(Photo provided by James Reckseidler)
Fueled by a deep-rooted passion for storytelling, a Delburne-based filmmaker has carved out a career of bringing unique perspectives to the big screen.
James Reckseidler, Director and Producer of “The Ties That Bind” began his journey in the film industry volunteering at the Shaw Community Program channel in Red Deer, before pursuing a filmmaking career over two decades ago.
His latest project, “The Ties That Bind” has been a long time coming.
“It’s technically my first feature film on paper, but it has 25 years’ worth of experience behind it,” Reckseidler said.
The project was filmed in Central Alberta and tells a 1930s story of three brothers and how the family is torn apart to save themselves from potential scandal.
Although the film is fiction, Reckseidler incorporated remnants of memories, stories, and perspectives from the world when he was growing up in.
The film is a thriller portraying a family whose loyalty to each other turns extreme, focusing on how the brothers handle their relationships, while their moral compasses are skewed.
“As the filmmaker, I could really personalize it, and help enable the story,” Reckseidler said.
While walking around in his hometown, Reckseidler knew the specific locations he wanted to film, but recreating the 1930s proved to be challenging, even in small-town Alberta.
The film crew spent six days in Delburne, utilizing the main street, the outdoor skating rink, and rural roads, before moving to Big Valley, Fort Edmonton Park, and Cochrane for the remaining scenes.
“When you write exterior winter Canada scenes, that seems very dark and moody, but you actually have to go film that, and there’s no question that was an endeavour for the cast and crew,” Reckseidler said.
(Photo provided by James Reckseidler)
Despite the extreme winter conditions, the cast and crew insisted the weather wasn’t a deterrent.
“When it gets cold, cameras don't run particularly well, and people are not at their best,” Reckseidler said. “We had our challenges; the results are on the screen of just how incredibly ambitious the film was.”
An additional challenge was finding props that captured the spirit of the Great Depression.
“Pulling those details together was challenging to give us the spirit of the times at the budget level we were working at,” Reckseidler said.
(Photo provided by James Reckseidler)
From “The Ties That Bind” Reckseidler is hopeful that audiences take away that the film is an allegory to what citizens are experiencing now and reflect on current economic events.
“We're in a time now where money is a little bit more desperate. People are feeling the pinch as much as in the 30s,” Reckseidler said. “There are some parallels to a sense of desperation, and to escape life right now.”
Over the last year, “The Ties That Bind” has been featured in multiple festivals, including the Central Alberta Film Festival, winning the Audience Choice Award.
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Reckseidler explained that winning the award reaffirmed the film's potential to receive global recognition.
“To start winning these awards and know that the people in the room really appreciated or responded to the film, that is just such a wonderful feeling,” Reckseidler said. “It means we can take the film out with a lot of confidence that it has value. It’s getting positive responses from audiences, and that’s a wonderful feeling, you can't ask for anything more than that.”
The film is now set to be screened at Carnival Cinemas in Red Deer, from Dec. 6 to 13.
“We really believe in this film. We wanted to prove that filmmakers in Alberta could make really big films, and we've accomplished that,” Reckseidler said.
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