I saw Volition last September (2019) at the FilmQuest Film Festival (link to website). Volition is good. I was intrigued about the puzzle presented and the means in which the story was told kept me intrigued. It was nominated for a number of honors and Tony Dean Smith won for Best Director.
Instead of going back over the movie and telling you about it here, I am providing a link to the review I wrote for Volition (link to review).
Volition is available on Apple TV, Prime Video and other digital platforms so more people have the chance of seeing it and find themselves puzzling over the paradox presented.
This time around I had the chance to present some questions to Tony Dean Smith and Ryan W Smith, who co-wrote Volition along with Tony Dean Smith as director.
--What inspired you for the story of Volition?
TDS: I was feeling quite stuck in my life, almost resigned to the fact that maybe I could never make the movies I wanted to make. That I was a prisoner of my own perception is what allowed me to create James. He's also a prisoner of his own design and it takes a vision of his own death to finally wake him up from his pre-determined worldview. When I realized how similar James was to me, I knew I had stumbled upon a story and character that was both grounded—and personally resonant. I then went back into my drawer of ideas and pulled out a short film I had written in film school. It was about a scientist who invents a drug that makes him always early (I was always late, so… write what you know). The idea was fun but had no depth or themes of fate vs. free-will. When I took that old story and fused it with my personal feelings and with the new character in mind… Volition was essentially born. It then went through dozens and dozens of rewrites as Ryan and I continually wrestled the complex beast to the ground.
--What would you like the audience to take away from Volition?
TDS: I hope they have a good time, as the film is really fun puzzle piece mystery! I also hope the film sparks a little internal debate within them regarding the forces of fate vs. free-will in their own lives. I hope it inspires them to make whatever changes they need to. There is light on the other side of fear!
RWS: I hope audiences have fun with the cerebral puzzle of the film, leaving the screening with lots to ponder. But, even more so, I'm hoping they leave inspired by the characters and the challenging choices they make.
--Since you have come at this project as co-writers, what would you say was the biggest challenge and advantage of working with a partner?
TDS: Ryan and I will defend story above all else. We certainly come in with opinions and personal assumptions, but we're really good at digging into those feelings and pulling out the best aspects as they relate to the stories we're telling. We have very similar writing voices, but we are also different enough that the salty/sweet contrast is what makes us really work well together. A big advantage is that, as family, we have a shorthand that can't be taught. We had so many shared experiences growing up, even though we might have experienced them differently, which gives up a very strong foundation to build from.
RWS: We really push each other to be more creative. When writing solo, some mediocre ideas may slide by unnoticed. But when writing together, we question each other's choices and are forced to defend them. Not to say that mediocre ideas don't still creep in from time to time, but there's a check against them. We're challenged to make a strong choice for what works best for story. As for the biggest challenge, I'd say there's inevitably some level of complication in communication, even for us as brothers. We understand each other incredibly well, but sometimes it's just difficult to convey precisely what's in one's mind. Turning the abstract into something communicable is challenging. We do our best and tend to figure all out eventually.
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I recommend Volition to those who enjoy a thoughtful science fiction jaunt dealing with the perplexities associated with being caught up in time.
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