With so much tribal division in our country currently, it can be a sobering and refreshing thing to remember that no matter which camp you belong to, we generally all have more in common with each other than we actually realize. The new film, “Them That Follow”, written and directed by Britt Pulton and Dan Madison Savage, follows a close knit pentecostal community who live off the beaten path in Appalachia.
The story follows a young girl named Mara, played by Alice Englert, as she tries to conceal that she has cheated on her soon to be husband, Garrett, played by Lewis Pullman, with the man she loves, Augie, played by Thomas Mann, and is now pregnant. More importantly, Mara is scared that her preacher father Lemuel, played by the always riveting Walton Goggins, will catch wind of her transgressions against the snake-healing church that the community is built upon. As Augie tries to atone for his sins by receiving venom from a poisonous snake, his parents Hope and Zeke, played by Olivia Coleman and Jim Gaffigan, need to decide which side they should take; to support these young children or their religion.
“Whether our communities are pentecostal snake healers or have a different set of beliefs or priorities, people have to find their own paths,” – Jim Gaffigan
Given this tough position, how much suspension of reality can you truly have before it finally becomes dangerous?
“It’s interesting,” explains Gaffigan, when I ask him this question over the phone. “Because I almost feel that there is a part of me, obviously we’re dealing with this pentecostal religious sect and it is kind of isolated out of necessity because we’re dealing with snake healing, but what I think in the end this movie is about is parents and their children. How the set of beliefs, whether it be religious or how we kind of thrust upon our children, and eventually they have to make their own decisions. I’ve lived with this script and this movie was at sundance and south by, and everything, so every time I see it I have a different take away from it. I think the directors did such a great job in that it’s not simply an indictment of the pentecostal belief system. It’s about how a daughter and a son has to make their own way in this world. Whether our communities are pentecostal snake healers or have a different set of beliefs or priorities, people have to find their own paths.”
Gaffigan was equally thrilled to be acting out such profound material with such a top notch and versatile cast. “It was amazing,” says Gaffigan, “We were playing this tight knit community and the set was an hour and a half away. So we would drive an hour and a half in this van, because this is ‘indie world’. We were doing these incredible, heavy, intense scenes so there was this necessity to decompress and to kind of have a respite after the equivalent of an emotional funeral. They’re all kind of funny, kind of serious actors. Oliva and Walton are really funny people but also relish the opportunity to do these deep dark scenes.”
“Them That Follow” is the latest in a number of dramatic roles that the comedian has appeared in as of late, and with his strengthening with each film, he hopes to take on more in the future.
“In a way, it really comes down to the most interesting characters and stories end up being dramas,” he explains. “Comedies are fun and I love doing stand-up. I proudly identify myself as a standup. But the more complex acting roles are in dramatic roles. There’s something I find really rewarding about being a participant in creating a moment for a scene and rather than alleviating the tension, just living in it. I’ve turned down a fair amount of silly comedy awkward characters because it doesn’t feel like acting. The dramatic roles in the entertainment industry, you’ve gotta show people what you can do. That’s what I’m excited about. Obviously, I want them to see ‘Them That Follow’ and all of these other films I’m in. But I also want directors and producers to see that I can do these things and have these different kinds of ranges because that will open up other opportunities.”
Watch the trailer for Them That Follow starring Jim Gaffigan below…
