"Jimmy Tupper VS. The Goatman of Bowie"

JTVSTGMOB
This Summer I embarked on an experimental film project that would dabble in the genre of “found footage horror”. The inspiration for this film came after I watched the film “Fireproof”. It takes a lot to offend me, but “Fireproof” did it, and in a big way. Most people I know who have viewed the film say the same thing “Well it was cheesy, but its heart was in the right place”. I would agree that it was “cheesy” but I’m not so convinced the filmmakers' hearts were in the right place. I believe that the Gospel is true. It’s the most important truth I know. Jesus Christ came and died for our sins. He is Lord and Savior. What offended me was that these filmmakers decided to take the most “true” thing about this existence and wrap it in a story that felt manipulated and false. The world reflected in “Fireproof” felt staged to me. The fights didn’t hit the way fights hit in real life, the angst didn’t have the depth angst truly has, and even the friendships shown seemed very superficial.
Throwing your computer out the window doesn’t free you from demonic bondage. When a man confronts another man who he assumes has been having a relationship with his wife- it doesn’t normally end so calmly. It would be one thing if the filmmakers were making a fantasy film that used metaphor and allegory- but for all intents and purposes “Fireproof” is attempting to reflect the world we live in.
Unfortunately, when you take the genuine emotion out of these “real world” experiences, you dehumanize them until the entire message of the film seems like propaganda. The last thing I want the world to see the Gospel as is propaganda. God moves in miraculous and mysterious ways. I’m not saying he can’t snug everything in your life together with supernatural quickness. The Lord can redeem anything, and bring victory into everything. That being said, the filmmakers went one step beyond showing the Lord’s wonder and sovereignty. They made the mistake of moving their characters in such a way that would please our will and our want, not encourage our trust in the Lord. What if his buddy died on the tracks that day? What if the love dare book didn’t work? What if even after getting saved the relationship between the Mother and Caleb still needed years of restoration and healing? What if it was months before Catherine heard from the Lord? Or, if it was immediate, show me how that happened. Show me the Holy Spirit knocking her off her horse on Damascus road. Show me, don’t just stitch it together and tell me it’s somewhere between the cuts. It doesn’t come across as reality to me. It doesn’t seem wise to me to insert the Gospel into a film that appears to have such a facade. I thought about the film for days before forming an opinion on it, and then it dawned on me. As Christians we’ve become so obsessed with sterilizing what we view and what we emote, that we’ve (as artists, specifically filmmakers) lost touch with even the conflict within ourselves. We don’t know how to write about the human condition anymore. It’s like these filmmakers are afraid to say the truth, that even as Christians we have flaws. We struggle and we break down, and we mess up. In almost every Christian film I’ve seen, everything is just a little too perfect. As soon as a character becomes saved not only do they get eternal life, but all of their problems in this life are eradicated. That’s dangerous business, and it’s not even biblical. By the end of the film every problem Caleb had has been solved. Even problems we don’t really see addressed somehow get ironed out. I expected Caleb to walk out of his house at the end of the film and exclaim “Woah! My car’s been repainted too!!” Why do Christians feel the need to polish their art this way? Why can’t our art be an honest expression of who we are and where we are and not a “prettied up” version of what we all would like the world to look like? This kind of reaction doesn’t even come from a “hardened cynic”. Again, I know first hand that the Lord can do anything. He healed me from a mental illness I had struggled with since I was a child, and he did it in one night. My issue is with the lack of freedom “Christian Artists” are given, and the lack of freedom they exercise. Oddly enough, I don’t like an excess of “F” bombs and foul language in the movies I watch. As a director I will never show nudity in a film, and I hesitate to show explicit violence even in an historical context.
Which leads us to ”Jimmy Tupper vs. the Goatman of Bowie”, my tiny entry into the “horror” genre. After viewing “Fireproof” I realized that “Christian Film” needs a shot in the arm. The idea wasn’t meant to simply titillate a conservative audience, but rather to investigate. What’s better, making a film that is devoid of intimacy and knowledge of the human condition? Or a film that expresses what it is truly like to be lost and without spiritual anchor or guidance. How does the world sound? How does the world feel? What does anger look like? What does fear look like? “JTVSTGMOB” is an extreme example that will hopefully lead other Christian filmmakers to meet somewhere in the middle. Is it intentionally off base? No, not intentionally. Is it off base? I’m not sure. That’s what I am investigating, and here’s the most important thing- I am more than willing to be wrong. As an actor I will portray characters that are not believers. They have no grounding in a faith or a moral code. The characters in “JTVSTGMOB” are just these types of people. It’s important for me to attempt to understand people unlike myself. It helps breed compassion and understanding for me. As an actor, stepping into their shoes is one way I do that. Is it right? Again, I am investigating that. That is the exact purpose of this film, I am looking into a part of myself. It is an angry part of myself, a scared part, an ugly part, but it is an honest part. It uses metaphor and a monster as a symbol, but there is no lie in this film, and I'm proud of that. It is a sacrifice of sorts in the Christian art world. I don’t believe every film needs 300 “F” words, but we certainly do need a more realistic approach to how dialogue is written. A lot of my films may go the “Lost” route and choose to abide by a “PG-13” code without compromising the tangibility of raw emotion, however “JTVSTGMOB” is not one of those films. It is meant to be messy, and real, and sit at the other end of the spectrum, far far away from “Fireproof”. If the Holy Spirit is on something, people will be touched. I believe the Lord has used “Fireproof” to bring healing and newness to couples worldwide. Has it reached the mainstream? Arguably, no. My films are meant for everyone but especially those who won’t be stepping foot willingly into a Christian bookstore any time soon. My heart is to serve the Lord, and I believe in a weird way (and again, quite possibly ill-informed way) that “JTVSTGMOB” serves him. It is me trying to make sense of what I am doing here on earth as a Christian and a filmmaker. It is me crying out with characters full of torment that need purpose and direction and life. It is me saying there is something else we need from our Christians in the art world. It is me attempting to bring a level of vulnerability onto the screen so that others could match that vulnerability (and even surpass me). It’s much deeper than what it seems. I hope any viewers we may have will see its heart and have grace on me as I learn and grow as an artist.