The U Movie: The Next Big Backpacker Movie?

The U Movie is a movie about modern life and travel. I stumbled upon the trailer for this backpacking movie in 2007. I was really inspired by its vision - I still am - since it sums up what backpacker travel is in a few minutes of raw and real images, sound and inspiration.  It’s an existentialist riff on the virtues of travel, exploration and why we travel as young people.

Travel Generation recently caught up with The U Movie’s editor, director and instigator Mr Alexander Reid for a chat about the film project. After years of editing, a final cut is nearing completion and there is the possibility of a full length release this year. The original footage was taken in 2004, so the idea about shooting a movie, the freedom of travel and its publication has had a long gestation.

This then is a story of how an idea takes on a life of its own and starts travelling itself and takes you on another ride.

I started by asking Mr Reid how, where and when the journey began.

Alexander Reid 'enjoying the moment' whilst on his travels

“In first year of university, an idea came up from a friend, to make a movie. We didn’t know exactly how we were going to do it, but we thought it would be about our lives. And so, as days passed on and we conversed of this “movie”, we referred to it as “The Movie.” Eventually “The Movie” turned into me and another friend, Tom, leaving university on a backpacking adventure.”

“Basically, our trip is visually in chronological order from the point in time we left Canada, to the time we returned home. To aid telling our story, interviews that were made along the way with fellow travelers telling their story, essentially help tell our story throughout the film: Why we left, what our individual goals were, and of course, what we ended up doing / seeing on our journey. Even though the film is not supposed to directly say ‘go out and travel – it’s awesome’ as the film is actually about pursuing an idea, even if it seems impossible, it kind of does say go out and travel.

Meet the directors and travellers..Alexander and Tom

It was hard to avoid because it was a fun trip, and travelling can be great. So we basically took highlights of our trip, condensed those into ’scenes’ in a chronological order, and with the essential aid of people we met along the way telling their stories / giving motivational ideas about life, etc, they help tell our story, my story, and indirectly the reason the film was made.”

Your motivation you state on your website was that “after seventeen years in the education system and twenty years of life, we realized that only three years of our time had been free of society’s influences.” Was it as simple as that?

Not exactly. We both had our own reasons. Tom wanted to go travelling and wanted to go on a university exchange to Australia. I wanted nothing to do with school. I wanted complete freedom, other than money, of course, and more importantly, I wanted to feel like what I was doing meant something to me, to my life. I felt like being enclosed in cement walls with a couple of windows to let light into the room, did not do justice for what may exist in this world. I guess you could say that I was looking for some kind of spiritual connection with the earth, and with the people around me. I wanted to see life as pure as it could be; lying on a beach with the waves rolling in, looking at the stars without the pollution of light, etc. And I wanted to listen to what people had to say. I wanted to see what these people were doing and why. What is important to them? What does this life have to offer other than work to live and live to work?

What countries did you travel to? Do you wish you had travelled further for the sake of the film?

Japan (18 hours), Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Australia, New Zealand, Fiji. I do not wish I travelled more for the sake of the film. Travelling was the secondary means to make the film. Sure, now, if I made another film, I would think more about setting, but not for the U movie. It was about making the movie actually happen. A guy with no film experience making the movie dream a reality.

You took cameras with you so you obviously planned to make a movie of your adventures. But perhaps didn’t realise the enormity of the project? It seems you learnt how to put the film together when you returned. Maybe only then you realised what you had experienced, filmed, and others might be interested?

As I said, there was an idea to make a movie. Travelling just came up. It wasn’t like we said, ok, let’s go travelling, and then came up with filming it. Me and another friend wanted to make a movie, Tom came into the picture with his small knowledge of film (I had none), and then travelling came up. Due to what both Tom and I were feeling, travelling seemed like the best idea at the time. It just worked. And we found ways to convince our parents to help us fund the trip, as we said, it was for our “education” and would benefit us more than a university degree in the end, etc.

The whole time, from conception of project, until now…7 years later, the goal has been the same. Make a movie, and get it out there to as many people as possible. I always wanted to make the movie popular. I knew this wasn’t going to be easy. I knew it was going to take a while.

There certainly is an innocence and sense of freedom in the trailer. Certainly there’s a really philosophical/pschology expression to it and how you have described the project on your website. You certainly seem very conscious of the experience and what it represents in a broader sense, as a rite of passage for young people. Agree/disagree?

Agree. However, let’s make it clear here. I agree in the sense about the experience of making the movie. Actually filming, actually editing, actually getting it done. That…is the journey for me. Travelling just took me for the ride.

Were your expectations met or did your experiences give you cause to re-evaluate your reasons for first travelling?

Most of my expectations were met. My reasons for travelling became very obvious as the trip went on. At some points I felt like going home. What stopped me was me thinking I didn’t have enough interviews, or not enough footage. Maybe I didn’t do anything “cool enough” to make the movie interesting. And so I kept “travelling” with the fuel of the idea of the movie keeping me going. This was especially apparent when Tom was in university in Australia, and I was travelling by myself.

The million dollar question: how’s the movie production coming along? And how do you hope to release it to the public?

If all goes to plan, the movie will be released to the public via film festivals. So, keep your eyes and ears peeled and check the official website for details on when/if/where/what festivals we get into.

Expect the movie to first be seen in Fall 2009. Give or take a couple of months.

Words of advice to other intrepid film makers?

Catch the idea. Grasp it and be inspired by it. Listen to music and motivate yourself internally. Develop the concept and figure out a way to make it happen. Know in your heart and soul that it will work because you will not stop until there is a finished product. Be inspired. Listen to music that inspires and motivates you. And just keep givin’r!