We’ve already coveredSydney SweeneyproducingImmaculateandJesse Eisenbergserving as a producer onSasquatch Sunset. In yet another example of a top-tier Hollywood actor getting behind a film and filmmaker they believe in, we haveMarisa Tomeiwho both starred in and executive producedMarco Calvani’s feature directorial debut,High Tide.
The movie stars Calvani’s partner,Marco Pigossi, as Lourenço, an undocumented Brazilian immigrant who finds himself in a limbo of sorts while living in the queer mecca of Provincetown. His American lover, Joe, hasn’t returned to town in quite some time, and now Lourenço is stuck, caught between his eagerness for Joe to come back to him but unable to go back to Brazil given his visa is about to expire. Hope comes in the form ofJames Bland’s character, a nurse named Maurice who also feels lost in today’s America. As Calvani described, “They embrace each other, bodies and souls, and together they reconcile their past and their uncertain futures.”
While in Austin forHigh Tide’s world premiere at SXSW 2024, Tomei, Pigossi, Bland and Calvani visited the Collider interview studio for a brief chat about making the film.
How Marco Calvani Went From Playwright to Feature Filmmaker
High Tidemay mark his feature directorial debut, but Calvani is an experienced playwright and theater director. However, he sources his general love of storytelling to a movie. He recalled:
“The first time that I realized I wanted to be a storyteller for the rest of my life, I was in a movie theater.I was 11 years old. I was watching Jane Campion’s The Piano. I don’t know if I fully understood what was going on on that big screen, but I was like, that’s what I want to do. But theater was really more accessible for a lot of reasons for an 11-year-old kid, so I just started doing theater as an actor first, and then I started to write and direct, etc. And that was my life. I love the stage. I love the craft of writing, of playwriting. Butmovies have always been my inspiration.”
Given Calvani’s passion for film, when he was offered the opportunity to turn a short play into a short film,The View from Up Here, he jumped on it.
“I immediately felt that it was a completely new toy I could play with.The whole visual aspect of it, it wasn’t scaring me at all. It was actually an added language to my voice.While I have so many things to learn still – you know, I’m just a beginner in the film industry – but I can see how my theater background, especially with the actors — it’s what I really love the most. I think if you don’t have a script, you don’t have a film, but if you don’t have the performances, you don’t have anything. I think the patience of the rehearsals in a theater is really functional for me as the director on set.”
Marisa Tomei Explains Why ‘High Tide’ Director Marco Calvani Is a Standout
Over the years, Calvani’s fostered a number of strong relationships with actors, one of which is a long-lasting creative partnership with Marisa Tomei. She explained:
“We met in the theater, so we’ve had a collaborative artistic relationship for a long time and are best friends, and we just have a great time together, and so there was no question. And I loved the role. I mean, we’re talking about him as a director, but he produced this film and he wrote this film. He did all of those things. I had done a little voiceover and things in a short that he did. His shorts are incredible. You should go back and see his short films, too. So we had hands-on experience, and we had an easy conversation."
Clearly Tomei went into makingHigh Tidewith loads of faith in Calvani and his craft, but there were still moments when she and Pigossi were wowed by what he was accomplishing while making the film.
“I knew he was capable of a lot, but there were a few times when — I mean, both of us, and [Marco and Marco] know each other better than I do [laughs] — and we still would say to each other, ‘Oh my god. He’s such a great director.’ The space and the concentration and the understanding of the characters, what the character needs to do in that moment, and what we need for the overall [film], it’s just that he has it in his hands and then gives you a lot of space without rushing. And the attention, the deep listening, I think, is also such a comfort, and it’s the key to a lot of things.”
In addition to having an ideal leader in Calvani, Pigossi and Bland also greatly benefited from having stellar scene partners in each other. In fact, Pigossi insisted, “There would be absolutely no Lourenço if there was no Maurice.” He continued:
“These were stories that [James and I] both wanted to tell very much. I identify a lot with my character. He said he does too, sowe wanted to tell that story so bad and make it so real and make it so beautiful. And James was, I can say, by far the best scene partner I’ve had in that sense. He was amazing from the beginning. And having Marco guiding us and so much trust between the three of us. I mean, I can’t imagine for [James], but jumping into this where I was with the script for two years, together with [Marco who’s] directing his scene partner, I’m sure it wasn’t easy, and he was so gentle and so kind. And the appreciation and the respect he has for the craft is beyond, so it was the most beautiful experience having this one. He’s my friend for life now.”
While there are many standout elements ofHigh Tide, the movie’s success hinges on Pigossi and Bland’s chemistry, and it’s downright electric. Bland took a moment to detail one particular technique he used to spark that connection and deep passion on set:
“The thing about Marco is, of course, there’s so much to love about him physically. Look at him. He’s gorgeous! And as an actor,I knew I had to fall in love with him, and so immediately I was searching him and looking at him and finding things that I could fall in love with.His eyes, his eyebrows, the way his lips look. I wanted to connect to certain things that I could look at to remind myself, why are you attracted to this guy as a character? But then, of course, as I got to know Marco, the person, I was able to pull things just in our interaction when we first met, when we started rehearsal, how gentle, how kind, all of those things he was, and I was able to apply those things also to Lourenço. And so, when we were in scenes, I would remind myself the reasons why I was attracted to him. And then also, his eyes are so kind.Whenever I would feel a bit ungrounded or a bit, maybe not present, all I had to do was look into his eyes.”
Looking for more on the making ofHigh Tide? you may find just that in our full SXSW interview in the video at the top of this article.
Heartbroken and adrift, undocumented Brazilian immigrant Lourenço searches for purpose in the queer mecca of Provincetown. As the summer season comes to a fade, he sparks an intense and unexpected romance with Maurice. Together, the two reconcile the pasts they’ve left behind and their uncertain futures.
