Ham on Rye (film)

Ham on Rye is a 2019 US independent film directed by Tyler Taormina.[1][2] The film stars an ensemble cast, including Aaron Schwartz, Lori Beth Denberg and Danny Tamberelli, where a bizarre rite of passage at the local deli determines the fate of a generation of teenagers, leading some to escape their suburban town and dooming others to remain. The film had its world premiere on February 8, 2019 at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival and international premiere on August 10, 2019 at Locarno Festival in Switzerland.

Ham on Rye
Official poster
Directed byTyler Taormina
Produced byKevin Anton
Michael Basta
Eric Berger
David Croley Broyles
David Entin
Carson Lund
Tyler Taormina
Sergio Uguet de Resayre
Written byTyler Taormina
Eric Berger
Starring
  • Haley Bodell
  • Cole Devine
Music byDeuter
CinematographyCarson Lund
Edited byKevin Anton
Production
companies
  • Tago Clearing Film Studio
  • Omnes Films
Release date
Running time
85 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Plot

All of the teenagers in Haley’s hometown dress in their grandparents' best clothing on what is said to be the most important day of their lives. With nervous excitement, they make a scattered pilgrimage across town, drawn to an unknown fate. Haley walks at a more reluctant pace, skeptical of the timeworn tradition and the bizarre coming-of-age ritual that awaits them at their destination. When they finally arrive at Monty's, a local delicatessen, the clusters of local teens join together in a surreal ceremony of food, dance, and romantic angst that will determine the course of their lives forever. Many of the teens are granted instantaneous escape from the clutches of suburbia while an unchosen few are left to dwell interminably in their vacant hometown.[3]

Cast
  • Haley Bodell as Haley
  • Cole Devine as Sloan
  • Aaron Shwartz as Uno Bro
  • Lori Beth Denberg as Uno Queen
  • Danny Tamberelli as Uno King
  • Clayton Snyder as Stoned Uno
  • Dan Jablons as Mr. Monty
  • Audrey Boos as Gwen
  • Gabriella Herrera as Trish
  • Luke Darga as Tommy
  • Adam Torres as Marick
  • Blake Borders as Jim
  • Sam Hernandez as Artie
  • Gregory Falatek as Garth
  • Timothy Taylor as Bronco
  • Laura Wernette as Dorothy
  • David Croley Broyles as Ollie

Production

The film was shot in about two weeks on a RED Scarlett X 4K camera. The film contains over 100 cast members and 60 locations.[4][5]

Tyler Taormina says of the look and feel of the film:

It was really important for us to evoke the 60s, the 70s, the 80s, and the 90s. We wanted them all to be compiled in this aesthetic that was sheer nostalgia.[5]

Director of Photography, Carson Lund, describes the stylistic choices as such:

... an eccentric middle ground between art cinema polish and the simplicity of Nickelodeon shows Tyler and I fondly recall from our youth.[4]

Reception

Richard Brody of The New Yorker commented in his review that the film "has an aching tenderness of a rare power" and that it "has the uncanny echo of a disturbing real-life dream".[6]

Linda Keršnerová of MUBI says the film is "wildly enjoyable...a distinctive and fresh piece of cinematic art" in her review from the 72nd annual Locarno Festival.[7]

Caleb Hammond of MovieMaker Magazine called the film "Delightful" in his round up of Santa Barbara International Film Festival 2019.[8]

Max Weiss of Baltimore Magazine describes the film as "Funny, unsettling".[9]

References
  1. "Santa Barbara Film Fest to Open With Documentary About Biologist Mike deGruy". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on 14 January 2019. Retrieved 20 May 2019.
  2. Nordine, Michael; Nordine, Michael (12 January 2019). "Santa Barbara International Film Festival Lineup: 63 World Premieres". indiewire.com. Archived from the original on 3 February 2019. Retrieved 20 May 2019.
  3. http://schedule.sbiff.org/films-events/511942527%5B%5D
  4. Lund, Carson. "Over 100 Cast Members and No Permits: How I Shot Ham on Rye in Los Angeles". filmmakermagazine.com. Archived from the original on 17 May 2019. Retrieved 20 May 2019.
  5. "Interview: Tyler Taormina on Capturing the Innocence of Youth in Ham On Rye". awardsdaily.com. Retrieved 20 May 2019.
  6. Brody, Richard (14 May 2019). "Highlights from the 2019 Maryland Film Festival". Archived from the original on 17 May 2019. Retrieved 20 May 2019 – via www.newyorker.com.
  7. "Locarno 2019. Losing Teen Spirit: Tyler Taormina's "Ham on Rye" on Notebook". MUBI.
  8. "Fest Beat: An Ever-Expanding Audience and a Surprise-Filled Slate Highlight Santa Barbara International Film Festival 2019". moviemaker.com. 6 May 2019. Archived from the original on 10 May 2019. Retrieved 20 May 2019.
  9. magazine, Baltimore (3 May 2019). "Eight Screenings Not to Miss at The Maryland Film Festival". Baltimore magazine. Retrieved 20 May 2019.
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