By REY FLORES
Eduardo Verastegui is a man on a mission. He is tirelessly traveling, either working on his latest film project or helping to promote his most recently completed one.
On top of that, Verastegui (pronounced Ver-ah-steg-eeh) also helps run a crisis pregnancy clinic in one of the toughest neighborhoods in Los Angeles.
The Wanderer had a chance recently to speak with Eduardo about his latest film Little Boy (see my review of Little Boy in The Wanderer, April 23, 2015, p. 7B), and how the film invites everyone to understand God, our own faith in Him, and the power of that faith.
Q. Did you and your fellow filmmakers decide to make Little Boy, a movie set in a simpler time with much less social upheaval?
A. No. The story was written by Pepe Portillo and Alejandro Monteverde who decided to write a story about how a boy dealt with being separated from his father because of World War II. There was no deliberate attempt to make a film in a “simpler time” because even back then we had war, poverty, families were being torn apart from each other because of the war.
Q. Why Little Boy and not Little Girl?
A. The story did want to examine the bond between fathers and sons and what it means to appreciate each other, especially in times of hardship and separation.
Q. All of your films have had very strong moral messages about life (Bella) and faith (For Greater Glory); is Little Boy carrying on that tradition?
A. What we wanted to do was to tell a good story. To have the audience escape for an hour and a half and to experience the life of this little boy and how he dealt with his being separated from his father and how adults in his life steered him in the right direction to have both faith and trust in God, no matter what happened.
Q. There’s been a recent rash of Christian films (The Song, Old Fashioned, Do You Believe?) that are a countercultural response to the filth that usually comes out of mainstream Hollywood. Have you had the opportunity to watch any of those movies, and if so, which ones did you like?
A. I have been so busy for the last five years on the writing, fundraising, making, producing, editing, and now marketing the film that I cannot remember the last time I sat down to watch a film.
The process of creating a film like Little Boy is such an intense and time-consuming process, that I have barely had time to do anything else.
Q. Was there any particular scene in Little Boy that stood out to you as you either filmed it or watched it?
A. Not really. The most intense and emotional moments were what happened behind the cameras. I recall mainly how casting the lead role of Little Boy with over 1,000 actors to play Pepper Busbee, the seven-year-old boy who plays the main lead in the movie.
Our pick Jakob Salvati was not even auditioning, but his slightly older brother was. It turns out that we hired them both and it was a terrific way for this family to be able to work together, gain some financial stability, and we are so happy with their performances.
At some points, we had to bribe the boys with an extra toy here and there if they acted their part out just right. Before we knew it he had a pile of 20 toys on the set. It was very fun and memorable for us all.
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Little Boy is playing nationwide in a theater near you and is recommended for all ages. Visit www.littleboymovie.com for more information and to view the trailer.
As I wrote in my review: “I highly recommend this film for the entire family and I encourage you to invite all your friends and family members to go and watch it.”
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(Rey Flores reviews books and film for The Wanderer. Contact Rey at reyfloresusa@gmail.com.)
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