Cop retires to fulfill childhood dream
One
former Bronx police officer retired from the force to follow his
childhood dream of becoming a filmmaker and now that dream has become a
reality.
South Bronx native William Lappe, the local City Island based production company Harrington Talents and a host of Bronx actors have teamed up for a groundbreaking short film, Even Steven, expected to be shown at film festivals in the coming future.
“Even Steven was an exercise I did back in film school 10 years ago,” said Lappe, who currently resides in Throggs Neck. “They asked me to make a short film that was 10 minutes long and had a surprise ending. I gave it to my professor who said he didn’t think it was believable. He told me the story was too dark and he said he didn’t think the audience was going to like it. He gave me a million reasons why I shouldn’t do it. I had a passion tell the Even Steven only because he told me not to do it.”
The film, set in the Bronx, portrays what happens when poetic justice meets one of society’s cruelest citizens in the form of a child pedophile played by local resident Mark Seda, who filmmakers credit for going above and beyond to perform his role, from being slapped around to having coffee thrown in his face for the role. “He was truly dedicated to making this character work,” said Frank Mosca, one of the co-owners of Harrington Talents.
“You know it is kind of a tough subject, especially when it deals with pedophiles,” said Seda. “These are the kind of things you want to sweep under the rug.”
But Lappe felt it was a movie that needed to be seen, but without glorifying the criminal as Hollywood is often known for doing. Having worked 20 years as a police officer, the former detective chose to turn down a promotion and follow his heart and share his unique experiences of urban life. Although fictional, the tales could very well be real. “There is plenty of drama going on around us without having to make it up,” he said. “Being a police officer, I was surrounded by drama every day; real life horror stories every day.”
And the story of a pedophile is unfortunately all too real for people. “There are certain scenes and shots in this movie that are going to make people feel uncomfortable,” said Mosca about the film’s content.
“But sometimes you have to stir the pot a bit to get people talking,” added Mike Tobin, who plays a television reporter; one of 30 characters that shows up in the 15-minute short film.
The film follows the decisions of a cop who does the wrong thing for the right reason and what happens when the victims’ families get together to spend “just five minutes alone with this animal.” Fate steps in to become the final judge. “People are going to react to this film, especially when it tackles subject matter like this,” said John Morena, co-owner of Harrington Talents.
Playing
the main detective in the movie is James McSherry. “Billy’s a
talented guy,” said McSherry, who grew up on Archer Street and is
a writer and actor himself. “He and Frank are friends of mine; good
people and when they showed me the script, I loved it. The quality of work; the
talent behind the project was phenomenal and it made me want to get behind this
project. It was a tight script and a fantastic story.”
Lappe is just as proud of the film, citing lavish sets that were hand constructed by Harrington and himself, including what he calls an incredible duplication of a New York City sewer. All the lavish sets, acting and production came despite limited funds. Local bar Paddy Doherty’s even donated their establishment for a cast party in an effort to help the local filmmaking company raise money for postproduction with a release date not yet scheduled at this time. When all is said and done, Lappe believes the film is and will be worth the effort.
“This is the most complete film I have done to date,” said Lappe. “I finally feel like a filmmaker. Now, I am looking to create a feature-length movie. I have a couple of screenplays I am thinking of working on. James McSherry has some screenplays. There are other things we are looking at. Once you have a movie going, everyone wants to throw you a screenplay. This is what I was meant to do.”
As for Harrington, the company that has filmed many wrestling shows, videos, and a number of short films, Even Steven represents a growth for the production team that started in a small basement and grew throughout the years. “This film has ignited a big snowball in this company,” said Morena. “We came into this as filmmakers. This is the film that will launch us.”
For more information about the film and Harrington Talents, go to http://www.harringtontalents.com.
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