Independent movie filmed in area

SMALL TOWN, big vision

PRODUCTION STILL Spirit of Geneva Lakes

Southern Lakes communities have a role in new independent film

by Dave Fidlin CORRESPONDENT A s a veteran of the entertainment industry, Wisconsin native Niels Mueller is familiar with the Hollywood scene. But when it came to creating a film with his home state in the title, he emphatically states one word – authenticity – is an overarching goal.

The independent flick, “Small Town Wisconsin” portrays the Badger State in all of its beauty and complexities. It also features scenery throughout the Southern Lakes region, including spots in such local communities as East Troy, Mukwonago and Palmyra.

The core of the fish-out-of-water film centers on the friendship between two characters – Wayne and Chuck – in the sparsely populated northern tip the state. After encountering a series of disappointments, Wayne decides to take his son and best friend to the big city (Milwaukee) on a fun road trip.

A number of other spots across the state also feature prominent display in the film, including Rhinelander, where the plot begins, and Milwaukee. The Wisconsin State Fair and the famed Pfister Hotel are among the readily recognizable big city scenes captured at various scenes in the movie.

While the film is not political, Mueller said it touches on some weighty issues – including addiction and job loss – against the backdrop of challenges blue-collar families have been facing in Midwestern states, such as Wisconsin.

top: Wayne (played by David Sullivan) and Chuck (Bill Heck) in a scene from “Small Town Wisconsin.” above: Actor Cooper Friedman and filmmaker Niels Mueller on the set of “Small Town Wisconsin.”

Wayne, played by David Sullivan (front from left), Tyler, played by Cooper Friedman, and Chuck, played by Bill Heck, in a scene from “Small Town Wisconsin.”

PRODUCTION STILL Spirit of Geneva Lakes

“The script originally came to me through a good friend,” Mueller said. “I thought it was going to be a really relevant piece for our time. The film does ask about what’s going on in the heartland.”

In addition to the plot’s timeliness, Mueller said the characters sketched out in the early drafts of the script harkened back memories of his formative years in the Milwaukee area.

“I just recognized these characters right away,” Mueller said. “They resonated with me.”

As with most entertainment projects, the process of bringing “Small Town Wisconsin” to the finish line was a long and winding one. Its post-production trajectory has endured a similar path in the era of COVID-19.

One early stumbling block, Mueller said, was securing the funding to absorb the cost of filming in the Dairy State.

“I knew that I had to shoot in Wisconsin, and that’s easier said than done because we don’t have a tax credit here,” Mueller said. “I thought Wisconsin should be a character in the film. I also needed the freedom to get the right cast. You’ve got to always fight for authenticity when you make a film.”

Convincing a financier to provide the dollars for Wisconsin-exclusive shoots was difficult in Los Angeles, Mueller said, but help did came from the other side of the globe. Producer Liu Hongtao, who has amassed a resume of Chinese comedy films, provided the resources necessary to make the effort possible.

Mueller said the partnership with Hongtao has resulted in a milestone within his own career, which has included writing and directing credits in such films as “Tadpole,” with Sigourney Weaver, and “The Assassination of Richard Nixon,” headlined by Don Cheadle, Sean Penn and Naomi Watts.

“When you make a film – it’s a gift,” Mueller said. “I’ll always be grateful that I was able to come back home and do this.”

The actors, Mueller said, also have their own Midwest flair that fits hand-in-glove into the film. Case in point: actress and Milwaukee native Kristen Johnston, who starred in the 1990s sitcom “3rd Rock from the Sun,” has a role in the movie, playing the character of Alicia.

In keeping with the authenticity, Mueller said his goal was to conduct everyday, slice-of-life and on-location shoots in small towns near Milwaukee.

East Troy, in particular, plays an important backdrop in the film and came to be during a happenstance conversation with a friend over a meal in Milwaukee.

“A guy leans over from the next table and says, ‘You’re describing East Troy,’” Mueller said as he recounted the description he gave of a local small town he wanted depicted in the film. “I went there, and it was great. It just has the feel.”

Sharing specifics of East Troy’s attributes, Mueller said, “I liked the railroad tracks running through town – in fact, you’ll see them in the film. I like the downtown.”

Filming in Mukwonago and Palmyra, he said, were natural extensions because they share some of the similar characteristics.

In keeping with the film’s truism, Mueller said he and others working behindthe-scenes worked with local residents to get the permission necessary to film inside homes and other sites that eagle-eyed locals could find readily recognizable.

“Local people opened their doors and opened their hearts to us,” Mueller said. “They said, ‘We’ll help you make your movie. People would hear us out. We’d take them through the story. We were always open. People were so welcoming.”

As with most independent films, Mueller said the goal was to bring “Small Town Wisconsin,” live and in person to the festival circuit in the hopes of netting wider distribution afterward. But the timing of post-production completion at the cusp of the pandemic forced modifications.

The show has gone on, however. “Small Town Milwaukee” has been screened virtually through a number of festival organizations and has already received several awards. Its next stop through cyberspace began Nov. 11 and continues through Nov. 21 at the Weyauwega International Film Festival.

While there are serious undertones throughout the movie, Mueller said the intent is to balance it with lighthearted touches throughout.

“Your goal always has to be to entertain when you make a film,” he said. “The films that resonate, that stay with you, are the ones that mean something that you can take home. For this film, it’s the very message that redemption is possible. There is hope – there is always hope.”

For information on the current festival screening of “Small Town Wisconsin,” visit wegafilm.com. To keep tabs on where the film is screening, visit the Facebook page at facebook.com/SmallTownWIFilm.