Eternus is not a slam against religion. The film has no message. It is primarily a creative experiment designed to give the viewer the visual and aural experience of what it might be like to be sent to Hell. I tried to leave myself out of the process, to work as much on instinct as possible, and let my subconscious do the driving. This, I figured, would result in something that is pure. And, for the most part, it worked. I don't necessarily feel, when seeing the movie, that "I" made it. It was my subconscious. A part of me that isn't the waking everyday part of me that I am familiar with. So making the movie, in that sense, was a process of self-exploration.

If I were to look at the film and try to figure out what the message is, I think I would say it is that there should be a God, and he should love every single person. Or, more broadly, that every single person should be loved and be included in whatever context is at hand, such as in society. I find the main character's complete abandonment by the God he loves to be very poignant. But this is an aspect of life that is always with us in this world. From foster children to the elderly living in retirement homes to animals in shelters, many have, one way or another, been abandoned to some degree. Many just want a home, a place where they belong, but there is not one for them. I also find a parallel with the Spielberg film "AI", which, concept-wise, I thought was brilliant. That film probably had an influence on Eternus even though I was unaware of it. (Another influence, of which I was quite aware, and quite prepared to rip-off, is the brilliant work of Lucio Fulci and his filmmaking team.)

It was also, as I embarked on the making of Eternus, that I came to a realization about filmmaking, that the universally accepted terms "production" and "post-production" are, in fact, misnomers. Perhaps in the silent era, when scenes were often shot in one master shot and there was no audio, Production was the meaty part of the filmmaking process. All you had to do after shooting was develop the film, choose your best takes, glue them together, and drop in some title cards. Done. These days, however, "post-production" is where 90% of the work is done, at least in my experience. The production phase is simply the preparation of assets which you will then incorporate into the actual making of the film in post-production. I think we are fooling ourselves with the current terminology.

I am grateful to the very talented people who made this film with me: Greg, Emalie, Madeline and Chris. Greg's job must have been especially hard given that his character barely existed, even on paper. It was intentional that the character was vague, to serve the story, but it doesn't give an actor much to sink his teeth into. Greg brought him to life (my favorite part of the filmmaking process) and made him human and made us care about him. I could not have found a better actor for the part. My long-time friend Emalie surprised me with the ferocity she brought to her roles. Again, I couldn't have asked for a better actress (or a more dedicated one). Madeline pops up briefly in the middle of the film, but when it's over everyone is talking about her; the audience loves her. Chris, another long-time friend, laid down the great drum tracks that help give the film the primal energy that makes it work. There is a piece of each of us in the film.

At the time of this writing, only a handful of people have seen the film. Some people say they like the artistic nature of it. Some people say they "don't get it". Some people do not wish to watch it because of its subject matter, as if it were "taboo", which I find very interesting. Some probably feel that God would not approve of this film. I disagree. But I will enjoy its controversial aspect.