Press Kit
Filmmaker's statement
Making “Lucky - or Not?” was quite a journey, one that took much longer than I expected, and which turned out to be more work, and more fun, than I ever imagined.
Louis struggles with his demons this in the film. He feels he is controlled by the outside “force” of luck, and it dominates his life, in fact it dictates his reality. He gives it power unquestioningly, and feels helpless to change it when he is caught between the mob and police.
This feeling of not being in control of one’s destiny is something I have struggled with. I had wanted to make films for years, but kept putting it off. I convinced myself that it was too hard, that I could not do it, that there was some invisible force of destiny that would not allow me to achieve my goal. After years of avoiding the issue, I was approaching 30, and I was scared. I realized had done little to achieve this goal. I decided that I didn’t want to regret not following my dream in my old age, and started on the path to making this film.
I discovered that in fact, I was in control, I just had to decide to take hold of the reins. Louis, through his blind obedience to the forces around him, showed me how I was for most of my life. I decided that this was not who I wanted to be, it was not my true self. Louis was my mirror, who showed me the chains I had put on myself. I saw that I alone had the key to unlocking them.
“Lucky - or Not?” was about looking into myself – about trusting myself, to know that I was in control of my destiny, and could shape my reality. In working with this tremendously talented group of people, I discovered that I could lead a team toward a goal, and that I had the tenacity to see my dream to fruition. I fed off their creative energy, and the experience confirmed to me that this is what I wanted to do.
Through the making this film, I honed my craft, and learned a lot about tenacity, leadership, creativity and teamwork. Making this movie was my film school. I learned about writing from polishing the script. I learned how important organization is to a set and a production. I learned that I cannot do it all myself, nor do I want to (anymore). I learned that continuity is crucial, especially when it comes time to edit the film. Most importantly, I learned that it is all worthwhile, no matter how hard it seems, or how long you work. For that, I thank everyone involved with the production.
Peter Hebert
January 2006