This 1996 film, made with $120,000 in community donations largely because everybody in local theatre world loved Ted Sod, the writer, and it was the first locally made film to be screened at Seattle International Film Festival (SIFF). "Crocodile Tears" was just a fun shoot - working with great, friendly, ego-free people on artistically challenging material.
The story is a Faustian tale about a gay man who contracts AIDS and makes a deal with the Devil to rid himself of the disease. In exchange, he must perform three heinous tasks, the first of which is to become a "hate comic" in the Andrew Dice Clay tradition. His tasks get progressively worse, until we reach the climactic moment that leaves every audience stunned.
The great Ann Coppel directed it, and now owns her own production company. The picture co-starred Dan Savage of The Stranger's "Savage Love" fame. Gwen Bialic (who's super sweet) was another crew member on the picture with me, serving as Production Manager, and she of course went on to work as UPM on "Girlfight" and "Mr. Robot", and Co-Producer on "Carol" with Cate Blanchett & Rooney Mara. Heck, this shoot even had a young Tom Douglas doing the catering (who made the most AMAZING apricot tarts for our coffee break, that I remember to this day), long before his career as a chef took off. And if crafty is THAT good? Well at least the shoot is a good one, that's for sure.
People made this for all the right reasons, and it attracted some of the nicest, most gentle people I've ever worked with.
