"I'm Tired of God:" Information on the new film I'm a part of and the ambitious man behind it all

Teaser poster for the upcoming film I will be starring in.

His name is Miles Santiago; he stands five feet, two inches, with long, black dreadlocks that fall down past his shoulders, which often rest on several layers of clothing, up to seven in the brutal Chicago winters. He lugs around a bag with a single-shoulder strap, which carries his artwork, writings, or documents and would eagerly print me copies of them, to which I'd try to read on a timely basis but sometimes not read until weeks after he had given them to me. Each time I would read a piece, I'd be sorry I didn't read it sooner; while I couldn't always pinpoint the exact idea or theme he was getting at, I'd always take away something significant and important. He's the single best writer I know in person.

Miles and I went to high school together, met sophomore year in social studies, talked a tiny bit, but then became closer within the following years of high school, frequently talking and conversing about anything we could think of. From schoolwork to trouble with teachers or students, from film to pornography, we talked about it all, it seems, but each time I spoke with Miles, I felt I knew less and less about him. He occupied the kind of enigma a writer or philosopher would, saying and writing things that would be hard to digest, and often had a difficult time expressing his current mood. He was the only person I knew who would actually ponder how he felt when I asked him, "how are you doing?"

If you're a devoted reader, or know me in person, you'll remember I encouraged you to vote for him for graduation speaker after I opted out of the race. Unfortunately, his ambitions to speak did not materialize and Miles exited high school with evident feelings of frustration and extreme disillusionment. But now he has taken on making a film, further exploring his ideas and his techniques in a project unlike any I've ever heard of before. Just the title of the film is ambitious and provides for unbelievable curiosity.

Miles Santiago on I'm Tired of God.

"I ran across a canvas with "i am tired of god" written on it with crayon. I thought it was an eloquent series of words. I only had three lines of dialogue by the time it was chosen, and none of them were pertinent to the title. I just knew what I wanted, and had no inclination to change it.  

The original title for the film was WESTMONT. There is no academic or monetary incentive behind this project we're undertaking. I asked [my close friends] Jakub and Elijah if they wanted to make a film and they lazily responded, "yeah." I asked Steven [Pulaski] and he eagerly answered "absolutely." There was no story or objective, not a single world of dialogue written, but we already knew that the location would become the omnipresent character, our apartment complex specifically. 

From the onset, I knew I didn't want this to be fictional in the sense that the interactions are contrived. Surely, this isn't a documentary, but every element of this film has a basis in reality: each conversation and action has actually occurred between us. The overarching objective is for three eccentric personalities (two of which substantially unknown) attempt to clarify their outlook immediately after the end of high school. All of my narrative decisions are intuitive, thus there is no genre. As far as I'm concerned, the only worthy category is people talking in front of a camera.

I am the lead writer, the cinematographer, the director, and the editor. The ensemble cast features Elijah Bacerra (co-writer), Jakub Remiszewski (co-writer), and Steven Pulaski. There is no release date as of now, however, the screenplay is currently in the editing stages.

Why do I want to make this film? I want people to know the kind of work a person poverty, obscurity, and academic mediocrity can produce. I want to finally introduce myself."

                                                   - Miles Santiago

[....]

Miles and I are two totally different kind of writings; he writes challenging and complex thinkpieces that, according to him, are "psychologically and emotionally tortuous." I write film reviews and lengthy blog posts about my life, all of which are rather superfluous in the long run. Miles, from what I've seen, doesn't like to engage in the kind of writing I engage in, which is why I've resorted to practically being his voice for things like the speaker candidacy and now this film announcement, which I'm treating like a more informal press release. 

I personally cannot wait to be a part of this project. I have received a rough outline of my lines and they read wonderfully, with me playing a more unsatisfied, frustrated version of myself, which will be a huge difference for someone like me, who embraces a lot of what's thrown at him. I see this project being released on Vimeo or some other form of online distribution in the first or second quarter of 2015, depending on when Miles wants filming to commence (which will hopefully be during August). 

This project is one of the most, if not the most, ambitious thing I've ever taken on and am wholly excited to be a part of it. Updates will be infrequent but all inclusive, meaning I won't leave any details out. Stay tuned and I leave you on the consistent cliffhanger - "are you ready?"