But, I must add, they were also not afraid to spend money where it was needed. The prop guns (as mentioned before) were bought on eBay. There was also a good deal of their money spent on accommodations, food, and gas. The filmmakers also spend a good chunk of change ($246) on foam board, folding chairs, duct tape, zip ties, and spray paint. Why? Because the interrogation scene between Isaac and Lieutenant Einsam was shot in a warehouse that had been converted into storage units. The space was about 10,000 square feet. Guess how much echo there is in a space like that? A lot. How much was there in the movie? None. Why? $246 worth of foam etc. Yeah, it's a lot of money on padding, but think about the nightmare of trying to fix the audio once you get into the editing room. Thinking of pulling your hair out, aren't you?
Seriously, this is a great example of pre-planning. I've reviewed countless movies where I've had to make mention of echo-y dialogue and tell the filmmakers to either ADR it, re-shoot in a different location, or re-shoot and pad the walls like crazy. Of course, no one wants to go through the hassle of ADR or re-shooting, but too much echo - unless it's on purpose - can really wreck a film, and it's a huge headache to spend the extra money to fix it. You know the phrase, "We'll fix it in post?" Trust me. You won't.
This film has a lot of similarities to futuristic authoritarian worlds such as those described in 1984, A Brave New World, or Equilibrium. In each story, the government attempts to suppress some aspect of society through conditioning, drugs, or even violence. Certainly the concept of Inquisition is not a new one but, unlike the aforementioned stories, the oppressed man does not fight back, but takes the opportunity to speak his mind to his captors. And even though he knows he is headed to execution, he calmly accepts his fate and does not try to escape. It may not be the happy ending that we have come to expect in films, but with this sort of futuristic story there cannot really be a happy ending, just a moment to make the audience think.
While Isaac's choice of religion may not be one that every viewer can embrace, we can still all agree with what he has to say. And the true message of this film is not to make a pitch for one form of belief, but instead to say that trying to suppress religion is never a good idea. For, as Isaac very rightly points out, “it is ridiculous to punish the many peaceful followers for the sins of a few radical ones.”
