Actor Buscemi Takes Helm of Indiana Native's Film

When Jim Strouse speaks, it is with focused, methodical thought and an easygoing manner that seems somewhat out of place amidst the blur of the Big Apple. Strouse, an Indiana native, carries in his voice the ring of a writer who has made his mark, a melding of confidence and pressure to outdo his debut. The confidence was won when his biggest project to date, a feature entitled Lonesome Jim, wrapped filming this spring with actor/director Steve Buscemi at the helm.

The irony is that the entire idea for the movie stemmed from Strouse’s days toiling in anonymity, days when his keyboard was both his best friend and his worst enemy.

The idea was born out of my frustration with writing,” the 28-year-old Ligonier and Goshen native explained.

I had been writing stories for five years and I couldn't get any of them published. I started to feel, like many people who want to write, that this just wasn't going to work out for me. The story of Lonesome Jim is me imagining what it would be like to give up my dream.”

Strouse convinced himself that it wouldn’t be easy to sell the movie, but thanks to the inspiration of his family, fellow writers like Raymond Carver, high school English teacher Devon Schrock and Goshen College writing professor Don Yost, he knew he had to try.

Like his big screen counterpart, he knew that success should be his, the trick was just figuring out how to claim it. He admittedly enjoyed the process of writing Lonesome Jim, but never thought it would actually be offered up for public consumption.

But his girlfriend, Plum Pictures producer Galt Niederhoffer, soon took care of that. Undaunted by the odds, she forwarded the screenplay straight to Steve Buscemi’s manager, thinking the script had the same ‘vibe’ as some of Buscemi’s independent film work. While best known for fleshing out quirky roles in the blockbuster hit “Armageddon” and the Oscar nominated dark comedy “Fargo,” Buscemi has become well known for his writing and directing capabilities as well. His first project, the short film “What Happened to Pete?” made it beyond film festivals to air on the Bravo Network.

The story evolves around Jim (Casey Affleck), a man in his late twenties who returns to his hometown jaded and perplexed over a life undiscovered, only to be confronted with the ghosts of his past. His mother Sally (Mary Kay Place) is still smothering, his father Don (Seymour Cassel) is still distant and his brother Tim (Kevin Corrigan) is even more depressed than he is.

After one of his brother’s suicide attempts, Jim is forced to fill in at his family’s ladder-making factory for his injured brother, in addition to playing dad to his two nieces. As he grapples with the downturn of events, he meets a single mom Anika (Liv Tyler), a nurse with the prescription for happiness.

Buscemi took instantly to the story of hope and small town angst.

At first, I thought someone was playing a cruel joke on me,” Strouse said of receiving the call from Buscemi’s manager.

I was very nervous. I spoke very timidly and laughed too hard at his jokes. I’m sure he thought I was a freak, but luckily he liked the script enough to overlook my anxiety.”

Once he was convinced Buscemi was aboard, Strouse returned to Goshen to film his debut, putting his parents, brother and nieces in the film. Former employers and friends Nick and Charity Boyd recruited the help of their daughters Nicole and Hannah. The burgeoning screenwriter received cooperation from not only Goshen, but also the towns of Ligonier and Cromwell.

He said the miles between his hometown and New York City, where he wrote the film, actually helped and inspired him.

Living in New York is great. Distance helps with perspective sometimes. I think being here has given me a fuller world view. It's also given me a great contrast to compare Indiana to. Sometimes you don't know how you feel about a place until you have another place to compare it to. I realized how much I loved Indiana only after I left it. Of course I love New York now, too.”

Once filming was done, the next step was to test it via independent film festivals like the legendary Sundance. Lonesome Jim opened the Cleveland, Boston and Indianapolis Film Fests. Strouse was finally able to see how audiences felt about his labor of love, to witness first hand whether the movie could invoke the emotions written into it. When the crowd broke into laughter at the first screening, it was like feeding steak to a starving man.

On the road, he became both participator and spectator, marveling at both the surreal world he was traveling in and watching notable actors bring his characters to life. Each stop was a defining moment in his mental scrapbook for Strouse. Once upon a time, the only two sounding boards he had were his wife and baby daughter, Magnolia.

Currently pondering a few future projects, Strouse is hoping to work with some of the same people again, but perfectly aware that the pressure is on for him to churn out a sophomore masterpiece. Good thing he absorbed the finer points of movie making courtesy of Buscemi. Watching the seasoned director tend to the intricate details of Lonesome Jim not only boosted Strouse’s confidence level, but taught him about more than just the technical side of filming.

It was a dream. He is so smart and talented. But he's also very kind. I learned a lot just watching him work and interact with people on the set.”

While the down to earth dad basks in the glow of his first feature film, he still wonders if writing could ever be profitable enough to consider as a career. The arrival of Magnolia has him wondering what the future holds. Like his main character in Lonesome Jim, Strouse’s biggest obstacle is still his own self doubt. Luckily, the notoriety he is currently enjoying takes the edge off.

I never really allowed myself to believe it would ever happen. The fact that it did is still a little beyond belief to me. The whole process of making it was joyous. I can't think of anything better than getting paid for what you love to do.”

He hopes to screen the film in Goshen, IN this summer and eventually see it in wide release.

Distribution is up in the air at the moment,” he noted. “Limited releases tend to exclude Midwestern regions, which would really disappoint me because Lonesome Jim is such a Midwestern story.”