. In filming in a style inspired by the feature film, It Follows, I was able to create an atmosphere expressive of the loneliness felt when one denies such love.
Director, Tyler Puszkar, Risked His Life for a Prop
Throughout the film, the main character, Jay, carries around a red notebook. During the second day on set, writer/director, Tyler Puszkar scaled down the side of a large, 60 degree angle cliff, two times, in order to retrieve the red notebook that was launched over the cliff for a scene. The cliff side was made up mostly of loose dirt and rocks. With off and on rain showers throughout the day, Tyler slipped and nearly fell down the cliff side three different times. The journey was well worth it, as the notebook was needed again for the next day of shooting and it was the only one Tyler had bought, two years prior to shooting.
WRITER, DIRECTOR, EDITOR: Tyler Puszkar
STARRING: Jackson Chintha & Maria Studebacker
PRODUCERS: Amos Hernandez & Tyler Puszkar
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Mallory Ingles
ASSISTANT DIRECTOR: Logan Luhning
PRODUCTION MANAGER: Dylan Chrum
COMPOSER: Scott Buckley
ASSISTANT CAMERA: Cameron Cook
2nd ASSISTANT CAMERA: Malik Carter
GAFFER: Austin Glaeser
BEST BOY: Ethan Canby
AUDIO: Gabi Anderson
KEY GRIP: Phillip Hesse
GRIPS: Ethan Waddell, Jordan Salvador, Makayla Hufziger