THE DUST FACTORY

Ryan Kelley, Hayden Panettiere, Armin Mueller- Stahl, Kim Myers, George De La Pena, Michael Angarno, Peter Horton.
Directed by Eric Small.

This fantasy is for a teenage audience, boys and girls, and was written and directed by Eric Small.

The focus of the story is on Ryan, played by Ryan Kelley, a teenager who is still grieving the death of his father (and later flashback indicates that the father had died, hit by an oncoming train, after he had pushed the car with his wife and son to safety). Ryan is very reticent, does not speak, taunted by his friends, worried about by his mother and his stepfather. The old grandfather, played by Amin Mueller- Stahl, is silent with Alzheimer’s. Michael Angarano is Ryan’s good friend.

After Ryan falls into the river and re-emerges, the situation has changed. The house is empty, his grandfather is alive and well and takes him on an exploratory journey which includes discovering a young girl, Melanie (Hayden Panettiere) who is able to skate on top of the water of the lake, a strange circus and ringmaster, trapeze acts, the dust on the floor of the circus which is called a dust factory, which people can fall through and go into other worlds, discover strange people, strange clothes, in a semi-comatose life. This is all a matter for a kind of limbo experience, a transition from one world to the next, the possibility of discovering oneself, making options to come to life again. This is what happens, advised by his grandfather, challenged by the ringmaster, with Melanie as accompanying him.

The film is rather serious in its tone, complex in its plot – but a moralising story for its intended audience.

1. A fantasy film? Serious fantasy? For the audiences? Their imagination? The reflection?

2. The American town, home, the countryside? The circus? The big top, trapeze, the dust factory? The inner realms of fantasy? The lake, the bridge? The musical score?

3. Ryan’s story, his age? At home? With his mother, with Lionel? The skating, with Rocky? With the friends, their taunting him about not speaking? Rocky accepting this and living with it? His bond with his grandfather, Alzheimer’s? The memory of his father, sketching the moon, the telescope? The later flashback, in the car with his mother, caught on the rail tracks, his father pushing them to safety, his father struck by the train?

4. Ryan, the outing with Rocky, on the bridge, the dangers, slipping? Ryan later falling from the bridge? Coming up from the water, Rocky disappeared? A new world?

5. Going home, his grandfather well, leading him, giving him good advice? The countryside, the circus? Seeing Melanie skating on the lake?

6. Melanie, her age, personality, her experiences, loss of memory, her friendship with Ryan, sharing with him?

7. The grandfather and his guidance, explanations, his mother and father? Choices?
8. Going to the big top, the trapeze artists, the ringmaster, his expression, both sinister and challenging? Their being caught? The dust, going into the other space, the range of people met, their appearances, costumes, their loss of memory?

9. The Dust Factory, disturbing the dust? The challenge to Melanie? The challenge to Ryan? His going on the trapeze, holding on by one arm?

10. The personality of the ringmaster, communicated with facial expression and action? The baseball, Ryan’s ability, the challenge, succeeding?

11. The moral of making choices, hanging on, opting out or facing the future?

12. His return to normal, after the appearance of his father, drawing the moon, the bond with his father? His beginning to speak, his mother’s delight, the support of Lionel? Rocky and his support? And the appearance of Melanie?

13. The appeal of the film – to what age group?