This week on The Filmmakers Podcast, host Dom Lenoir welcomes back director Josh Greenbaum for a chat about his latest documentary – touching on the nuances of documentary filmmaking, the balance between comedy and drama, and the themes of vulnerability and self-acceptance.
Audience Experience
Josh reflected on the surreal experience of finally releasing a project after working on it in isolation. “It’s wild,” he admits. “You make a film, in a dark room, with a few people, and you hope the movie in your head, and heart, is received the way you hoped. Some part of you never knows.”
Watching the film unfold on the big screen has been a joy for Josh.
He shared his heartwarming experience of witnessing how audiences connected with the film, noting a moving moment when Will and Harper were welcomed with standing ovations. “It’s a reaffirmation of humanity and our shared experience,” Josh says. “It’s really encouraging to me as a filmmaker, but also as a human being.”
Creating a Safe Space
Josh touched on the importance of creating a safe environment for his subjects, many of whom he already had close relationships with prior to making the film. “There’s a level of trust that was already there, which helped a lot,” Josh says. “My job is to create a space and empower my subjects to feel safe in telling their story in the most authentic way.”
This trust, as Josh explained, is key to getting them to open up on camera, much like how people are more likely to be vulnerable in personal conversations when they feel truly seen and heard.
“People are more willing and open to sharing when they feel respected,” he observes, adding that this dynamic is just as crucial off-camera as it is behind the lens.
Structuring the Narrative
As they began to delve deeper into the filmmaking process, Dom was curious as to how Josh approached structuring the film’s narrative, especially given that they had over 240 hours of footage from their 17-day road trip.
Josh revealed that most of the storytelling came together during editing. “You start to hear what the film is telling you it wants to be,” he explained. “If you try to force it in a direction that it doesn’t want to go, that’s when you can lose authenticity.”
One of the unexpected challenges of the film was finding its central dramatic question.
Josh shared how he initially believed the story hinged on whether Will and Harper’s friendship would survive, only to realise that this question is answered early in the film. “As a filmmaker, you’re left wondering, what’s the question we’re asking?” he says.
The film, he continues, became less about whether their friendship would endure and more about what their relationship would look like as Harper redefined herself.
Working with Will and Harper
Dom mentioned how audiences may have expected the film to be comedic, given Will’s background. However, the film strikes a balance between humour and drama, with Will’s presence providing warmth and support for Harper rather than comic relief.
Josh agreed, emphasising that the film’s emotional core revolves around self-acceptance. He recalled a powerful moment in the film when Harper, in tears, confesses, “I was afraid of everyone hating me. And now I’m realising I’m afraid of hating myself.”
Josh reflected that this is the essence of the film’s deeper message: how we all grapple with accepting ourselves for who we are, not who society expects us to be.
Documentary Filmmaking
Dom praised Josh’s ability to make the documentary feel like a feature film. “My favourite docs are like that. I felt like I was on a road trip with these people,” Dom remarked.
Josh attributes this to a deliberate choice to shoot the film cinematically, using vintage lenses and a steady cam to create a softer, more graceful aesthetic.
“All those decisions are born out of the story,” Josh explains, emphasising that the visual style should always serve the narrative.
Josh’s Words of Advice
The episode wraps up with Josh offering advice to aspiring filmmakers.
“Don’t make something you think others want to watch.,” he advised. “Make the thing that you want to watch.”
Encouraging directors to allow room for reality to shape the final product.
And he ended by suggesting that filmmakers should, “surround (themselves) with people more talented than you. Let them challenge you and bring new ideas.”
You can listen to more from our episode with Josh Greenbaum here.