Michael Angarano Was Determined to Make His New Film ‘Sacramento’ No Matter What: ‘This Movie Has This Weird Cosmic Energy Around It’

Making an independent film is hard. It takes time and patience and perseverance, but when you’ve been in the movie business most of your life like Michael Angarano has, you learn to live with the uncertain times in order to push through to the moment where you can get in front of the camera (or in this case, in front of and behind). His sophomore film, “Sacramento” — a road movie/buddy comedy that just premiered at the Tribeca — faced its own stumbling blocks on the path to production and distribution, but through it all, Angarano held firm, knowing he had to make the film no matter what.

“At one point we were ready to shoot the movie in Atlanta — we had the financing and everything,” said Angarano in a recent interview with Variety. “And this was for a movie called ‘Sacramento.’ But it’s like why try to cheat it? Maybe, should we just call it ‘Athens’ or ‘Savannah’?”

More from IndieWire

• Academy Museum to Modify Exhibit on Jewish Hollywood Founders Amid Outcry Over Antisemitism

• How the Hidden 1940s Noir Gem 'The Dark Corner' Parallels Richard Linklater's Use of Time in 'Hit Man'

Thankfully, they were actually able to shoot in Sacramento and with a cast that helps boost the little film’s profile. Co-starring Kristen Stewart, Maya Erskine (Angarano’s wife), and Michael Cera, the star-power behind the film also added its own challenges in the form of scheduling. However, the passing of time and changes that come with it ended up informing their characters more than they imagined.

“It’s a movie about these two guys on the precipice of fatherhood who are entering this new chapter,” said Cera, also speaking with Variety. “And when this movie first started coming together that was a few years off for both of us. But it took so long to get started that by the time we were shooting, Mike and I had just entered into fatherhood. So it was very real and immediate to us.”

Reckoning the strange confluence of events that ended up making the texture of the film and the process of making it richer, Angarano said, “This movie has this weird cosmic energy around it, where it’s life imitating art or art imitating life. Small little miracles happened around this film.”

Best of IndieWire

• A History of Unsimulated Sex Scenes in 17 Cannes Films, from 'Mektoub' to 'Antichrist' to 'Caligula'

• Guillermo del Toro's Favorite Movies: 54 Films the Director Wants You to See

• Nicolas Winding Refn's Favorite Films: 37 Movies the Director Wants You to See

Sign up for Indiewire's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.