By Mario Boucher
What is legacy? The most meaningful legacies aren’t material items or financial assets, but the values and principles you pass down to the next generation. That is precisely what Rob Burnett explores in his new movie, IN MEMORIAM, which had a special presentation at the Charlotte Film Festival on Sept. 26.
IN MEMORIAM is described as a comedy, though it has heartbreaking moments too. The film follows an aging actor who is diagnosed with terminal cancer and becomes obsessed with appearing in the Academy Awards’ “In Memoriam” montage. Burnett, the former executive producer of Late Show with David Letterman, wrote and directed the film. It stars Marc Maron as the actor and Talia Ryder as his daughter, with supporting roles from Lily Gladstone, Judy Greer, Michael McKean, Alan Ruck and Sharon Stone.
In an exclusive interview at the festival, Burnett said he began working on the story after the Letterman show ended in 2015. Over the next few years, he kept developing it and picking up ideas here and there. Fascinated by what we leave behind, Burnett began noticing images that stood out. One of his five Emmy Awards stood in his son’s room. One day, Burnett’s son came out of his room with a shocked look on his face after accidentally breaking the trophy. That look stayed with Burnett.
“It wasn’t the award that mattered, but how I reacted and my relationship with him,” Burnett said. “It was one of those moments that helped inspire the story.”
Being part of the “In Memoriam” montage is a real issue in Hollywood. While writing the story, Burnett spoke with Ben Stiller, who was dealing with the issue involving his parents. His father, Jerry Stiller, appeared in the montage, but his mother, Anne Meara, did not.
It took Burnett a long time to finish the story, and it evolved along the way. He wanted to examine the real meaning of life and have the story connect with different generations.
“The key was to keep things as real as possible,” Burnett said. “Life is very funny and tragic. I wanted to be true to that.”
He wanted to avoid being broad. The scenes between Maron and Gladstone, who plays his therapist, illustrate the point: funny, yet heartfelt and poignant. “When I write, I imagine myself in the audience,” he said. “What would I want to see?”
Burnett found the film’s tone and rhythm in the editing room. He credits his cast with allowing him to write with a bit of an edge — and get away with it. “I was able to push the writing because of the likable actors.”
During rehearsals, Burnett knew he was in good hands when he noticed Maron and Ryder sitting next to each other. “Marc couldn’t quite be himself around her. Talia could really express her emotions.”
One morning, while filming a key scene with Stone, Maron struggled to perform and wondered whether he could pull it off. Burnett and Maron talked about the death of Maron’s late girlfriend, which led to a powerful performance. “The afternoon shoot was great, with Sharon helping to make that scene work so well.”
Burnett said he lucked out, working with talented and likable actors to bring to life his story about the real meaning of legacy before a person’s “final” credit.