In this comedic take on inter-generational conflict, a mature filmmaker, once at the pinnacle of the business but now fallen on hard times, and desperate to finance a comeback project, secures funding from a crypto-cash billionaire, with the condition that the billionaire’s egotistical son be the co-director of the film.

SYNOPSIS:

This is a story about the pressure to keep up with the times or get left behind, and what can happen when that pressure causes a person to lose sight of who they really are.

Sixty-five year old Walter Futz is a multiple Academy Award-winning writer-director who has turned into a money-losing machine. His last five films have all gone down in flames, each one losing millions. Everyone in the industry is convinced he’s washed up, except for him.

When Walter's crowd-funding campaign attracts a ten million dollar contribution from a crypto-cash billionaire, problems begin. First off, Shroom, the son of the crypto-billionaire, wants to co-direct the film. An obvious non-starter but Walter has no choice but to give into this demand if he wants the money.

Shroom is an absurd character who would only be possible within an entitled environment in which he’s able to believe that his embrace of futuristic crypto-currency makes him better than everyone else. He has the boundless self-confidence of a billionaire’s son and the means to indulge his whims. His discussion with Walter about the wonders of having countless “laser-cannons” really captures the essence of his character.

Next problem is they’re restricted to actors who will accept crypto-cash as payment. Shroom, now the co-director, comes to the rescue by recruiting crypto-positive actors.

None of the actors fit Walter’s characters so co-director Shroom has to tweak the script. Shroom transforms Walter’s script into a steampunk vision of a post-apocalyptic world of endless battles between street-gangs armed with photon guns.

Battered by his recent failures, advancing age, and widespread ageism, Walter lacks the confidence he needs to stand up to Shroom. With the arrogance of youth on his side, Shroom never needs to question his assumption that everything shiny and new is better than what preceded it.

Shroom sees his conflict with Walter as a generational one in which Walter is refusing to keep up with the times. Believing that Walter might be diversity-challenged, Shroom sets up a team-building exercise to give Walter a chance to bond with some of the diverse actors in the movie.

After their team-building paint-ball exercise turns out to be an improbable success with Walter playing a starring role, he becomes transformed. Walter gives himself over to Shroom’s way of thinking. Walter begins to believe that a new approach is just what his film needs to allow them to “trample the planet” as Shroom likes to say.

Everyone around Walter is concerned about his un-characteristic behavior, but he waves off their concerns with assurances that change is good and he knows what he’s doing. Increasingly it becomes apparent that he doesn’t in fact have a very good handle on what he’s doing.

As the tension between Walter and Shroom plays out, Shroom’s girlfriend May attempts to plumb the depths of Walter’s personality. She suggests that Walter is “futzing”, a term she uses to describe someone who has trouble distinguishing between fantasy and reality.

When the first reviews of the movie come out they are a combination of scathing and incredulous. Walter is stunned as the ridicule and scorn pours over him. Walter is ruined.

When Walter confronts Shroom over the failure of the movie, Shroom acts like it’s no big deal. When Walter presses Shroom to accept blame for the failure, Shroom suggests that Walter wanted the movie to fail. “Why else would you let a twenty-year old with no experience, take over your movie, and ruin it, with barely a word of protest from you?”

The question hits Walter hard and he has no response to it.

Walter moves back to his home town of New York and meets up with an old friend. Walter tells his friend that he’s happier than he’s been in years. “Movie-making was a prison and I’m glad to be out of it”, Walter declares.

After parting with his friend Walter approaches a woman with a crying young child in her arms. The woman explains that the child is crying because he dropped his toy over the fence next to the river. Walter offers to retrieve the toy and bends over the fence to get it. He reaches over a little too far and falls into the river.

At Walter’s funeral his old friend tells some others that Walter was clearly in denial during his last hours. Obviously the pain of losing his career was too much for him to bear. Everyone is sympathetic. They’d all seen the reviews for the final movie. One of them remarks on how sad it is that Walter was never able to accept that he was washed up and that it was time for him to spend his remaining years resting on his laurels.

Tagline: Keep up with the times or get left behind.