LOCALLY SHOT FILM HAS TIMELY FAMILY MESSAGE
Root of the Problem teaches viewers the value of giving from the heart
Scott Sikma acknowledges that it’s fitting for an indie filmmaker to make a low-budget movie about a money tree.
Call it a case of cinematic wish fulfilment.
“We have budgeting issues and things like that,” Sikma says while on a break from shooting the Calgary-based family film Root of the Problem last week.
“At the end of the day, it was like, ‘If only we could take money from that tree, then it could help us.’ But it’s because it’s so small with this project, it is all the little things that make it possible.”
That’s actually the overlying theme of Root of the Problem, which wrapped early last week after a 20-day shoot in Calgary and at the West Butte Ranch west of Millarville. Flashpoint’s Sergio Di Zio plays Paul Campbell, a husband, father of two and small-town realtor who occasionally engages in shady business practices. When the uncle of his wife, Grace (played by Claire Rankin), dies, the family inherits a mysterious plant.
Paul soon discovers it’s a money tree, which eventually heightens his greed as he keeps its powers secret from his family.
“He doesn’t care about the little things in life, it’s all his way or the highway,” Sikma says.
“When he ends up getting the beautiful gift of a money tree, he has to learn the hard way that it’s not going to give you back things unless you are giving from the heart. That’s the whole secret around the plant: It only gives you back what you give from the heart.”
If that sounds like a bit of an earnest message for these cynical times, it’s because Root of the Problem is essentially a “message film.” Designed to be a G-rated project suitable for the whole family, Sikma has close ties to the source material. It’s based on his mother’s faith-based novel of the same name. Joanne Sikma, who is now based in Sylvan Lake, is a prolific author who became a consultant on the set of the film.
Sikma read his mother’s book five years ago and immediately saw its cinematic potential.
“I love the message so much of the novel and I said: ‘We cannot get rid of it in the movie, that’s the whole premise of the movie, it’s based on her original message,” Sikma says.
“We went back and forth with the writers, always to make sure we weren’t tweaking it too far.
“At the end of the day, it does make it easier being her son,” says Sikma. “I can just say, ‘Listen, mom … ‘ I don’t get that privilege on other movies.”
Root of the Problem is Sikma’s feature debut after directing shorts and music videos. Growing up in the small Ontario town of Pontypool, Sikma credits his grandfather for immersing him in classic films, such as Singing in the Rain, Citizen Kane and the work of Alfred Hitchcock. He began acting at a young age before being trained as an animator.
He eventually switched to liveaction and began working on the crew of blockbusters, such as Interstellar, and television series like Prison Break, Flash and Arrow. He was also recently the first assistant director of East Texas Oil, Kevin Sorbo’s low-budget Christian feature that shot in Calgary and Alberta earlier this year.
As for Root of the Problem, the more overt Christian elements found in the book have been toned down.
“It’s non-denominational so everybody can watch it,” says producer Carolyn McMaster of Calgary’s CHAOS. “Everybody can watch it. I always refer to it as a message-based film. It really is about a family man who learns valuable lessons in life and that greed and money aren’t the be-all and end-all of life and that there are more important values. From a point of view of values and morals and ethics, there’s a story there for everybody to just heed the caution.”
The film, which also stars Leslie Benn and Ty Loupelle as Paul and Grace’s children, is aimed at a wide demographic.
“You are seeing a little more now with the family, message-based films and programming that the whole family can watch without worrying about what words are coming out of someone’s mouth or if someone’s head is going to be shot off and the usual violent movies,” says McMaster, who is producing the film with her twin sister, Margot.
“It’s a family-based film and we are quite proud of it.”
Root of the Problem is scheduled for a spring release.
It … is about a family man who learns valuable lessons in life and that greed and money aren’t the be-all and end-all.