Rituals and Resurrection: Julia Max for THE SURRENDER

Death has the answers...

With her feature debut, writer/director Julia Max's exploration of death is one of the most personal you will have seen in a long while, based on her own experiences of seeing her mother grieve over the loss of her stepfather. Mixing drama with horror, The Surrender not only showcases a couple of intense performances from its female leads Kate Burton and Colby Minifie, but also builds an imposing atmosphere as a mother and daughter begin to fall apart in the wake of losing their husband and father. In deciding to have someone perform a brutal resurrection ritual of their loved one, grief appears to be only the first stage as a strange circumstances ignite a descension into chaos and madness.

Julia recently took time out to answer some questions...

I hear that The Surrender is loosely based on your experiences with your mother when your stepfather passed away. Please tell me it had nothing to do with raising the dead?!

Ha! It did not, thank goodness! My mother hired a death doula to help guide us through the process of my stepfather dying. I had no idea what a death doula was, so of course, my mind went to the absolute worst-case scenario, and that’s what The Surrender is. In reality, our death doula was wonderful and ended up being a tremendous source of comfort. I felt very lucky to have her there with us.

Surrendering to the art. Writer/director Julia Max.

I was reminded of the severity of Ari Aster’s Hereditary (2018) and David Bruckner’s use of darkness to obscure his monster in The Ritual (2017) along with his dizzying play with space in The Night House (2020). Were there any specific influences on the film, especially to use as a shorthand for the actors and crew?

First off, I love both of those directors, so thank you for drawing any connection between my work and theirs. There were a lot of different influences that we used for specific aspects of the film. For the actors, the reference that kept springing to mind was Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? It’s a play/film that explores the complex relationship of two people who simultaneously love each other yet deeply resent each other. However, I do think there was probably an added element in using that movie as a reference for Kate Burton since her father and stepmother, Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor, starred in the film.

Relative behaviour. Mike Nichols' WHO'S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF? (1966) was not only an influence on Max's film, but Richard Burton's daughter and Elizabeth Taylor's stepdaughter, Kate Burton, plays dominant mother Barbara.

As for the visuals, Caitlin Yatsko (the DP) and I rewatched a lot of films in preparation for this. One aspect that was especially important to us was having the movement of the camera mirror Barbara and Megan’s emotional journey. For the first act, we focused on Chantal Akerman’s Jeanne Dielman, 23 Commerce Quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles from 1975. We used repetitive wide locked-off shots to help establish the isolation, monotony, and trapped feeling of the characters.

For the second act of the film, we used the present-day scenes from Derek Cianfrance’s Blue Valentine (2010) as our reference. We start slowly introducing movement to the camera as the characters become unmoored and begin to spiral out of control. We also introduced tighter shots while avoiding full-on close-ups as much as possible.

Then for the third act, we went full Black Swan leaning into Darren Aronofsky’s film from 2010. The camera is in constant motion as the characters are now completely unbalanced and thrust into a new reality. Here we finally lean into tighter shots and close-ups to really ground us in the emotional turmoil of our characters. We are no longer observing these women from a distance but are now trapped with them.

“It was very important to me that they didn’t resemble zombies, so we were very deliberate with their movements.”

— Julia Max

The central performances are superb from Colby Minifie and Kate Burton. What discussions were had during the early stages in prepping for the roles and how much of their own personal experience did they happen to bring?

Colby and Kate were an absolute joy to work with. Since they both come from theatre backgrounds, they were very open to flying out to L.A. early so we could have a week of rehearsal to really dig into the script and their relationship before we started filming. One of the most important issues to me that we discussed at length, is that there are no villains in this story. Both of these women are genuinely trying to do their best during an impossibly stressful situation.

Behind the surrender. Julia Max directs Colby Minifie and Kate Burton.

During the rehearsal process, we were able to break down the scenes one at a time and talk about our own experiences and explore how these characters and their actions were similar or different to those experiences. While a lot of what ended up on screen stemmed from reality, the rehearsal process allowed the characters to come into their own, so they were no longer merely versions of us.

You have experience working on bigger movies in the sound department. What did you take away from those experiences that informs you as a director?

I’ve worked in a lot of departments over the years, and the most important thing I’ve learned is that communication is key. Filmmaking is a team sport and everyone needs to be on the same page. That’s simply not possible without clear and open communication, and that starts at the top. The director needs to be as prepared as possible in order to communicate their vision to the team and create a cohesive film. Working in other departments, I know how frustrating it is when a director doesn’t know what they want and expects people to take blind stabs in the dark hoping they’ll eventually find something the director likes. It’s much easier to have the director take some time and narrow down what it is they’re looking for first. It saves everyone a lot of time and energy.

As much as this is a film about grief, I’m interested to hear where the controlling nature of the mother comes from. There are very distinct parts of her character that drive the story and are at the core of Megan’s journey. It appears your short film “Distortion” (2016) is also an exploration of the distorted perceptions people have of themselves and others and has carried through somewhat.

Oh wow, “Distortion”! That’s a deep cut!

I think you’re right on all these points. Barbara is a controlling character, but I think that quality grows out of her desire to stay safe and sane at a time when her world is figuratively — and later, literally — vanishing around her. For Barbara, losing her husband is the most terrifying and life-changing thing she can imagine. She’s spent the last forty years building her life around this man, building her identity around him. I think her need and desperation to try and regain control of her life is, if not admirable, then at least understandable.

Yes, that really helps add another layer, for sure.

That’s why I find the concept of perspectives and reality so fascinating. Two people can have an experience together and walk away with fundamentally different perspectives of what happened. Over time, that memory can change as it pertains to the narrative both people hold about themself and the other person. So, at the end of the day, whose memory is real?

What were the most important lessons you learnt from your shorts that prepared you for your feature debut?

To assemble a team that you not only trust but genuinely like. Hiring people with the right attitude and mentality makes all the difference in the world. All it takes is one bad apple to poison the atmosphere on set. If I don’t feel truly at ease with the team around me, it’s hard for me to be myself and do my best work. I end up wasting valuable energy trying to contort myself into being something I’m not in the hopes that the cast and crew will take me more seriously as a director. It’s exhausting. Putting together a team that is not only talented but that I also enjoy being around allows me to relax and focus on the film since I’m free to just be myself.

The “direction of the dead” is quite specific. As well as the way they move there seems to be some underlying tribal elements that felt like it was tapping into more ritualistic interpretations.

The way I imagined the dead (or the “Lost Souls” as we called them) was that they’d been essentially sleepwalking through this unworldly space for millennia. Over the years the dust and dirt had accumulated on their skin in a permanent crust, gluing their eyes shut. It was very important to me that they didn’t resemble zombies, so we were very deliberate with their movements. They needed to be slow and weary but not staggering, and I think our actors did a wonderful job nailing that. With that said, I like your interpretation as well! One of the most exciting things about filmmaking is seeing how audiences interpret your work.

Death doula. Colby Minifie, Neil Sandilands, Vaughn Armstrong, and Kate Burton in Julia Max’s THE SURRENDER. Courtesy of Cailin Yatsko.

The make-up effects are particularly impressive. There is a visceral quality in them that feels as though it’s ripped out of medieval imagery and paintings. Again, was there anything you referred to during early discussions with those involved in this department?

Russell FX handled the bulk of our SFX MU, but Sierra Spence led the charge. Her team did an incredible job, especially with our very modest budget. I worked with her and Josh Russell on my previous short film “Pieces of Me,” and I’m always blown away by their creativity and execution.

“We looked at a lot of old paintings by Goya and Hieronymus Bosch...”

— Julia Max

Initially, we had planned on going a very different route with some of the bigger SFX set pieces, pulling inspiration from deep sea creatures. As we started moving forward though, we realized that it was too similar to other things we’ve seen before in other films. My husband, Ian McDonald, who was also a producer on the film, ended up helping me do a deep dive into medieval imagery and paintings trying to find a new source of inspiration. We looked at a lot of old paintings by Goya and Hieronymus Bosch, although I’m not sure how much of that actually wound up in the film. Either way, by the end of the weekend we had a new idea in place. Sierra was an absolute trooper and made the adjustment on a dime and in no time at all Caitlyn Brisbin had started sculpting a new mold.

Surrendering to the past. Colby Minifie, Pete Ploszek, and Alaina Pollack in Julia Max's THE SURRENDER. Courtesy of Cailin Yatsko.

The film is an interesting and introspective mix of drama and horror but there is also an element that feels like a terrifying stage play, both in terms of the focused relationship of the leads and then the stripping back of the set to complete darkness in the third act. What was it that led to some of these decisions, other than shrouding the presence of the thing that lurks on screen?

When you’re caregiving for someone at the end of their life, your world becomes very small. Everything revolves around that person. Your life can easily become relegated to the walls of your home and it can feel like you’re trapped in a cage, living the same day over and over again. Sitting with the characters in this way during the first act is very reminiscent of a stage play. We finally break away from that once Robert dies, and introduce new camera movements, colours, and atmosphere to mirror their descent into this new reality they’ve been thrust into. Once they get into the heart of the ritual though, everything changes once more.

I think the reason we fear death is because we fear the unknown. Being able to glimpse any of what comes next would give the audience too much comfort in a time where there is none. That’s why we see so little in the third act. I wanted the audience to live in the characters’ uncertainty. 

What do you hope audiences take away from watching the film?

I hope it provides some comfort to those who are taking care of a loved one in hospice care or have gone through this in the past. It can be a very lonely and isolating experience because most people don’t want to talk about these things. To them, I hope this film makes them feel seen and helps them realize they’re not alone. On a larger scale, I hope that this film makes people stop and look at their parents in a new light. Try to see them for who they are, not just as the role we’ve cast them in. Whether it’s your biological family or your chosen one, tell them you love them whenever you can.

It’s an interesting and relatable watch on a number of levels, for sure and would certainly recommend for audiences to go and watch.

Thanks so much, Rich! Glad you enjoyed the film and appreciate your support. All the best!

You can follow Julia on Instagram @juliatothemax. The Surrender is released on Shudder from May 23.