Action comedy redefined: Thelma director Josh Margolin and DP David Bolen

Thelma is a heartwarming and inspiring action comedy about Thelma
Post, a 93-year-old woman who falls victim to a phone scam and
loses $10,000. Determined to reclaim her money, Thelma embarks on a
thrilling adventure with her friend Ben (Richard Roundtree) on his
borrowed mobility scooter across Los Angeles. As Thelma, June
Squibb captivates with her portrayal of a feisty and independent
senior citizen out for justice and redemption. Thelma challenges
ageist stereotypes and inspires viewers to realize that they can
fight back against injustice at any age. Director and writer Josh
Margolin's masterful storytelling and keen eye for detail bring
Thelma's journey to life. He wrote the script from a place of love
and admiration for his own grandmother, and enjoyed playing with
action adventure elements. Josh admired cinematographer David
Bolen's documentary film, Some Kind of Heaven, which used a natural
and humanistic style. “In making this movie, it was so important to
me to find a partner who saw Thelma the way I saw it and wanted to
bring a filmic look to it, but also be able to have fun with it,”
says Josh. David found the script incredibly relatable, since he
also has a special relationship with his grandmother. He knew
exactly how he wanted to approach the visual language of Thelma.
With a background in shooting documentaries, David wanted Thelma's
world to feel real, so that audiences would emphasize with her
life. “Documentaries have really influenced how I film narrative
work,” he says. “I think it's important for things not to feel
overly lit or over the top. I'm chasing that feeling of realism and
that subjectivity that a documentary can bring.” David chose to
shoot on the ARRI Alexa 35, which was brand new at the time. During
preproduction, David found the camera responded well to natural
street light and shooting in nighttime conditions, since a good
part of the film takes place at night. With only a 25 day shoot,
Josh and David created an extremely detailed shotlist. Josh was
very aware that working with older actors meant that the production
needed to work within their capabilities. The production team kept
everything intimate and small, and the set felt like a close-knit
family. “The logistics of it were challenging on this film,” says
Josh. “It was a quick schedule and you are with elderly actors. So,
you know, as capable as June is, and as amazing as she is, you
don't want to do a bunch of takes on something.” He felt confident
that they could adapt on the fly and adjust to practical realities
of certain moments. “On the page, everything is one way, and then
the second you're doing it, things change,” says Josh. “I think
doing a lot of homework and also being able to be nimble was really
helpful for shooting an indie in L.A.” Josh, who also edited
Thelma, did not make the deadline to submit for the 2023 Sundance
Film Festival, but it allowed him the luxury of a long
postproduction process and screenings for friends and colleagues.
Once he submitted the film to Sundance for 2024 consideration, Josh
felt pessimistic about their chances. But not only did Thelma get
into the festival, it was given a world premiere screening. Shortly
after, Magnolia Pictures picked it up for distribution. Find Josh
Margolin: Instagram @jmargo999 Find David Bolen: Instagram
@davidbolendp Thelma is currently available for rent on Amazon,
AppleTV, or other VOD services and will be streaming on Hulu.
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