Arlington-based filmmaker unveils ‘LUCKEY’ at IFFBoston

Slotted to premiere at Boston’s Independent Film Festival 2:45 p.m. on Sunday, April 26 at the Somerville Theatre in Davis Square, Arlington-based filmmaker Laura Longsworth says crafting her documentary film “LUCKEY” was a labor of love.

“The lives of every single member of Tom's family were deeply altered by his paralysis, on an emotional and practical level,“ says Longsworth. “The year or more after his accident was just so hard in terms of reconciling emotionally with the reality of his paralysis and figuring out his care.”

In the documentary, Luckey is coping with recent and dramatic changes in his life. Overnight, he went from able-bodied to a wheelchair. The sculptor and architect was designing a three-story-tall climbable sculpture, the masterpiece of his career building interactive art, when he fell through a window at the Boston Children’s Museum and became completely paralyzed.

“I've come to think that while the details are probably never the same twice, there is probably a universality to their experience,” Longsworth continues. “By that I mean that anyone who has had a family member who is very ill or is injured can probably identify with one aspect or another of the film.”

In a candid interview with Loaded Gun Boston, Longsworth chats about her protagonist’s emotionally raw journey after the accident, offers advice to young, up-and-coming filmmakers and gives perspective from a documentary filmmaker's point of view regarding the booming film scene in Boston.

LOADED GUN: How did you initially learn about Tom Luckey's story?
LAURA LONGSWORTH: Tom Luckey and my father-in-law were friends at Yale as undergraduates and then they both attended the Yale School of Architecture. So, they have been friends for nearly 50 years. I had met Tom a few times before he fell through a window and became a quadriplegic. He's a completely wonderful and outlandish character, a real wacky and fun artist. Once he had his accident, which was just devastating for those who knew him, I thought that the combination of his personality, his art, and his unfortunate circumstance would make a really compelling film.

LOADED GUN: As a documentary filmmaker, what are your thoughts about the onslaught of big-budget films being shot in the Boston area like ‘Shutter Island,’ ‘Edge of Darkness’ and the upcoming ‘The Company Men’ with Ben Affleck, Tommy Lee Jones and Kevin Costner?
LAURA LONGSWORTH: In general, I really like the idea of living in a state that fosters the arts and supports its film community. So, I think those projects being shot here is largely a good thing. Film people are kept employed and those big projects create demand for younger people to get into the business. That said, there is some cross-over between Boston's documentary world and the feature world, but I feel like they exist mostly independently from one another.

LOADED GUN: Because the focus is on these larger productions with big-name actors, does this take the spotlight off of smaller productions like your film?
LAURA LONGSWORTH:: I feel like because I'm working in documentary, the big feature films are just different fish. So, sure, the general public is probably focused on Kevin Costner because he's a known quantity, but I think the more awareness there is about film in general, the better. I'm not worried about getting interest in my film. I mean, I would be sad if nobody cared, of course, but I think there's room in the sandbox for everyone to play.

LOADED GUN: Any limitations in regards to filming locations? Because your protagonist is bound to a wheelchair, did you have any difficulties with access to certain locales?
LAURA LONGSWORTH: We didn't have any issues with limitations to filming locations. Even though the Children's Museum was under construction at the time and sometimes really hard for Tom to navigate his chair though all the debris, we always found some way to get him in. The one kind of funny thing was that because the building was a construction zone, hard hats were required. But because Tom can move only his head, he operates his wheelchair by bumping his head against a series of panels on the headrest of his chair. While filming, we were trying hard to be respectful of the rules for the construction company and the museum so we had this discussion about him not wearing a hardhat and potential hazards and he finally said ‘Look, I'm a quadriplegic, how much more damage can be done?’ And we all kind of said ‘Oh yeah, right…’

LOADED GUN: How is the documentary film scene here in Boston?
LAURA LONGSWORTH: I may have a very particular view on this because I tend to operate in the PBS sphere, but I think the documentary scene here in Boston is pretty high-end and sophisticated, but a bit conservative. By that, I mean that there are a lot of small and small-ish independent production companies that successfully turn out high quality films that have successful runs on public television, Discovery, and other networks. Many of the films are based on history, science, or public affairs. I see less of an Indie Doc scene here, like you might in Portland, OR or Austin, Texas. That may be because living in this area is expensive. It also may be because the doc scene, or at least the part I'm familiar with, orbits around WGBH.

LOADED GUN: Tom Luckey's three-story-tall climbable sculpture could be a metaphor for the challenges he faced after falling through the window. Did any other motifs surface while filming?
LAURA LONGSWORTH: You're right about the metaphor -- It's a strong one. I think the climbable sculpture was an overall metaphor and it became a metaphor in some specific ways, such as for the relationships within the Luckey family, for Tom's future, and for his work viability. Tom's middle name is also Walker, which is I guess just ironic.

LOADED GUN: Any advice to young filmmakers eager to film in Boston?
LAURA LONGSWORTH: Think through your story and the money pretty carefully in advance. Get advice about it. Going into debt for a documentary or a low-budget film without name actors attached is super-risky. If you think your project is viable, then go for it! If you have a good story and a passion for it, you will make it happen and people will help you along the way. I also think there's value to working with people who were in the business before video came along. I've learned a lot from them about story-telling and thinking about cutting while shooting because in the days of film only, filmmakers were forced to think ahead more.

--Profile by Sam Baltrusis