Director, Producer and Writer Nathan Wetherington Opens Up About New Movie "A Thousand Miles Behind"

Level 33 Entertainment has just released its debut feature film A THOUSAND MILES BEHIND .The film is now released ON DEMAND and on all VOD platforms. The film tells a beautiful and poignant story of hope, that even when life hits rock bottom there is always a way through if you can just hang in there long enough to find your way back to the light. 

After a tragic accident, Preston Avery (JEFFREY DOORNBOS) finds himself trapped in grief and isolated in an empty house. All hope seems lost until a motorcycle mysteriously appears on his doorstep. Once on the road, he crosses paths with a spirited young woman named Tracey (VANESSA CAMPBELL), who breaks through his fog of grief just long enough to throw him a lifeline back into the land of the living, but can he leave the past behind?

Starring JEFFREY DOORNBOS (Blue Man with the Blue Man Group), in a career defining performance. And Introducing VANESSA CAMPBELL (Garfield The Movie). With GREG EVIGAN ("B.J. and the Bear"), BRE BLAIR ("S.W.A.T"), and JEFFREY NICHOLAS BROWN ("Henry Danger", "True Blood"). 

We are honored to be able to chat with the film's writer, director and producer NATHAN WETHERINGTON for this exclusive interview.

Q: Nathan, thanks for doing this interview with us. Congratulations on the release of "A Thousand Miles," can you tell us briefly what the movie is about?

A:  Well, in a nutshell, the film is about one person's struggle through the grieving process. 

Q: What is your role in this movie?

A: I'm the writer/director/producer - as well as the music producer on the soundtrack (original score for the film).

Q: What inspired you to write this movie? 

A: Well, several things. The first being that the film really evolved out budget constraints. The original idea had been to shoot a no-budget film with just myself and Jeffrey, kind of as an excuse to take a motorcycle trip. Then, when Jeffrey actually said he'd do it... I decided we should probably have a script.

At that same time, I had recently seen a documentary on the surviving family members and parents of the kids who had lost their lives in the Sandy Hook school shooting and it had profoundly affected me. And I think this film ended up being a way for me to try to process my own feelings of not even beginning to understand how to help someone dealing with that kind of grief because you want to do anything you can to try to lighten that load for someone who's going through something like that. It's an incredibly powerless feeling I think, for everyone, the person struggling with the loss and those people who want to help that person.

So, the story grew out of that.  The motorcycle, as a solo instrument, really ended up being the perfect visual representation for grief. It's a thing experienced so very much in isolation as is the motorcycle being ridden alone.  I think for me, my ultimate hope is that this film would be a source of connection for people grieving and otherwise - that it would perhaps be something they could relate to, so as to feel less isolated in those feelings.  In my own mind, the film is itself actually is the phone ringing in the background, the book in the mailbox, the motorcycle arriving at the doorstep...   right?  

Q:  Who are some of the actors in this movie?

A: Jeffrey Doornbos, Vanessa Campbell, Bre Blair, Greg Evigan...  all friends that were kind enough to let me drag me into this.  

Q:  What are you most proud of about this movie?

A: Honestly, that it even exists. This was truly a labor of love. We shot the entire movie with a total production crew of 5 people, a camera and two lights. 

Q:  How has this movie spoken to you personally?

A: It's been overwhelming at times to see the response to it. We did a lot of film festivals and would see people that had been so affected by it, that had related so deeply to it.  It's indescribable really...  just to feel like we've hopefully added something of value perhaps to that conversation. I mean, there's so much grief in the world right now, so much uncertainty and violence... so many people are really hurting. 

Q:  What is (are) the take home message(s) you hope this movie will convey to those who have had watched it?

A:  That you're not alone in your difficult feelings and struggles.  That it's okay to hurt.  And to please just hang in there through it. There will be a better day on the other side of despair.  Don't give up.  

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