In high school, there were three boys in my year who were arrested for putting pipe bombs in people’s mailboxes. This film is really a fictionalization of that event as well as a reflection on my upbringing in Arkansas. While the events in the story are not particularly autobiographical, the characters’ relationship to vulnerability and spiritual questioning is. I think I grew up adjacent to these characters. In a small way, this served as a chance to explore this disposition I felt growing up towards silence in the face of vulnerability. We were fortunate enough to host this production in my hometown of Fayetteville with a half local, half LA crew. It was such a joy. I hadn’t shot something narrative in Arkansas since high school, so to be able to create in that environment at this scale was special. Exploring the texture and landscape of where I grew up was really gratifying.

Now living in Los Angeles, Cole Borgstadt is a director / editor from Fayetteville, Arkansas who works primarily in the commercial space, specifically with branded documentary work. As a burgeoning narrative director, Cole brings a keen storytelling instinct and an eye for strong imagery to every project.