A surrealist short film exploring loss and healing in the labyrinthine streets of Barcelona.

Imagine seeing Jerry from Parks and Recreation embark on a mind-bending, surrealist odyssey into a vibrant and ancient realm. Our film seamlessly blends vérité, documentary, magical realism, and surrealism to immerse you in an authentic yet fantastical world, with each act unfolding in a distinct style.

After a heart-wrenching divorce, a middle-aged tourist navigates the streets of Barcelona, the city where he proposed to his former love. As the night unfolds and reality blurs and transforms, he discovers a profound shift taking place within himself, altering both his mind and body in unexpected ways.

Through humor, surrealism, terror, and sadness, El Rebote poignantly explores love, loss, and redemption and the idea that even in the darkest moments of our lives, we can find the strength to push forward, not only for ourselves but also for the people who depend on us.

This is an opportunity to be a part of something truly special and help us share a story on the importance of mental health, especially within a community where expressing your emotions is often stiffened by the expectations to be strong.

El Rebote, starring Jim O'Heir (more famously known for his lead role as Jerry in Parks and Recreation), follows the story of a recently divorced middle-aged tourist who navigates the streets of Barcelona, the city where he proposed to his former love. As the night unfolds and reality blurs and transforms, he discovers a profound shift taking place within himself, altering both his mind and body in unexpected ways.

Through humor, surrealism, terror, and sadness, our film explores the idea that even in the darkest moments of our lives, we can find the strength to push forward, not only for ourselves but for the people who depend on us. Through the Tourist’s encounters and poignant reflections, we witness the transformative power of resilience and renewal. Themes of heartbreak and self-actualization converge to shape a narrative odyssey unlike any other. As the Tourist grapples with the shattered remnants of his past, we are reminded of the resilience of the human spirit and its capacity to endure, evolve, and rediscover its strength. Together, let us delve deep into the heart of El Rebote and bring this poignant exploration of love, loss, and redemption to life on the screen.

Visually, our film opens with a vérité style, capturing the rawness and naturalism of Barcelona. Through handheld cinematography, we immerse the audience in our protagonist’s perspective, fostering an intimate experience as we navigate the city alongside him. As the story unfolds, our visual approach evolves, integrating the unique swirl effect of Petzval lenses to symbolize the protagonist’s profound loss and inner turmoil. The world distorts and warps, mirroring his midlife crisis and quest for self-discovery. Finally, the film concludes with a clean, angelic aesthetic as our protagonist reunites with his daughter, transcending life and death in a poignant moment of reconciliation.

The visually arresting city of Barcelona provides an ideal backdrop for this story for several compelling reasons, aside from generous tax incentives. Not only does it boast an array of architectural wonders, including the avant-garde creations of Antoni Gaudí and ancient Gothic cathedrals, but the city's liberated, hip and interconnected youth culture starkly contrasts with the lead character's straight-laced, sheltered demeanor, leaving him feeling out of place. Additionally, the setting of a city where the protagonist doesn’t speak the language reduces him to a speechless child once again, forced to navigate a second adolescence in a strange new world.

We are also excited to share that El Rebote is fiscally sponsored by Creative Visions, a 501c3 nonprofit organization that supports creative activists, those that use the arts and media to ignite social change. Through their fiscal sponsorship program, all contributions we receive will be tax-deductible to the extent that is allowed by law.

With partners like these, we’re confident that our project will not only showcase our creative abilities but also attract widespread attention and acclaim.

Our production plan is to finalize our budget by mid-June, followed by a preparation phase throughout the rest of June. Principal photography is scheduled to commence in late July.

Production will take place in Los Angeles and Barcelona over the course of 3 weeks, with 6 days of production and 5 days of prep.

We will begin by shooting some interiors in Los Angeles over 2 days, utilizing one location for the hotel and doorway sequence into the nightclub, which we will be building during pre-production, and another for the nightclub and bathroom scenes.

Subsequently, production will transition to Barcelona, where we will film beach scenes in a single day, followed by one night of shooting the street sequences and one night for the cantina. After completing all scripted photography, we aim to capture a series of improvised documentary-style sequences throughout Barcelona, including interactions with locals to seamlessly blend into the edit, enhancing the immersive nature of our production.

Post-production will commence in early August through the end of the year.

We are seeking $52,000 in crowdfunding and investments to support our project.

Currently, we have $15,000 from grants allocated for travel and accommodations for key personnel, as well as production supplies, including truck rentals, walkie-talkies, safety kits, and insurance.

The $52,000 will cover wages for talent, crew, and above-the-line personnel, as well as expenses for locations, camera and lighting equipment, production design supplies, wardrobe, hair and makeup, and meals and craft services for on-set team members.

Our $52,000 goal is the absolute minimum we need to raise to complete El Rebote.

• IF WE RAISE $55,000, we can raise our design and location budget to film at the best locations!
• IF WE RAISE $60,000, we’ll be able to fly out all of our producers to help with on-set tasks and make sure the needs of each department are met with precision and timeliness!!
• IF WE RAISE $65,000, we can offer higher pay rates for our cast and crew and ensure that no one works for free!!!

If you want more information about where your money goes, please refer to our "questions?" section below to inquire!

The only way we will reach our crowdfunding goal is if we reach beyond our networks. If you’d like to support young filmmakers, YOU can make a difference in our success!

Please share our campaign via your social media, email, and word-of-mouth, however you want! We can't do this without you! Here are some examples. Feel free to copy and paste!

Help the filmmaker @_lukealane by supporting his heartfelt upcoming short film El Rebote about a middle-aged tourist navigating grief in Barcelona. Join them on Instagram @el_rebote_film and their Creative Visions campaign page!

I just watched the El Rebote promo video directed by @_lukealane and WOW, you've got to support this upcoming series! Join them on their Creative Visions campaign page!

I'm so excited to see the upcoming short film by NYU, Cornell, USC SCA, and ESCAC students in collaboration with @_lukealane, @sofiadannunzio, @lee_no_d, & @producedbyalessia! Help them raise the production funds on their Creative Visions campaign page!

My goal is to articulate the profound experiences of grief and healing that each of us has experienced. Each scene, each shot, is a reflection of our collective journey through the depths of emotion and the triumph of the human spirit. El Rebote is not just a story of heartbreak; it is a story of hope. Recently, and suddenly, I lost a lifelong friend to cancer, just as he still brimmed with life and was simultaneously navigating the end of a three-year relationship. I spent the subsequent months feeling as if my guts had been torn from my body, leaving a cavernous hole where they once were. This experience ignited a fervent desire to document the grieving process in a way that didn’t feel sappy or melodramatic.

It’s great to have questions! Feel free to contact us at elrebote.film@gmail.com, and we'll do our best to answer them as soon as possible.