Like Crazy at Sundance: 36 Hours I Will Never Forget

I don't know where to begin. From a chatty 3 a.m. sardine car ride with indie-film gurus Greg Araki and Richard Linklater to nearly missing the premiere of Like Crazy (the film I co-wrote) to selling our film for distribution to Paramount the night of its world premiere, it has possibly been the most overwhelming, nerve-racking and amazing 36 hours of my life.
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After my last post, I found myself alone at the cabin. Or so I thought. . . .

All photos courtesy of Ben York Jones
Essential footwear for Nanooks of the North.

Then emerged Anton, wiping the sleep from his eyes. We stared at each other for a moment, as if we were alien species, unfamiliar with each other. We bust up laughing. “Where the hell are we?” he asked with a grin as we stared into the vast white through the picture-frame window. Nanooks of the North. “I could survive out there. Absolutely.”

We talked about how the film had affected our personal lives and how amazing it was that it had. I get a text from Drake offering an extra ticket to a movie I wanted to see. Anton says he'll split a cab, but the clock's ticking. To the rescue, Jonathan and FJ return from a meeting and pull up to the cabin in the nick of time. We head back to town. “Thanks for the lift! Adios!”

The movie is U.S. Dramatic Comp selection Martha Marcy May Marlene, a film about a young woman's disturbing reintroduction into society after escaping from a cult in upstate New York. Aside from the dark and super-fascinating premise, the movie co-stars one of my favorite actors of all time, John Hawkes. Hawkes!
Where the magic happens: Main Street, Park City.

That night, “Team Crazy” dined at Silver on Main Street in celebration of our pending premiere.  Fun and food was had by all. Okay . . . let's party.

Kaboom!!!! That's the name of a film by Greg Araki making its U.S. debut here at Sundance. People from that project were having a party, and we were down. Like Crazy composer Dustin O'Halloran and I decided it was time to cut loose and made a taxi pact if a ride didn't happen. We talked to people, we drank, we fulfilled our goal. . . .

“Team Crazy” makes news at Sundance: Ben York Jones (left) and Like Crazy leads Felicity “FJ” Jones and Anton Yelchin.

Anyway, cut to the part where I get stuffed into a car with approximately 300 other people. Several of them got out as they were dropped at their respective lodgings.

“Hey, who was that guy sitting in the back? He looked really familiar,” I asked Like Crazy producer Andrea Sperling.

“Rick Linklater,” she replied.

I pause.

“As in Richard Linklater?”

Andrea finishes composing an e-mail on her iPhone.

Send.

“Uh . . . yeah.” 

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