By JOHN McCALLUM
Editor
In the 1979 Blake Edwards movie “10,” actress Bo Derek portrayed actor Dudley Moore's perfect woman, a career-launching role that made her a sex symbol.
But is bodily perfection truly what most of us should aspire to or hope to attain? An independent film shot locally by Eastern Washington University graduates hopes to shed light on that question's answer.
Cast and crew of “Perfect 10” wrapped up the five-day Cheney portion of their schedule last week; a schedule that had them occupying the halls of Cheney High School, along with several area businesses and Sutton Park. The production, the brainchild of the husband and wife team of Kris and Lindy Boustedt, returned to Seattle on Sunday to finish shooting and post production.
The Boustedts met while students at EWU. Kris studied film and video arts at the Department of Electronic Media and Film, graduating in 2004, while Lindy received a degree in business administration and management with a minor in music. Both have a passion for film arts, leading them to form their Seattle-based production company, First Sight Productions.
Lindy Boustedt said they chose to shoot in Cheney because of the story line and familiarity. Not only did she and Kris live and attend school here, but several members of the crew are also EWU graduates.
The story is a semi-autobiographical tale written by Lindy Boustedt, who grew up in Colville. The main character, Mara Anderson, graduates from a small-town high school and moves to a big city, where she now has a “perfect” life with a husband, family and successful business.
She's also recently lost a lot of weight, and is persuaded by a classmate to attend her 10-year high school reunion, where she hopes to prove to her high school crush that he should have returned her love. She lies to her husband to keep him home, and returns with her best friend – also a high school social outcast like Anderson – where the pair at first gain some retribution against those who wronged them, only to have things eventually go awry.
Lindy Boustedt said many of the characters in the film have issues, and in the end it's about coming to terms with one's identity, about having a healthy mind and body, not an image.
“The perfect 10 is not always what you think it is,” Borstedt added.
Boustedt spent eight months writing the movie, finishing last February. Rehearsals began in April.
With the exception of help from friends and family, the couple is financing the film themselves. Kris teaches film arts at Shoreline Community College, while Lindy works in fundraising at Seattle University.
“Perfect 10” has been a different undertaking for an independent film, Lindy Boustedt said. Besides a cast of about 16 main and minor characters, the film also included a lot of extras, and was shot at locations in two different cities.
“That's kind of unusual for an indie film because of our budget,” she said. “But hey, we go big! There's no small time for us. If we're going to do it, we're going to do it all the way.”
First Sight begins post-production work on Aug. 24. Boustedt said they would market the film for distribution via the film festival circuit, and hope to have a rough cut suitable for viewing in time to enter the Sundance Film Festival on Sept. 23, followed by a more finished version for the South by Southwest Film Festival in December.
“They see your film, they like it and hopefully a distributor wants to buy it,” she said, adding they also hope to enter the film in the Seattle and Spokane film festivals next year.
Besides Sutton Park and the high school, “Perfect 10” was shot at Rosa's Pizza, the Cheney Bowling Alley, El Rodeo Restaurant's bar and parking lot, and Willow Springs restaurant and motel.
John McCallum can be reached at [email protected]
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