RECKLESS is a small-town Massachusetts story told by local writer/director Major Dorfman. A Columbia University MFA thesis short film, RECKLESS is a coming-of-age tale where an incident between two adolescent boys exposes the harsh realities of class conflict.

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RECKLESS is a coming-of-age story where teen angst and class disparity collide, and reality comes painfully into focus. 

After an argument in the car with his father LEE, CODIE (17) is dropped off in a rural part of town. He sees his quiet and awkward classmate SHANE (15), standing in the middle of a field, staring at him. Codie wants nothing more than to complete their school assignment and leave, but Shane seems to be excited at the prospect of making friends with a popular boy from class. 

As they meander through the field, the two boys get to know each other and finally begin their art class assignment of sketching portraits of one another. It’s not long before Codie begins to coerce Shane into taking his mom’s van out for a joyride. “Maybe we should get back to drawing,” says Shane softly. But Codie is convincing, and Shane would hate to seem the least bit uncool.

In the car, something catches Codie’s eye: two toothbrushes in one of the cup holders. Codie then sees more: sleeping bags, framed photos, a graded quiz from school taped to the window. Shane puts on a brave face, ignoring the artifacts of his unhoused circumstances. Codie suggests they shouldn't drive, but Shane insists. 

The car coasts around in the tall grass, both boys smiling ear to ear. Codie slows to a stop. “You wanna try?” Only a few moments into Shane’s turn, the car lurches as the back tires get lodged in a muddy divot. The boys fruitlessly attempt to push the van out, and Shane begins to panic, nearly on the verge of tears. 

The boys wrestle and in the far distance, a woman approaches the boys. “Shane, what on earth are you doing?” Codie looks to Shane, then slowly starts to walk away. “I’m gonna go find a branch or something. To dig out the tire.” Codie then breaks into a run, leaving the mess behind him.

On the main road, Lee picks Codie up, muddied and quiet. On the way home, Codie realizes he’s mistakenly placed Shane’s portrait in his backpack. He’s left staring at a rough portrait of himself, sketched by someone of whom he now has a much deeper understanding.

 

In my quiet hometown in central Massachusetts, the class disparity is so great in such a tiny area, one could walk from low-income apartment housing to a neighborhood of mansions in less than a quarter mile.

With RECKLESS, I want to show an alignment between two boys from vastly different social classes. At first, their perceptions of each other may be blurry. But by the end of the day, there is an understanding, a humbling, and a coming-into-focus for both of them.

The film will be rooted in naturalism. We’ll watch these kids’ activities escalate and feel as though it’s all really happening and spiraling out of control for the first time, right in front of us. Ratcatcher, Fauve, and The Return are all strong dramatic inspirations for RECKLESS. They each show a tortured protagonist wrestling with his or her emotions following an event that unintentionally escalated into chaos. I’m also inspired by the photography of Gregory Crewdson, whose images depict a sad side of American suburbia and small-town life, and straddle a line between the banal and strangeness of this world.

In some ways, this film is the sum of everything I’ve done at Columbia. I’m taking the things that work best from each film I’ve made and bringing them into this project. From my experience working with kids, to handling the pace of a story that occurs within a short time frame, to some of the larger-scale sets I’ve used - it’s all going to be of use with RECKLESS. This project is indeed very ambitious, but my body of work has progressively gotten more and more ambitious, with each film containing larger and more intricate production elements than the last. I am so excited to make this thrilling story come to life with the collaborators I’ve enjoyed working with most here at Columbia. I have deep faith in the group we’ve assembled thus far and cannot wait to make it happen.

- Major Dorfman

 

Codie

A “too cool for school,” 16-year-old boy who finds a release through violence. This particular Saturday, he’s annoyed that he’d probably be skateboarding with his friends if he didn’t have to work on a school assignment with the strange boy from class. He’s good at hiding his true emotions, especially when around his friends, but is much more sensitive than he lets on.

 

Shane

A quiet and socially awkward boy, but a very deep thinker. He’s a loner, but not by choice. Shane is very good at entertaining himself, be it by sketching, reading, or playing with his boomerang. He tries not to show it, but he’s excited that one of the popular boys from school is coming over to work on an assignment with him. Usually he’s extremely cautious, but today he just so badly wants to make a friend.

 

Major Dorfman - Writer/Director

Major is a fourth-year MFA Directing student at Columbia University’s School of the Arts. From Northbridge, Massachusetts originally, Major received his bachelor’s in Visual Arts from Emerson College, graduating Cum Laude. His stories often feature situations loaded with moral ambiguity, and how the characters placed in those situations choose to act. His films Heighs and Fourth of July are currently on festival runs, with the latter earning a Special Mention for Best U.S. Student Short at the 2021 Palm Springs International ShortFest. He currently works as an assistant editor for ABC News. You can watch Major’s directing reel HERE.

 

Creighton Dorfman - Producer

Creighton Dorfman is a writer and producer from Boston, MA. He’s a recent graduate of Emerson College’s Film Program, where he majored in Visual Media Arts. Creighton has written and produced several TV pilots and short films during his time at Emerson. Fourth of July is the first of 2 shorts he’s produced with Major. Creighton will be obtaining his Masters in Leadership in Creative Enterprises from Northwestern University starting this Fall. He’s currently developing a comedy pilot about a dysfunctional funeral home.

 

Grace Merriman - Producer

Grace is an independent Film and Theater Producer and recent graduate of the Creative Producing program at Columbia University’s School of the Arts. Her mission is to find and support stories that highlight underrepresented voices. Her most recent projects have explored a diverse range of important issues and have gone on to screen at a number of festivals including Miami Film Festival, Sonoma Film Festival, Foyle Film Festival and the London Independent Film Festival. www.gracemerriman.com 

 

Justin Gonçalves - Producer

Justin is an Emmy-nominated filmmaker based in New York City. As a storyteller, he’s drawn to tales of missed connections and the could-have-beens. Prior to attending Columbia Film, Justin worked as a short-form documentary filmmaker and journalist for Great Big Story, CNN, and the NBA. On the commercial front, Justin has directed and produced content for the Columbia University Film Festival, Verizon, Amazon, Showtime, and Ford Motors. His previous producing credits include Major Dorfman’s RIPS (2021), Family Heirloom (2019), So Good to See You (2021) and Mila (2018).

 

Will Pinke - Producer

Will is a New York based writer, director, and producer who is currently pursuing an MFA degree in the Columbia University Graduate Film Program. Will graduated from Princeton University, where he studied Literature and Film, and was a co-founder and head writer for All-Nighter, Princeton’s first Late Night Talk Show (now in its 10th season). His most recent short film, Family Heirloom, is currently playing in festivals, and his next short, Daddy’s Night, will be premiering in late 2021.

 

We are incredibly grateful to have received a grant from Indian Paintbrush, which has set us up for success right out the gate. However, because this is our most ambitious project to date, we need further funding in order to make our film. 

Pulling off a car stunt with actors who are under the age of 18 is no small feat. We are working with a professional stunt coordinator and hiring a cast that can both deliver a strong performance and handle the demands of stunt work. 

In addition to this, we will be shooting on 16mm film! This is a production challenge we are thrilled to take on, but we need your help to make it happen. 

We are set to begin production on October 14, 2021 and are seeking an additional $12,500 USD to support the telling of this story. 

 

COVID-19 changed the way filmmakers operate around the world. In accordance with Columbia University’s Phase 2 Production Protocols and SAG-AFTRA Safe Way Forward Protocols, we will be ensuring that all cast and crew provide proof of a negative PCR test no more than 72 hours before the start of production. Masks will be worn on set at all times, and any actors who appear unmasked and in close proximity to each other will be administered an antigen test prior to the start of each day.

A Covid Compliance Officer (CCO) will be present on set throughout the production to ensure rules and regulations are complied with for the safety of all cast and crew involved.

 

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