Struggles with addiction and depression have come into the limelight since the COVID Pandemic. As they have, so too have the stories that often accompany these events. Director Nadine Crocker took her own struggles as inspiration for her film Continue. When shooting Continue, it was her debut feature. It now releases after her follow-up gig – Desperation Road – a Mel Gibson-starring action flick. Even with the long production schedule, she remains as committed as ever to her story.
When formulating Continue, Crocker wore a lot of hats. She served as the director, lead actress, producer, and writer for the film. She jokes “Sleep? What’s that?” when asked how she finds time for it all. “I think every person in the entertainment business knows – during production – you’re like a zombie person. You can’t wait to sleep and rest, but on the last day, you’re wondering how do I get that back?”
Crocker based Continue on her own issues with depression and self-harm.
Crocker drew the story from Continue from her own struggles with depression, and she’s very open about this aspect. “The idea came from two events from my life. When I was 23, I attempted to end my life more time than I’d like to admit. I look at those years and I’m a completely different person.” Crocker believes her story can provide hope for those who are in similar situations in life. “I hope to show others out there they are not alone. We want to talk about a subject that people are afraid to talk about, that’s taboo. The only way to change that is by having the hard conversations.”
Since then, Crocker has become a mother, gotten married, and began her career as a director. “If you had asked me five years ago if I thought I’d be directing movies, I would have told you I’m an actor. Now, directing is my entire life and my purpose for being on this planet.” With her new platform, she wanted to ensure stories that mattered to her made their way to the screen. “I fought vigorously to have this conversation. I never got to pitch Continue to a studio. I always knew it would be a small indie that I hope catches fire and my audience finds it.”
Continue approaches the subject matter with honesty, which was one of the holdups in production. “People want Ted Lasso, they don’t want your film. I was told those exact words. A lot of people wanted me to pull punches and tie it up with a nice bow. But no one in the depths and darkness is going to see themselves in the pretty girl that gets everything she ever wanted.”
Crocker took inspiration from directors like David Fincher, M. Night Shyamalan, and Darren Aronofsky to stick with her conviction. “The reason they became the filmmakers they are was by taking big swings and being brave to do something that felt right to them.” Crocker also pulled from Girl, Interrupted for inspiration on Continue. “It changed my entire life. Angelina Jolie made me drop out of high school at 16 and move to Los Angeles. That’s the power of film.”
Finding a distributor meant making another movie.
While Continue was already shot and ready, it took some time to find a distributor. Luckily, Crocker’s second feature, Desperation Road opened some doors. “We made Desperation Road with Mel Gibson, Garrett Hedland, and all those amazing humans introduced me to Lionsgate, Grindstone, and Barry Brooker. He knew the world needed this message, and he wanted to be the executive who took a chance on me.” In addition to being her passion project, Crocker and Brooker see the movie as a way to raise awareness. “Part of the proceeds from Continue go to charity. I actually hope it can save a life in the process.”
The indie-drama had a tight knit crew.
While Continue comes from Crocker’s mind, she also brought in an incredible cast around her. Actors Shiloh Fernandez and Lio Tipton each get showcase roles. Getting them on board was the first step for Continue. “I had incredible casting directors, and it also helped people to pay attention to the script. They knew this was an indie, and we made offers know that they were my humans.”
As with some indies, the willingness of the cast to believe in the director’s vision is paramount. In this case, Fernandez, Tipton, and Emily Deschanel proved game for where Crocker pushed the film. Crocker gushes about her cast. “We fell for each other. That’s who I wanted to go to war with. They’re all such incredible actors and creators, and they were so game at every turn.”
This became especially true for Fernandez, who plays Crocker’s love interest and partner in Continue. After a setback, there’s a moment that their relationship comes to blows. The result is a stunning sequence that inspires pain and fear. According to Crocker, it was all done after two takes. She explains, “It’s one of my favorite scenes in the whole movie. It felt very much like lightning in a bottle, because he and I have such trust. We put guidelines around it.”
The day they shot the sequence, Crocker ghosted Fernandez for most of the day. “I wanted it to be pure and utter shock. I didn’t let him see me the rest of the day. I wanted it to be an utter shock, because Trenton [Fernadez’s character] is just waiting for his girlfriend.” When the argument escalates to physical fighting, Fernandez only had one line. “He said ‘Only thing, please don’t hit me with the bottle.” She laughs and continues. “I told him I would never hit him with a whisky bottle.”
The experience was physically and emotionally intense when the cameras started rolling. Crocker’s felt drunk after playing it all day. “It was completely visceral and I was simulating being drunk for so long I felt it in my body.” Crocker literally got sick during the day, but after the first take, the room felt the intensity of the scene. She explains “My producers on the project were crying hysterically. They did not want to watch it again.” However, Shiloh had other plans. “He said you have to let me.” Crocker obliged and they laid it on the line. “It felt like real life. I think that those are the experiences we seek out as creators.”
Crocker knows directing is her future.
Continue features some smart twists and turns through its storytelling, and concludes with a stunning ending. For Crocker, the experience cemented her future as a filmmaking. “Everything about it taught me about every level of filmmaking. It really it changed my life.” While Crocker could not reveal her future plans, she made a promise. “I don’t want to make films that I’m not deeply embedded in. I want to choose every movie I do.” Continue offers a bright future for Crocker, and with a couple features in her career, it’ll be curious to see where she goes from here.
Continue opening in theaters, in digital, and on-demand on September 6, 2024.
