“Rhythm Is a Dancer,” a sharp, funny and heartfelt coming-of-age film, premiered at this year’s Austin Film Festival. It follows Ro (Lauren Caster), a young woman who returns home to meet her biological father for the first time. Raised by her mom, a lesbian who conceived through an anonymous sperm donor, Ro grapples with family, identity and connection while finding unexpected friendship with a group of lively senior citizens.
Written and directed by and starring Caster, the film draws loosely from her own life and features Amy Aquino (“Bosch,” “ER”) and Marianne Muellerleile (“Life with Bonnie”) in supporting roles. The Daily Texan sat down with the trio following the festival premiere.
The Daily Texan: What inspired each of you to join this film?
Amy Aquino: I love the character (Susan) — she just spoke to me. The relationship really spoke to me. I’d been wanting to do independent film and hadn’t had that much opportunity. Then, I met Lauren, and I thought, “Wow, this woman is a force, and I want to work with her.”
Lauren Caster: It’s pretty surreal. … My bio(logical) dad, who I didn’t meet, is the (executive producer) on it, and my mom’s an extra — she plays a character loosely based on her. It was very meta.
DT: Lauren, how did your personal experiences shape this story?
LC: Yeah, it is loosely based on my life, but it’s dramatized for the screen. … I was donor-conceived. My mom is a lesbian. She was inseminated from an anonymous sperm donor. There were points in my life where I was lonely and trying to figure things out. … I wanted to write about that so I could see something like that on screen, so I didn’t feel alone. … There are so many people who’ve come up to me (after screenings) who connect to it because they were adopted or … felt lost in their late 20s. That’s what I wanted to do, (to remind people) we’re not all alone in this world.
DT: Amy and Marianne, how did you bring yourselves into your characters?
Marianne Muellerleile: For me, this part was kind of me: loud, opinionated, having fun with life. It was effortless and so much fun. I do like to make people laugh, and I knew I could in this movie.
AA: Susan’s super tough. She was in the Army. She’s strong, has standards, but underneath, she’s really soft. … That’s me. I always play the mean judges and doctors, but I’m actually gooey inside. I carry dog treats in my purse.
DT: Do you have any favorite memories from set?
AA: I’m sad my dance didn’t make it in! … But the pickleball (scene) was fun. … We played for hours.
LC: I loved the Santa Monica Pier … and the makeover scenes, and (watching Amy and Marianne improvise) — they were so generous with their humor. We were all dying (laughing).
DT: What advice would you give to young filmmakers or actors?
AA: Just do it. Do everything. Don’t sit and wait …Try it, and go give it your best. As soon as you start losing your self-esteem, say, “Fuck it” because it is totally arbitrary. You can give it so much. You can be the most talented person on earth, and you’re just not going to get the chance. You’ve got one life, so make sure you’re spending life doing something that you do love.
