The indie comedy Ben’s At Home, a labour of love for the writers, actors, cast and crew who worked without payment, looks at today’s wired generation.
A coming of age picture, the movie opens at a bar where Ben is celebrating his 30th birthday. We’re aware that his world is changing, with the upcoming wedding of one of his buddies. Then he spots his ex there, in animated conversation with another guy. Heartbroken because she’s dumped him, and tired of social pressures, Ben vows never to leave his house again.
Although he becomes a recluse, he’s far from isolated. Friends come over, and he forms new relationships through the Internet and social media. He plays video games against online opponents. Several women he meets online visit, and a romance blossoms with the woman who delivers his food. Ben even manages to survive financially through online work he finds doing voiceovers.
“Ben wants to lock himself in, but can’t stand being alone,” said Dan Abramovici, who co-wrote the script and plays Ben. “He invites people over and then at least he controls who can come over.”
By shutting himself in, Ben hopes to avoid any more painful encounters with his ex. But then social media deliver some blows. Ben is hurt when he goes on Facebook and discovers that his ex is “single,” and he is stung again when he learns that she’s moved on and is “in a relationship.”
Facebook posts aren’t necessarily an accurate reflection of someone’s life, as “everyone puts on their best face on social media,” Abramovici said. However, scrolling through Facebook, Ben gets the impression that his friends and his ex are having a great time. “That can mess you up,” Abramovici added.
Abramovici, 33, said he and his co-writer and director, Mars Horodyski, drew upon personal experience when they started writing the movie. Abramovici had just turned 30, and “Mars and I, like everyone else, have been through relationships ending,” he said. Ben’s At Home was shot in 10 days, mostly at Abramovici’s apartment in Toronto’s Parkdale neighbourhood. During the shoot, his apartment was filled with equipment, he said. “I tunnelled to the microwave and the bathroom. Outside of the tunnels, there were pile and piles of gear.”
The cast of Ben’s At Home includes Second City alumni Jim Annan and Rob Baker, Canadian Comedy Award-winner Craig Brown, and Jess Embro, who appeared in a film that won an award for best comedy at the Toronto Urban Film Festival. The duo Freedom or Death, whose sound is rooted in acoustic folk, electronica, rock and hip hop rhythms, contributed the songs to the movie’s soundtrack. Abramovici discovered them at the North By Northeast Festival and was “absolutely blown away,” he said.
Ben’s At Home was made for a mere $20,000 through self-funding and crowdfunding, Abramovici said. But he pointed out that the $20,000 figure is misleading. Everyone involved with the movie worked free and the equipment was loaned to them. “If we did pay for everything, it would have cost $300,000,” he said.
The film has been screened at half a dozen film festivals, taking the best feature award at the Rhode Island International Film Festival last year.
“It’s an academy qualifying festival. The Oscars look to it for features and shorts,” said Abramovici, who was born in Haifa and raised in Thornhill, Ont.
Ben’s At Home was also declared the best feature at this year’s Canadian Film Fest. It was playing at the Carlton and Kingsway cinemas in Toronto at writing. The movie is available on iTunes and can be seen on video on demand through Rogers and Bell starting later this month. For more information about Ben’s At Home, visit www.bensathome.com
