iden-ti-ty \ n.
1. the distinguishing character or personality of an individual
2. the sameness in all that constitutes the objective reality of a thing: oneness
3. the relationship established by psychological identification
- Webster's New Collegiate Dictionary

What if every choice we ever make was already made for us? What if there really were no coincidences in life and our destinies were already predetermined?

From James Marigold, the writer/director of C Land and Girl, Interrupted, and Cathy Konrad, the producer of the Scream franchise, comes Identity, a mind- bending thriller with a shockingly original and disturbing twist.

"Identity features some bold ideas," says director James Mangold It plays with conventions of suspense and shock and was an opportunity for me to work on a particular brand of film I admire, the single location thriller (Alfred Hitchcock's Rear Window, Ridley Scott's Alien and John Carpenter's The Thing). It's a challenge to make this one place stay interesting for the length of the Ahhhh."

The chilling originality of Michael Cooney's screenplay for Identity is what first seduced producer Cathy Konrad. "It was a classic puzzle movie, a whodunit with a shocking surprise twist. But there was also something subversive and dangerous about it," she says. "In addition, the characters were fresh. Typically in this genre they serve the plot. Yet in this film, the characters are the plot."

Mangold and Konrad worked with Cooney on the script, adding dimension and shading to the characters. "What Jim emphasized was giving all the characters a point of view and situating them at a crucial point in their lives," says Konrad. "The material is very rich, but it's subtle. We learn a great deal about these people in a brief period of time."

"I wanted to give each character a flaw and a secret," says Mangold, "something they are frightened of, something they're protecting, something that implicates them."

Another original aspect of Identity that intrigued Marigold was that the film features a shocking revelation, which occurs long before the movie s end. Marigold likens the moment in the film to "that sinking feeling in nightmares when it seems the very ground you've been standing on drops away. I couldn't wait to film these scenes and see them cut together."

"The film is expertly set up," promises Konrad. "The audience will not be able to anticipate most of the surprise twists and turns. They'll be looking elsewhere. Yet, the clues are there from the very first images of the film, which makes the movie both fun and challenging at the same time." Mangold wanted strong actors for the film. For the role of Ed the limo driver, he turned to John Cusack. "John brings a subtle kind of humanity to even his most serious roles, a warmth that I felt would be a great asset to a story which, at times, is pretty dark and frightening," says Mangold.

As was true for Marigold and Konrad, Cusack found himself immediately taken with the script of Identity. " I've never seen a film where the twist happens at the beginning of the third act and there's still more movie to go," says Cusack. "It just keeps on surprising you. It has so much edge."

Marigold reunited with Ray Liotta, with whom he d worked on Cop Land, to play Officer Rhodes. "Ray creates truly unique characters, men brimming with wit and intelligence who also contain the potential for violence," Mangold explains. "There s a sense of explosiveness behind Ray s eyes, a fire, which was perfect for Rhodes."

"The main attraction for me was working with Jim again," says Liotta, "but also because it was a genre I hadn't tackled. The characters are all compelling. They re all fighting to find their way in the world. And it s a very different kind of movie in terms of pacing. Just a couple of minutes into the movie it jumps into high gear and never slows down."

Another pivotal character was Paris, an ex-call girl with dreams of starting a new life. "I was very frightened when I first read the script," Amanda Peet admits. "I was wandering around my apartment making sure all the doors and windows were locked. It s very smart. And it really messes with your head."

Each of the other members of the ensemble brought another color, another element to the story, which was crucial to the success of the outcome. "It's a testament to the actors that even after the truth has been revealed, the audience really wants to see it through," says Konrad, "to learn their ultimate fates."


The dominant character in Identity, according to director James Mangold, may be the motel where all the film's principals are trapped. "The motel needs to feel alive throughout the movie," says Mangold. "The palette and the shapes of the rooms all had to feel real, but also emphasize the terror of the characters. "

"The right environment can also trigger an emotional response from the actors," Mangold explains. "There s something desperate and marooned about all the characters in Identity. Having the actors pushed up against each other in a confined space is fascinating. There s no way out for them, because the water and nature have hemmed everyone into this nightmare. They are powerless. Feeling that kind of claustrophobia can lead to fireworks."

To create the proper ambience of the roadside inn, Marigold collaborated for the second time with production designer Mark Friedberg (Kate & Leopold, Ice Storm, Far From Heaven), who says his primary task was to "make this one main set compelling enough to hold the audiences attention for the duration of the film (the average movie has about 50 sets or locations)."

The motel was built in its entirety on stage 27, the second largest stage on Sony Pictures Culver City lot - though an exterior location, in the California desert about 20 miles cast of Palmdale, was used for drive-up scenes and establishing shots. Given that most of the movie takes place at night in a rainstorm, however, both Marigold and producer Konrad agreed that it was easier to control the environment by shooting indoors most of the time. It would also add to the claustrophobic discomfort the characters are experiencing.

Friedberg and his crew required eight weeks to construct the motel, which filled the cavernous stage. The set was an engineering feat as well. It had to be carefully constructed so as to be leak - proof, and designed so that the constant rain would drain off without destroying the stage floors or walls. A giant rubber sub-floor was laid own over the stage floor an the motel was erected on it. The flooring for the set was made of gunite a material used in the construction of swimming pools.

"I wanted the water to completely envelop the actors and the camera frame," says Friedberg.

"Though the rain functions as a barrier to the characters escape, it s not that easy to make it look real," says Konrad. "A system had to be devised through the installation of rain bars above the set, which would enable us to control the volume and direction of the water."

Friedberg also enhanced the mood through his interior design scheme. Though the audience may not notice, the rose lattice patterned wallpaper in some of the rooms "looks almost like a chain link fence when you view it from a distance," says Konrad. Other rooms have striped wallpaper "which we consciously picked to look like bars, trapping people in."

So rich is the movie with detail, says Konrad, "that visitors to the set would all say the same thing: I feel like I've been here on one of my bad road trips."

about the filmmakers
James Mangold (Director) With his fifth feature, the thriller Identity, director James Marigold continues to explore a wide variety of genres while keeping constant the powerful ensemble casts, sterling performances, striking imagery and themes of the outsider, which have come to define his work. The son of two celebrated painters, Marigold earned a B.A. in Film and Acting from the California Institute of the Arts, where he studied under Alexander Mackendrick (Sweet Smell of Success, The Ladykillers). Thanks to an array of student shorts, at age 21 Mangold landed a writing and directing deal With Disney, where he penned both an ABC television movie and the animated feature musical Oliver & Company. Mangold then went on to gain a Masters in Film from Columbia University. Now 37, Marigold lives in Los Angeles with his wife and partner, producer Cathy Konrad. They have made his last four films together and are currently preparing Walk the Line, a film about the turbulent life of legendary singer/songwriter Johnny Cash.
 
Michael Cooney (Writer) was born and raised in London, England, but now resides in Los Angeles. Prior to Identity, Cooney wrote and directed the cult phenomenon Jack Frost and its sequel Jack Frost 2. He also wrote Tracks of a Killer. In addition to Cooney s film work, he is also part of the British theater world. His stage writing credits include the comedy "Cash On Delivery," which had its world premier at the prestigious Theatre Royal Windsor and has gone on to break box office records throughout Europe. The play ran for a year in London's West End before beginning a nationwide tour. His two stage thrillers, "The Dark Side" and "Point of Death" have both enjoyed successful British tours, and the latter has just been adapted to the screen as The I Inside.

Cooney s stage directing credits include "Penny for the Guy," a thriller by David Soames, "Nil by Mouth," a drama by John Chapman, and the first London tryout of the smash French comedy "Le Diner du Cons" Francis Verber. He also directed his own three "Point Death," "Cash On Delivery" and "The Dark Side."

"Murder In Mind," the film written by Cooney adapted from his stage play, was produced for HBO and starred Nigel Hawthome, Mary Louise Parker, Jimmy Smits and Jason Scott Lee.

He has also had two children s books published, George the Germ and Fantastic Adventures in the Land of Wishful Thinking.

Michael lives in Los Angeles with his wife Danielle.
 
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