Honeyglue is an American romantic drama film written and directed by James Bird, produced by Zombot Pictures. The film stars Adriana Mather, Zach Villa, Christopher Heyerdahl, Jessica Tuck, Booboo Stewart, and Amanda Plummer. The film premiered at Newport Beach Film Festival and was released theatrically in the United States on June 3, 2016.
Premise.
Honeyglue follows the story of Morgan, who flips her protected middle-class life upside down after learning she has three months left to live. During one of her "bucket list" outings at a gothic nightclub she meets Jordan, a rebellious gender-defying artist, with whom she falls in love and embarks on a series of adventures that she documents with a hand-held camera.
Production.
The events of "Honeyglue" are inspired by one of the producers (Anya Remizova) losing her father to cancer while filming Zombot Pictures's first film, "Eat Spirit Eat". James Bird began doing research and writing the script for "Honeyglue" shortly after, as a way of dealing with the loss.
One of the major themes in the film is gender identity and sexuality, with the character of Jordan being gender fluid. Early in production a choice was made to not discuss gender in the film and not dwell on the issue. In an interview with "DailyCal", Adriana Mather, who also produced the film, explained, “We do that on purpose because these are just people, and gender is on a spectrum.”
Filming commenced on February 2, 2014. Honeyglue was filmed in 20 days in various locations around Los Angeles, California, including El Matador State Beach, Downtown Los Angeles Arts District, and Glendale. The gothic club in the scene where Morgan and Jordan first meet is not a real venue and was built specifically for the production, inside an industrial warehouse in DTLA.
Soundtrack.
The soundtrack includes an original score by Anya Remizova and additional songs performed by The Grass Roots, Josh Ritter, IAMX, Las Cafeterias, Portugal. The Man, Watson Twins, and 'Mericans . A Cloud Cult song, "You're The Only Thing In Your Way", is featured both in the film and in its official trailer.
Remizova's score features extensive use of vintage analog synthesizers and a live piano.
Release.
The film was released theatrically in a limited run on June 3, 2016 and digitally on June 14, 2016 by Zombot Pictures.
Reception.
On Rotten Tomatoes the film has an approval rating of 36% based on reviews from 11 critics.
Both leading actors received praise from critics for their acting performances. Katie Walsh of the "Los Angeles Times" noted that "Adriana Mather gives an embodied performance as the dying young woman" and Zach Villa "brings soulful intelligence to the role of Jordan." Sherilyn Connely of "SF Weekly" wrote, "Jordan and Morgan emerge as fully formed characters who could have just been symbols." Some film critics criticized "Honeyglue" for being overly sentimental.
"Honeyglue" was well received and won awards during its festival run, including accolades from Napa Valley Film Festival, Big Island Film Festival, San Luis Obispo Film Festival, and Orlando Film Fest.