Writer/Director Christina Eliopoulos’ moving and original short film, Tonight and Every Night, offers audiences a glimpse inside the complicated world of dementia. The story follows Yianni, played beautifully by actor Joe Cortese (The Rat Pack, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia), the host of Tonight and Every Night, a talk show that exists only in his mind. One day, Yianni, who suffers from dementia, wanders out of his house and comes to the aid of a lost, little boy (an endearing performance by Azhy Robertson).
I spoke with Eliopoulos about the making of this remarkable short film, which makes screens at the Dances With Films Festival in Los Angeles on Saturday, June 3 at 5pm at Mann’s Chinese Theatre.
Xaque Gruber: What inspired you to create this film?
Christina Eliopoulos: I wanted to pay tribute to my father - the man who was my mentor, and my hero. In making the film, I could celebrate and share with the whole world, my father’s extraordinary generosity of spirit, his sweet nature, and his zest for life. And on a deeper level, it was a way for me to hold on to him as long as I could. I wanted to believe that in telling his story, I could outwit or outpace a terrible fate that I knew was inevitable.
XG: Tell me about your father.
CE: My father owned a diner for 25 years. One day, my dad wandered away from the house. My family, my neighbors and the local police all went out searching for him. We found him all the way on the other side of town, alone, scared and lost, meandering through a public works truck depot. He told us, and the cops, that a little boy had come to help him and kept him safe. To this day, we don’t know if the child was actually real, or a sweet hallucination that he had conjured as a way to give himself comfort and courage. There were many times, after that, when Dad would retreat to a happy place in his imagination that had created for himself.
One morning after breakfast, I heard the sound of applause coming from my father’s bedroom. I peeked in, and saw dad standing to greet a “special guest star” that only he could see, gesturing toward the foot of the bed for this special guest to have a seat. I watched from the doorway as Dad conducted, in Greek, a wide-ranging interview about this person’s life. The interview concluded, Dad rose to his feet, and with rousing applause added “Thanks for coming, everybody. And have a good night, tonight and every night.”
Yianni (Joe Cortese) remembers
XG: How did you find actor Joe Cortese?
CE: I auditioned nearly 50 actors in New York City for the role of Yianni, the main character. I met with some amazing veterans of the stage and screen, but I knew, I had not found my Yianni. I was not looking for an impersonation of my father. I was hoping to find someone who could embody the character’s wistfulness, his gratitude, and his yearning for connection. My casting agent, Jodi Kipperman, called me with the incredible news that Joe Cortese had read the script and was open to the idea of chatting with me. The moment I met Joe, I knew within five minutes that he would bring the character to life in a very sensitive and beautiful way. Working with him was an absolute delight. Joe is such a generous collaborator, as well as a master craftsman and a real veteran. He showed me, a newbie director, such incredible trust and respect and I’m forever grateful to him. I met our young actor, Azhy Robertson, at a casting call. He is incredibly wise beyond his years, and he and Joe are just magical together.
Yianni (Joe Cortese) on the beach with Boss (Azhy Robertson). Filmed in Asbury Park, New Jersey.
XG: What other films on the subject of dementia have impressed you?
CE: The dementia journey is different for everyone. And there are a number of beautiful films that speak to certain facets of that journey. I admire Away From Her, a great deal. I also was very moved by the film Amour, which does not address dementia per se, but speaks to how love endures in the face of extraordinary sadness, separation and physical distress. I think I have watched each of these films, in addition to I’ll Be Me, the great documentary about Glen Campbell, about a half dozen times.
The short film, because of its constraint of time, can only touch on certain aspects of the life and journey of the central characters. I love these characters. How can I not? Yianni is a reflection and homage to my father. The little boy represents the confusion, sadness and anxiety that I experienced in my role as caregiver. I feel that I have so much more that I can explore and articulate with these characters. The feature film version, which is in development, embraces the life story, love relationship and life journey of the central characters, Yianni, Plousia, his wife, and Jackson, the little boy who Yianni befriends.
XG: What would you like for audiences to come away feeling or thinking after seeing this film?
CE: One in four families have a loved one who suffers from dementia or age-related memory disorders. I have seen It with my own father, and I try to articulate this in my film: Love heals. And even though your family member may forget so many other things, they remember love. They remember how to give love and how to welcome it into their lives.