In Jeremy Lu's 'Monkey Drum,' a boy and his father arrive at a stranger's door and knock.

      Jeremy Lu’s “Monkey Drum” starts with a straightforward premise: A father and his son, lost in a Japanese forest, seek refuge at the home of an elderly man who lives in a safe yet humble isolation. He graciously provides them with shelter and food.

      The film, which is premiering at Flickers’ Rhode Island Film Festival this weekend, unfolds with evident clarity. It prompts one to ponder: Would I find true fulfillment in a life of isolation, amidst lush serenity? Could I find solace in the embrace of trees for comfort and shelter? And can these three generations of men offer each other a similar tranquility?

      However, complications arise, revealing issues that may have been present from the beginning.

      Lu, originally from the San Francisco Bay Area and a recent graduate of New York University’s film program, employs a formal, analog style that complements the film's setting. As a nod to the DIY culture of the ’80s and ’90s, he created a zine chronicling the film's production, which he is distributing at festivals. We posed some questions to him ahead of his Sunday premiere, during which viewers will have access to the zine via QR code.

      “Monkey Drum” writer-director Jeremy Lu. Photo credit: Courtesy of the filmmaker.

      MovieMaker: I was astonished that someone so young—22—could craft a film that feels so formal and distant. I've heard about your influence from Kurosawa, and it certainly comes through. You also created a zine documenting this film's journey, which feels reminiscent of the late ’80s and early ’90s. As the editor of a print magazine, I admire that. Who are you, and how did you develop this aesthetic?

      Jeremy Lu: Thank you for the kind words. I'm a huge admirer of films that have a tactile, sensory quality, so incorporating those elements into the horror genre was a main objective for me while making this film. Film is a unique medium that allows the creator to engage with the audience's senses in various ways. My aim as a filmmaker is to find a cinematic language that transcends the confines of a purely audio/visual experience.

      The zine, which wasn’t initially intended for public distribution, was my attempt to create a “physical artifact” for audiences to take home from their cinematic journey with the film. It's almost like a small piece of the film accompanies them.

      A scene from “Monkey Drum,” by Jeremy Lu. Photo credit: Courtesy of the filmmaker.

      MovieMaker: You've previously mentioned being tri-cultural—what are the three cultures and how do they influence you?

      Jeremy Lu: I identify as Filipino, Chinese, Japanese, and American, so my upbringing has been a rich blend of all three cultures. Many mixed individuals—especially in the arts—can relate to the ongoing struggle of choosing which aspect of themselves to showcase in their work. I found the pressure to “choose” a side quite peculiar, which is why “Monkey Drum” underwent several drafts influenced by diverse cultures before I decided to set it in the remote Japanese countryside.

      The film's narrative carries an underlying theme of societal expectations and the fear of being perceived as “improper” by those who care for us. These themes shaped my vision and made it challenging to imagine the story occurring anywhere other than Japan.

      MovieMaker: We connected on Instagram, so you’re not a Luddite. Yet, both the film and zine have a decidedly analog feel. What draws you to this approach? Do you think your generation is pushing back against the overwhelming stress of the online world, or is this just a perspective of older folks like me?

      Jeremy Lu: I don’t think that perspective is far from the truth regarding what we’re seeing in our generation. From my viewpoint, there seems to be an increasing desire to return to the fully analog days, especially among younger filmmakers and artists. Films like Backrooms illustrate this “nostalgia horror” trend, and the growing popularity of the analog horror genre online signals that younger audiences seek films with those “handmade” attributes.

      While developing the All Alone in the Soil zine with photographer Calvin Mumm, we aimed to encapsulate the “handmade” essence of the film into something tangible for audiences to read. In the zine's introduction, I mentioned hoping that the images reveal another corner of our hearts that the film may have overlooked. In a world constantly seeking to monetize our fleeting attention spans, having something to reflect on and enhance the cinematic experience has become increasingly valuable to me. My hope is that others begin to engage more deeply with their experiences.

      Tadashi Mitsui, left, and Akira Simoneau in “Monkey Drum.” Photo credit: Courtesy of the filmmaker.

      MovieMaker: On the sixth page of your zine, you share a notebook entry with your film ideas that is, to be blunt, quite chaotic. I doubt anyone but you could understand it. Yet it culminated in a beautifully polished