Corpus Callosum (2007 film)
Encyclopedia
Corpus Callosum is a 2007 film by Sarah Nagy and Bryan Felber. It debuted in the United States
on December 13, 2007. It is named after the bridge of neural connections between the left and right sides of the brain.
teenage millionaire with an extraordinary gift for investing in stock
s. However, to Cross's dismay, this gift is abused by the press, her friends, and even her therapist. As this pressure continually erodes any of Cross's creative thoughts or attempts to the point of relegating her to a "stock picking machine," a journalist named Kyle Hutchinson enters the picture. Kyle is the exact opposite of Cross: a fledgling journalist for the school newspaper berided for his articles, which are creative and interesting but have nothing to do with the school. In order for him to pass journalism, Kyle must interview Cross for a single-page biography spread. Through her interactions with Kyle, Cross's creative side begins to take control of her brain as she prepares to cross over from the purely logical to the creative, from the left side
of the brain to the right
. Whether or not Cross can recognize the difference between the American Dream and her own ambitions is up to whether or not she can make this transition; that is, to cross the corpus callosum.
brand of pens, which were symbolic of Yuppie
culture of the 1980, and also by the character Cross Sugarman from Curtis Sittenfeld
's novel Prep. During several scenes in the movie, Cross can be seen drinking TaB
cola and holding a Cross pen, both symbolic of the 1980s (although the film takes place in 2007).
The characters of Kyle Hutchinson and Francisco Stanley were written with actors Evan Lewis and Sam France (respectively) in mind after writer/co-director Sarah Nagy met them while they all were in the cast of a production of Sweeney Todd
at Nagy's alma mater, Agoura High School
. Francisco's first name comes from the street of the same name in Los Angeles.
The film was shot with a Panasonic AG-HVX200 camera on both MiniDV
tapes and P2 cards
to lend contrast to the dual themes of the left and right sides of the brain. Production lasted over eight months due to complications involving Nagy's decision to attend UCLA in the fall.
Filming primarily took place in Agoura Hills, California
, Malibu, California, and Beverly Hills, California
.
The score was arranged by Edwin Telford, John Garcia, and Shaun Fleming
(lead singer of the band First from the Sea), both of whom Felber knew from Agoura High School. Unconventional recording methods and instruments, such as the rhythmic sound of water droplets falling, were intended to give Corpus a spacey, surreal feeling.
The symbol of the corpus callosum is represented in most shots involving Cross and Kyle, with Cross on the left and Kyle on the right, each representing their respective sides of the brain. The show Rob Hathaway: Interactive Children's Programming eventually addresses the corpus callosum in one of the episodes Cross watches later on in the film.
Robots
The recurring theme of TaB cola was conceived due to the hot pink color of the can. Nagy thought that hot pink was the most unnatural color of the spectrum, so Cross's constant consumption of the cola is intended to convey her mental status as robotic. The robots that Cross begins to hallucinate also reflect her resentment against the machine-like status society has relegated her to.
, which belonged to actor Sam France's father.
Most of the school scenes were produced at Agoura High School, which was being used at the same time by Stewart Wade
for his film Tru Loved
, which Nagy and Felber also worked on as production assistants.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
on December 13, 2007. It is named after the bridge of neural connections between the left and right sides of the brain.
Plot
The film follows Cross Carlton, a Los AngelesLos Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
teenage millionaire with an extraordinary gift for investing in stock
Stock
The capital stock of a business entity represents the original capital paid into or invested in the business by its founders. It serves as a security for the creditors of a business since it cannot be withdrawn to the detriment of the creditors...
s. However, to Cross's dismay, this gift is abused by the press, her friends, and even her therapist. As this pressure continually erodes any of Cross's creative thoughts or attempts to the point of relegating her to a "stock picking machine," a journalist named Kyle Hutchinson enters the picture. Kyle is the exact opposite of Cross: a fledgling journalist for the school newspaper berided for his articles, which are creative and interesting but have nothing to do with the school. In order for him to pass journalism, Kyle must interview Cross for a single-page biography spread. Through her interactions with Kyle, Cross's creative side begins to take control of her brain as she prepares to cross over from the purely logical to the creative, from the left side
Lateralization of brain function
A longitudinal fissure separates the human brain into two distinct cerebral hemispheres, connected by the corpus callosum. The sides resemble each other and each hemisphere's structure is generally mirrored by the other side. Yet despite the strong anatomical similarities, the functions of each...
of the brain to the right
Lateralization of brain function
A longitudinal fissure separates the human brain into two distinct cerebral hemispheres, connected by the corpus callosum. The sides resemble each other and each hemisphere's structure is generally mirrored by the other side. Yet despite the strong anatomical similarities, the functions of each...
. Whether or not Cross can recognize the difference between the American Dream and her own ambitions is up to whether or not she can make this transition; that is, to cross the corpus callosum.
Cast and characters
Cross Carlton's first name was inspired by the CrossA. T. Cross Company
A. T. Cross is a traded American company that competes in the writing instrument, stationery and premium sunglass businesses.-Overview:Cross manufactures and distributes writing instruments, journals and sunglasses worldwide...
brand of pens, which were symbolic of Yuppie
Yuppie
Yuppie is a term that refers to a member of the upper middle class or upper class in their 20s or 30s. It first came into use in the early-1980s and largely faded from American popular culture in the late-1980s, due to the 1987 stock market crash and the early 1990s recession...
culture of the 1980, and also by the character Cross Sugarman from Curtis Sittenfeld
Curtis Sittenfeld
Elizabeth Curtis Sittenfeld is an American writer. She is author of three novels: Prep, the tale of a Massachusetts prep school, The Man of My Dreams, a coming-of-age novel and an examination of romantic love, and American Wife, a fictional story loosely based on the life of First Lady Laura...
's novel Prep. During several scenes in the movie, Cross can be seen drinking TaB
Tab (soft drink)
Tab, stylized as TaB, is a diet cola soft drink produced by the Coca-Cola Company, first introduced in 1963. The soda was created by Coca Cola after the successful sales and marketing of Diet Rite cola, owned by The Royal Crown Company; previously, Diet Rite had been the only sugarless soda on the...
cola and holding a Cross pen, both symbolic of the 1980s (although the film takes place in 2007).
The characters of Kyle Hutchinson and Francisco Stanley were written with actors Evan Lewis and Sam France (respectively) in mind after writer/co-director Sarah Nagy met them while they all were in the cast of a production of Sweeney Todd
Sweeney Todd
Sweeney Todd is a fictional character who first appeared as then antagonist of the Victorian penny dreadful The String of Pearls and he was later introduced as an antihero in the broadway musical Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street and its film adaptation...
at Nagy's alma mater, Agoura High School
Agoura High School
Agoura High School is a public high school in Agoura Hills, California, United States. It is the largest high school in the Las Virgenes Unified School District...
. Francisco's first name comes from the street of the same name in Los Angeles.
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| Evan Lewis | Kyle Hutchinson |
| Sarah Nagy | Cross Carlton |
| Sam France | Francisco Stanley |
| Jamie Alcroft Jamie Alcroft Jamie Alcroft is an American comedian and voice actor. He is half of the comedy duo Mack & Jamie.-Early life and education:Alcroft earned a Bachelor of Arts in Communication from Ohio University in 1971.-Career:... |
Randy |
| Tommy Franklin | Crevit |
| Maggie Anderson | Alexandra |
| Bryan Felber | Rob Hathaway |
| Jonathan Rado | Mysterious Guitar Player |
| Mike O'Connor | Homeless Man |
| Steve Bacharach | History Teacher |
| John Garcia | Painter in Library |
Production
Sarah Nagy and Bryan Felber first met at the Agoura Film Festival in 2007, where both were premiering short films: Parallel Dreams and Metronome, respectively. Soon after, Nagy wrote a twelve-page prototype for the script, which was originally titled, The Cross Conspiracy. After reading it, however, Felber suggested the title Corpus Callosum, which Nagy liked better.The film was shot with a Panasonic AG-HVX200 camera on both MiniDV
DV
DV is a format for the digital recording and playing back of digital video. The DV codec was launched in 1995 with joint efforts of leading producers of video camcorders....
tapes and P2 cards
P2 (storage media)
P2 is a professional digital recording solid-state memory storage media format introduced by Panasonic in 2004, and especially tailored to electronic news-gathering applications. It features tapeless recording of DV, DVCPRO, DVCPRO25, DVCPRO50, DVCPRO-HD, or AVC-Intra streams on a solid-state...
to lend contrast to the dual themes of the left and right sides of the brain. Production lasted over eight months due to complications involving Nagy's decision to attend UCLA in the fall.
Filming primarily took place in Agoura Hills, California
Agoura Hills, California
Agoura Hills is a city in Los Angeles County, California, and has the ZIP code 91301. The population was 20,330 at the 2010 census, down from 20,537 at the 2000 census. It is located in the eastern Conejo Valley between the Simi Hills and the Santa Monica Mountains. This city on the Ventura...
, Malibu, California, and Beverly Hills, California
Beverly Hills, California
Beverly Hills is an affluent city located in Los Angeles County, California, United States. With a population of 34,109 at the 2010 census, up from 33,784 as of the 2000 census, it is home to numerous Hollywood celebrities. Beverly Hills and the neighboring city of West Hollywood are together...
.
The score was arranged by Edwin Telford, John Garcia, and Shaun Fleming
Shaun Fleming
Shaun Michael Fleming is an American actor and musician. He has a younger brother Dan Fleming who he lives with in his residence in Agoura Hills....
(lead singer of the band First from the Sea), both of whom Felber knew from Agoura High School. Unconventional recording methods and instruments, such as the rhythmic sound of water droplets falling, were intended to give Corpus a spacey, surreal feeling.
Major Themes
The BrainThe symbol of the corpus callosum is represented in most shots involving Cross and Kyle, with Cross on the left and Kyle on the right, each representing their respective sides of the brain. The show Rob Hathaway: Interactive Children's Programming eventually addresses the corpus callosum in one of the episodes Cross watches later on in the film.
Robots
The recurring theme of TaB cola was conceived due to the hot pink color of the can. Nagy thought that hot pink was the most unnatural color of the spectrum, so Cross's constant consumption of the cola is intended to convey her mental status as robotic. The robots that Cross begins to hallucinate also reflect her resentment against the machine-like status society has relegated her to.
Trivia
The "Laurel" character's mask was an original prop from the showLaurel and Hardy
Laurel and Hardy were one of the most popular and critically acclaimed comedy double acts of the early Classical Hollywood era of American cinema...
, which belonged to actor Sam France's father.
Most of the school scenes were produced at Agoura High School, which was being used at the same time by Stewart Wade
Stewart Wade
Stewart Wade is the screenwriter, producer and director of several independent short and feature films. Coffee Date was released in 2006, and deals with the intersection of the gay and straight worlds. Tru Loved was released in 2008, and deals with the founding of a school's first gay-straight...
for his film Tru Loved
Tru Loved
Tru Loved is a 2008 independent feature film written and directed by Stewart Wade.-Plot:Sixteen-year-old Tru has been raised in San Francisco by two lesbian mothers and two gay fathers...
, which Nagy and Felber also worked on as production assistants.