by Naomi Laeuchli
Maximillian Stenström, a student at New York University, talks about his senior film ‘The Taker’, its influences and how it relates to his current time of life as he prepares to leave college. Max discusses the importance of collaboration and how he found ‘the perfect house’ for filming and what he hopes the film will accomplish.
Can you tell me a little bit about the plot of ‘The Taker’?
Maximillian Stenström: The Taker is a short film about a census taker who is working during the spread of an asbestos-like contaminant across the country. This chemical is rendering a large portion of the population terminally ill, and the government is using the Census Bureau to assess the statuses of various areas in order to orchestrate a quarantine. The story follows Curtis, a young enumerator who encounters a household governed and populated almost entirely by children. He spends some time relating to them, and finds himself in a position where he has to decide whether or not to condemn this household.
Why was this a story you felt needed to be told?
Maximillian Stenström: For most of my life, as it is with many people, I have always done what I perceive to be the “right” thing to do in any given situation. However, is seems that much of that has always been defined by the framework surrounding me at any given time, whether it be a familial, academic, or other sort of structure helping to nudge me in specific ways. I am now on my way out of NYU’s film program, and am confronted with the idea that these structures will largely melt away. This film is about a lot of things to me, but really it is about having the courage to strip away expectations and rationalizations and act honestly as an individual. Curtis’ challenge is not to do the “right” thing, but to do what he truly believes in, regardless of the consequences.
How did you set about finding your filming locations?
Maximillian Stenström: Well, one of the key locations is my grandmother’s house! Finding the other location was serendipitous- when I was fundraising for the project, I send out emails to many of the local newspapers in my hometown trying to raise awareness of the project. A couple of newspapers ran articles about the project, one of which framed their story around my search for the “perfect house” to shoot in. Shortly thereafter, a very nice woman named Antoinette Oliveira reached out to me offering her house for the shoot. It turned out to be an incredible location, and I also cast her in one of the featured roles in the film. Both her house and her performance were beautiful, and integral in making the story come to life.
What has been the most challenging part of filming? What was the most exciting part about it?
Maximillian Stenström: The most challenging part of filming has been finding ways to do a lot with very little. The scope of the film in many aspects was pretty high in terms of cinematographic and design challenges, as well as stunt choreography. Our budget was beyond minimal, and I really only raised half of what I’d hoped for before going ahead with production. However, thanks to the supremely generous support of family and friends who donated food, time, and other resources, we were able to scrape through and accomplish an incredible amount given our means. The most exciting part about the process was being able to witness all of these people, old and young, come together to create something we all believed in. The collaborative nature of film production is at times one of its most challenging aspects- but it can also be one of its most gratifying.
What do you hope to accomplish with ‘The Taker’?
Maximillian Stenström: Ultimately, with The Taker, I hope to create something that not only reaches a lot of audiences, but has some sort of lasting impact on them. If someone could, at the end of all this, spend 15 minutes with The Taker and feel connected to or affected by the film…well that’d be a real achievement, I think. It’d be amazing.
