Sometimes the hardest part of being in love is having to turn away from it. WHERE WE BEGAN is a contemporary love story between two young men, doomed by the drug addiction of one.  TIMOTHY, 26, meets CHRISTIAN, 22, while jogging in a Los Angeles park and the two begin a whirlwind romance. Christian has been the love of Timothy’s life but he is unable to stay off Crystal Meth and unwilling to get help for his addiction. In the film’s crucial scene, the two meet in the same park where they began and it’s there that  Timothy finally admits to himself that their life together is truly over. When Christian, after asking for money says, “Come on, Timothy, it’s me,” Timothy replies, “It’s not you.” In the end Timothy runs away from Christian in the park in order to save his own sanity.

DIRECTORS Q&A

Q: Is there any specific reason you chose to make your film? How did inspiration strike?
Marc: I've wanted to make a movie that addresses the scourge of crystal meth addiction in the gay community for a long time. My friend and screenwriter Tom O'Leary came to me with a beautiful script that focused on the devastation of meth on one relationship. In its deceivingly complex simplicity, it gets to the raw emotion associated with the cycle of addiction and its destruction of relationships. The most haunting element, is the collateral damage addiction yields on people close to the addict... a damage that can last a lifetime.

I've always seen the characters of Timothy and Christian as a metaphor for the toxic relationship that the gay community has taken up with the drug, and the strength and courage it takes to run away from it. It's interesting that Tom's original play dealt with a straight couple who were torn apart by infidelity. In a way, the movie is a love triangle between the two guys and the drug addiction.

Q: What did you hope to convey through your film? Marc: I realize that many people will relate to the sadly "all too common story"... many having had personal experience that they can bring to the movie. If it can move one person who still suffers, whether it be the addict or a loved one, then I will be thrilled. The great news is that many people have woken up from the nightmare... but it takes a lot of courage and an ability to recognize the problem... and then the willingness to ask for help.

Q: Who are your favorite filmmakers?
Marc: I admire Gus Van Sant's career tremendously. He's an openly gay filmmaker, but his films don't fit into the box of "gay films" specifically. I admire his choices to break barriers and make films that push the limits of style and content. One of the first gay films I saw was "Parting Glances" by Bill Sherwood, and I remember going to see it 5 times at the Beverly Center in West Hollywood. It was the first time that gay characters and situations were portrayed in a truthful way for me, and I have to say that it inspired me to want to do that myself. Martin Scorcese is the greatest living director today... he's a cinema god to me.

Q: Anything else you'd like to share about your film or your careers?
Marc: We were fortunate that Park Walkup, Tom's uncle, fell in love with the script and became the executive producer. Without his generosity and creative partnership the movie would never have been made.

Both Tom O'Leary and I have full length screenplays that deal with meth addiction. Tom's screenplay was inspired by the short, and he has added the new character of Timothy's mother who happens to be an aging, ballsy, movie actress and a recovering alcoholic. She takes on a role in dealing with Christian's addiction, based on her own experience with addiction. It's really fantastic, and will have a live staged reading this June at the Provincetown Film Festival. I have another script on the subject that takes a more edgy, gritty approach as it follows the downward spiral of a "boy next door" who hits town in search of his own Hollywood dream.