We interview director Julie Pacino and lead actor Lucy Fry about their new film, I Live Here Now, which had its World Premiere at the Fantasia Film Festival.
Julie Pacino’s feature film debut I Live Here Now, which had its World Premiere at this year’s Fantasia International Film Festival in Montréal, is a hypnotic homage to David Lynch and giallo slashers, featuring a fierce central performance from Lucy Fry.
It follows Rose, a jobbing actor whose shot at a big break is interrupted by an unexpected pregnancy. She winds up in a motel, The Crown Inn, where the surreal atmosphere and eccentric characters lull her into a dreamlike state and a reckoning with her past traumas. The Twin Peaks comparisons are obvious, but I Live Here Now references, and often refreshes, a series of classic horror movies and tropes to create a truly immersive experience, all shot in stunning 35mm film.
We sat down with Julie Pacino and Lucy Fry to discuss shooting analogue, working with Sheryl Lee and the unique creative opportunities that the horror genre offers. Read the interview below.
Julie Pacino on the striking visuals of I Live Here Now
The film has a distinctive visual style. Did you have a clear vision from the start of how you wanted it to look? What was the process of bringing it to life like?
Julie Pacino: I always wanted to have that first act be my version of how I perceive Hollywood. It’s not bright and sunny; it’s cool and a little gray, so when Rose arrives at the inn, I wanted it to become this colourful unfolding – obviously The Wizard of Oz is a huge inspiration to me.
From the beginning, that was something I was excited about, and I worked really closely with my DP, Aron Meinhardt, on that aspect of it. There was a time when we were going to even shoot the first act in black and white, and we were like, maybe that’s a little too far. But we did shoot on 35mm film, and one of the main reasons for that was how film handles colour. A lot of times, with digital, the sensors can almost get blown out, and with the colorful light that’s constantly a theme throughout the movie, we really wanted something that could handle that dynamic range. So definitely, from the very beginning, we always wanted to use colour in a really intentional way.
Had you shot 35mm before?
J.P.: I’m a photographer as well and I do shoot a lot on film, so that’s how the conversation started. I had never made a full feature, but I had done shorts and made a music video here and there, and I love it. I think shooting on film requires a lot of preparation and decisions to be made before you’re on set. With this being my first feature, that was actually comforting, because a lot of times, with digital, I would find myself saying ‘let’s just do it this way, just so I have it,’ and then I would get to the edit and have a thousand takes of something and get completely lost in it.
So it really helped me with my confidence to be able to say, ‘let’s just do it’. We did it in four takes, we got it, I’m good, let’s move on. So yeah, I loved the experience of shooting on film. I’m spoiled now – I want to make everything from here on out on film, which producers often have a problem with!
Lucy Fry on what stood out about I Live Here Now
Lucy, we’ve seen you in a few different horror projects. What stood out to you about this one?
Lucy Fry: I really liked the theme of bodily autonomy, and I thought that it was exploring the female psyche in a way that I have never seen on screen before. I loved the challenge of going down these layers of the psyche, opening to that dreamscape, making it grounded and bringing the audience with me in a way that feels real and opens a space for the processing of unconscious material. That was a challenge that I have never come across before and loved doing. It was incredibly challenging and rewarding.
Working with legendary actor Sheryl Lee
What was it like to work with the iconic Sheryl Lee?
Lucy Fry.: Goodness, what a powerhouse! Her skill at channeling is unlike anything I’ve seen before. It was as if she was invading me with her eyes. There’s meant to be a sense of violation in our scene together and I’ve never experienced that with another actor – the way she could manipulate and move energy in the room. I was feeling her really getting in there. So that was incredible, so inspiring.
I aspire to be an actress like her, to have those powers, and I learned from her. It was great that we shot that in the first week, because I think it affected the extent to which I was intentionally using and shifting energy through the rest of the shoot. And then, on a personal level, she’s incredibly generous with her wisdom and I had some really good talks with her about acting, about the creative process. Since then, I have stayed in touch and I reach out to her for guidance, especially around creative decisions.
Julie Pacino: Sheryl Lee is one of the greatest actresses of all time. It was an absolute dream come true. From our first conversation, similarly to Lucy, she really pressed me and wanted to discuss some of the themes in depth. The way she crafted the character was just beyond anything that would have ever been on the page. She’s an absolute powerhouse and an icon. She was amazing.
Was Lee’s casting a deliberate choice considering her icon status as a ‘scream queen’ and her association with David Lynch? Did you always have her in mind for that role?
J.P.: We were trying to wrap our heads around the character of Martha, and my producer Bob McCready brought up Sheryl Lee. It just hit everyone in the room, like, of course! The thing was, would she do it? So it was definitely an organic thing that happened, but perhaps subconsciously it was a nod to my favourite artist of all time in David Lynch.
The power of the horror genre and potential future projects
What draws you both to horror? Do you see yourselves working on more projects like I Live Here Now in the future or are you interested in other genres?
Lucy Fry.: I like how the horror genre allows for an exploration of the psyche in a way that other genres don’t. You know that there’s a freedom to really play with these metaphors and symbols.
Julie Pacino.: Yeah, definitely. I like being able to lean on the genre for that freedom and would love to continue making movies like this. I’ve done comedy before, which I think is similar to horror in a lot of ways – the way you build up tension and then have a release.
I’m genre agnostic. But I like building worlds and making things that allow the audience to escape and to fall into this rabbit hole. So whether that’s drama, comedy or surreal horror, like I Live Here Now, that’s my thing. It goes back to childhood: as a filmmaker, I just want to play dress up and create imaginary worlds with my friends and get lost for an afternoon. So whatever allows me to do that, I’m in.
This interview was edited for length and clarity.
I Live Here Now had its World Premiere at the Fantasia Film Festival, in the Cheval Noir section, on July 24-25, 2025.
Header credits: Julie Pacino (Robert MacCready / Utopia), Lucy Fry in I Live Here Now (Utopia)
