IN THE BETWEEN director Mark Koetsier and writer/producer Dublin Wahlberg talk about addressing PTSD and opioid addiction in their moving short

Early in the moving short In the Between a married couple playfully argue about the time of day as they sing to their future child in the womb. The man says the sun is setting. The wife counters that it’s only getting closer so that it can rise for someone else. Given the hot button themes the film will soon explore in its 19 minutes, such as PTSD, grief, survivors guilt, and opioid addiction, that’s a welcome reminder of life’s balance of darkness and light, if not a fully comforting notion.

Before the world premiere of the film at NoHo Cinefest in Glendale, we spoke with director Mark Koetsier and writer/producer Dublin Wahlberg about directing In the Between, casting the lead actors, and the devastating topic of PTSD. The film was an awards finalist at that fest, and followed with a win for Best Narrative Short at the 2022 Venice Shorts Film Festival. It looks to continue its strong film festival run throughout 2023.

QUESTIONS: 
1 Most of your career has been in animation. What intrigued you about directing this very flesh and blood story from Dublin Wahlberg’s script?

Mark Koetsier:  Well, the idea of doing a live action story appealed to me for several reasons. First off, it allowed me to do subject matters that currently cannot be done in animation.  Animation in North America is for kids and there are a lot of organizations that don’t allow adult material for family movie. Second, I wanted to move my career into live action to expand my horizons as a director.

2 What inspired the script?

Dublin Wahlberg: Originally, a song inspired the image of a father holding his baby as the light from the sun came through the blinds in my home. I’m also an actor, and I find that I live through the scene as I write it, so I knew that something tragic had happened, but the outcome was unclear. Mark was looking to direct a live action project and I presented a couple of options to him. He liked the feel of the scene and wanted to cover current issues. Being from a military family, too many of my family and friends have suffered from PTSD and Survivor’s Guilt. Opioid addiction has also harmed people I’ve known, so I was able to pull from those experiences.

3 A lot of films about topics this heavy – PTSD, opiod addiction, marital problems – would have opted for a darker and frankly more clichéd visual look. Much of the imagery here is surprising sunny… even comforting. How did you decide on this?

Mark Koetsier:  The film deals with Dave, our main character, reminiscing about their lives together and how his wife became more distant and unreachable, so I opted to go with his positive and loving look that he has for her and through the music and acting reveal her struggles. He doesn’t understand what is happening to her and he hopes that it’s just something that she will get past and be back to normal. During a fight that occurs after he takes her pills away, Dave asks Sara what can he do, because she won’t tell him what she’s going through. This also hopefully does not project the final outcome for the audience.

Dublin Wahlberg: Mark and I collaborated on the overall feel of what we envisioned for the film and incorporated those elements into the script. On set, Mark and Carlos (Director of Photography) found some really great shots that enhanced the shifts between light and dark.

4 The beautiful original song “The Sun is Rising (Soon)” by Lauren Culjak plays an integral part in the short, as its sung or hummed by both the leads and part of the dialogue. That begs the chicken and egg question of which came first, in the writing process for Culjak and the screenwriter?

Mark Koetsier:  The song is very beautiful and haunting in a way. The film was written originally using “Here Comes the Sun” by George Harrison. That was the original title of the film. As it turned out we could not get the rights to this, so Dublin knew Lauren and asks her if she could come up with a similar type of song knowing the subject matter and she came with this song. It was so good we tried to incorporate it as much as possible.  

Dublin Wahlberg: What seemed, at first, to be a major setback to not getting the rights to “Here Comes the Sun” turned out to be more of a blessing. I’ve known KOTOMI (aka Lauren Culjak) for a few years, and her music is amazing. She happened to be pregnant when she read the script and I asked her to write something she would sing to her baby that still invoked the theme of the sun (light) coming through. It only took her two days to create the perfect song.

5 The drama rests on the faces of Sarah and David. In the casting process what was it that clicked for you about the actors Gina Vitori and John Ruby as this screen couple? 

Mark Koetsier: Interestingly, the call back we did for a “in person” casting call (this was during covid) we had narrowed down to six men and six women. Well, the two of them both arrived late and at the same time. When they both appeared together, they looked like a couple. Sure enough when we tried the two together in some scenes, they were really comfortable with each other and Gina was definitely a lead personality. She was exactly what we were looking for. I was hoping to make it a mixed couple, so I tried her with some of the other actors, but the chemistry was not there. I also tried John with some other actresses, but again it fell flat. So, I knew they were our couple!

Dublin Wahlberg: In fact, we originally had a different leading actress, who is a veteran, all but cast for the role of ‘Sara’. Unfortunately, none of the actors we brought in for the role of ‘Dave’ seemed to work as a strong enough match. Our casting director, Catherine Eng, had Gina and John partnered for their audition and, as Mark said,  when they walked into the room we all actually thought they were a couple. They just worked so easily together from the start that it made the choice obvious.

6 Though it’s clear we’re reliving memories from the start since we jump from a baby crying to Sarah’s pregnancy within the first scene, the actual framing device is rather subtle. Can you speak to that choice?

Mark Koetsier: The time that this film takes place was shortened because of the mere factor that getting a child that went from 6-months to maybe a year or two would be impossible for our budget. So ,we had to stick to one period of six months. With this time constraint it wasn’t that long ago that the flashback moments were to take place. Therefore, going with a different look for a flashback seemed in appropriate. It needed to be subtle because it’s fresh in his mind. The subtle changes in music and how we cut and when we cut give us the framing of the film.  

Dublin Wahlberg: I wanted to use the baby’s age to help show the passage of time and how quickly untreated mental illness and Opioid addiction can ruin people’s lives. How quickly the light that shines in all of us can fall into darkness, and how our decisions impact those we love and care for. 

7 Though In the Between is not connected to or endorsed by the US military, did you have any opportunities to seek input from veterans during filming? 

Mark Koetsier:   Yes, we definitely sought out therapists who dealt with PTSD patients while in the writing stages as well as veterans who had dealt with it.  We wanted to make sure that the reactions and the frame of mind was going to be accurate for the actors who are playing the roles as well as the story structure and what can and often does happen. We didn’t have anyone on set for this since we only had two days to shoot and due to Covid, kept our crew to a minimum. 

Dublin Wahlberg: My brother, who was in the Navy, was our military advisor on the film. Also, our psychological script consultant, Ariel Landrum, is a licensed trauma therapist who worked with the VA and methadone clinics.  Additionally, I spoke with my family and friends who are veterans. I wanted to make sure, from an acting perspective and story perspective, that everything was as accurate as possible.

8 The movie ends with a dedication to those suffering from PTSD and their families. What do you hope people take away from this film, whether they’ve lived with this pain or not?

Mark Koetsier:  I hope that audiences get a better understanding of what traumatic events can do to us. How an event can change someone so much that it takes over who they are. There was a quote I read and was in the film for a brief time, “It’s not that I couldn’t let go of the past, it’s the past that won’t let go of me.”

It is a silent killer because we don’t talk about it, and we try as humans to keep moving on and try to forget. Things or events can trigger flashes of the horrible incident that can bring it all back again. It never seems to go away. It not only effects the one who has had the traumatic event but their family, friends and loved ones. 

Dublin Wahlberg: The greatest hope is that people continue to talk openly about their PTSD or Opioid addiction and seek help. Too many people are shamed into feeling that they’re weak if they need help, but it truly takes a strong person to ask others for help. No battle is won alone.

Also, while we opted to talk about a military service member battling with PTSD and the impact it has on her family, it’s important for people to remember that anyone can experience PTSD and no one’s trauma is more or less important than anyone else’s. Never compare your own experiences of suffering to find out the scale of your own worth. 

9 Popcorn or Candy?

Mark Koetsier: Popcorn!

Dublin Wahlberg: I chew gum.