Things already weren’t going well for KJ and Dan when they embark on a romantic getaway to the mountains.
Aside from some shared movie references, they can’t seem to get on the same page about anything. They have different ideas about attending each other’s work events, the sex they have is awkward, if not painful, and they have opposing views on how to spend their time away from the busyness of everyday life. Then an unannounced visitor shows up, completely turning KJ and Dan’s weekend plans upside down.
This is the premise of “Glue Trap,” Justin Geldzahler’s new indie horror comedy about a failing relationship.
A Mechanicsville native who attended St. Christopher’s School and Maggie L. Walker Governor’s School, Geldzahler previously worked as a researcher and contributor to high profile TV shows like “Succession,” “Euphoria,” “Fosse/Verdon,” “The Plot Against America” and “Outlander” before tackling his directorial debut.
Geldzahler got his start in the industry as a script coordinator for “Fosse/Verdon” and “Outlander,” going between writers’ rooms and the rest of the shows’ apparatuses to ensure continuity. On “Succession,” Geldzahler worked on the final season’s presidential election plotline. His rewrite of an episode helped him gain entrance into the Writers Guild of America.
Interviewed by phone on Monday, Geldzahler says the idea for “Glue Trap” came to him while he was staying at his parents’ cabin in Nelson County during the dog days of the pandemic.
“I wrote the first draft in two days,” says Geldzahler. “I’ve never written anything else that fast. To be clear, the script was heavily revised, but it remains the same story. I think it was the result of so many decisions being made for me.”
Filming with a limited budget and a small cast and crew during the Omicron wave of 2021, Geldzahler favorably compares the experience of making “Glue Trap” to the limitations of The 48 Hour Film Project, a competition where teams must create a short film with specific parameters in just two days.
“It’s kind of fun when certain things are decided for you,” he says. “All these artistic impulses you would never have had come to the forefront.”
Filmed in the same cabin that Geldzahler conceived it, “Glue Trap” stars Obie-winner Brittany Bradford, Isaac W. Jay and Gloria Bangiola. Many of the movie’s crew members are Virginia natives, and editor/producer Norris Guncheon, composer/associate producer Erik Larsen, unit production manager Marcy Russo, executive producer Tommy Nicholas and associate producer Elena Palesis also attended Maggie Walker. The soundtrack includes music by Richmond-based band Piranha Rama and singer-songwriter Angelica Garcia.
“Glue Trap” premiered last year at the independent film festival Dances With Films in Los Angeles. Last month, Variety announced that the movie had been acquired by film distributor Gravitas Ventures and would be released digitally and through video on demand (VOD) on Dec. 17.
Locally, “Glue Trap” will also be screened at Movieland at Boulevard Square Dec. 13-19 with Q&As taking place opening weekend. The film will also be screened Dec. 14 at Violet Crown Cinema in Charlottesville.
Geldzahler says feedback has been positive and that it’s been fascinating to see how audiences respond to the film.
“People have very different reactions depending on where their sense of humor lies,” he says. “At our first screening you could feel a pin drop it was so tense. When we played at Dances, the comedy of the film was [felt] so much stronger.”
Prior to “Glue Trap,” Geldzahler wanted to create a Richmond-set movie called “The Itchy Heart.” The name was inspired by the Richmond band The Itchy Hearts.
“I was going to make this run-and-gun urban mystery,” he says. “I’m a big fan of mysteries and noir, so I wanted to write a very Southern noir, something for Richmond. It was sort of like [Robert Altman’s] ‘The Long Goodbye.’ Someone’s old friend comes back into their life and causes trouble.”
For now, he’s focused on other projects, including selling a show about models in New York City as well as a neurotic thriller that’s gaining traction in Hollywood.
Asked to give a sales pitch for “Glue Trap,” Geldzahler says it’s a fun romp of a thriller.
“It’s a local film that has TV and film stars, and Broadway stars as well,” he says. “It’s a Virginia film that’s not set in the antebellum South. It’s got the Blue Ridge Mountains. It’s a good time and it’s short.”
“Glue Trap” will be screened Dec. 13-19 at Movieland at Boulevard Square, 1301 N. Arthur Ashe Blvd. For more information visit justingeldzahler.com.
