So here’s the premise: A group of old college alumns – fraternity brothers – meet up with their younger matriculated complements from the alma mater. A 500-mile expanse of blacktop rolls through the rural flatland and farm pastures of Nebraska, Iowa and eastern Illinois on the way to the bright lights of the big city – Chi-Town, the Windy City, Chicagoland. It’s a breakneck pace driving through the inky, black veil so the chums can make the invite – the whole crew has been called up to sing the national anthem pregame for the Chicago White Sox.
Give the concept to Seth Rogen (Superbad, Pineapple Express) to write and the flick becomes a sharp-witted comedy with plenty of crudeness, illicit substances and an MPAA big-branded “R.” If the wordsmith Elmore Leonard penned the novel (which most certainly would be adapted for the big screen), the movie becomes a gritty thriller interlaced with a flawed, nuanced hero and overlaid with streetwise criminals, who have larger than life ambition. Essentially, it is all about the spin, that is, the way the story is told.
In real life the story of fraternity brothers – friends – driving through the night to croon the lyrics to a familiar tune that is more American than apple pie is somewhat far more ordinary than a big-screen adaptation, though in a sense it is also far more dramatic and tragic.
It was late in the Summer of 2000 when Brian Boye and Bill Rundle arrived in Omaha, Nebraska. It was in the early morning hours, returning after the massive road trip to Chicago for the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to sing the Star-Spangled Banner at a Chicago White Sox game. As is so often the case post graduation, the two hadn’t seen one another recently, so out of the conversation flowed a promise to reunite soon and catch up. Then Brian said, “I miss you, and I love you.” Bill answered back with an “I know.” The words were exchanged with an expectation, that being an affirmation of what had just been said – future plans to hang out. “I miss you, and I love you.” Those would be the last seven words Brian would ever speak to Bill. “I know” would be the last nonchalant but heartfelt ones he would ever hear Bill say back to him.
Four weeks later, while working at a radio station, Brian would discover that Bill Rundle of Hastings, Nebraska had gone missing. Rundle and a friend of his, Traci Kenley, had disappeared late one evening while the pair were in route to meet Traci’s boyfriend at a local watering hole, the Halftime Lounge. The traveling companions’ bodies would not be found until two years later. A drought lowered the water table, which lead to the discovery of Bill’s Jeep Wrangler in a drainage pond.
Images from the production of director Brian Boye's 'Famous Last Words'. Bryce Young (l), Brian Boye (center), Tony Ladesich (r). Credit: Brian Boye
Famous Last Words is a documentary film being shepherded through the production process by Kansas City independent filmmaker Brian Boye, the film’s director and producer. Quite poignantly, the documentary’s subject matter is about the last things people say to one another before death. Boye’s dedication to the topic is mixed with a comfortable ease and confidence when he states, “It could be the most profound conversation. It could be the most mundane conversation. What were you saying at the moment that you don’t get any other chance to say something to somebody else?” One can readily understand why it is personal for him; those seven final words.
Spend time with Boye and one will quickly ascertain that he has a jovial spirit and is quite affable. In a RomCom, Boye would play the leading lady’s best friend. He’s the loyalist, who when the heroine falls far and fails miserably in romance would offer heartfelt advice and a witty quip and send her back into the dating arena. With his unassuming poise, Boye’s character would also be the one that the heroine realizes has all the qualities she truly desires, but had looked past because he had been hiding in plain sight.
It is his easygoing nature that affords him the ability to interview people about such a difficult subject as someone’s passing. “I think I have a skill to get people to talk to me, comfortably.” There is a hint of reservation in Brian’s voice as he lets the words flow from his lips. Though he is not shy in discussing this aspect of his personality, there is a hint of discovery, as if Brian has contemplated the question in times past, and is once again revisiting it to answer in the affirmative.
Professionally speaking, Boye credits his membership in the Independent Filmmakers Coalition of Kansas City (IFCKC) as the organization that has helped him hone his craft as a filmmaker and acquire the skills necessary to produce Famous Last Words. The organization was formed with the express purpose of making more films and better films. A stalwart of the group for the last eight years, Boye recently finished his second term as the nonprofit’s president. According to Boye, the IFCKC is his second family and everyone knows that he will be at the Westport Coffee House on Wednesday nights, which is where the group’s 7:30pm weekly meetings are held. His choice to not run again for the president’s post allowed him to concentrate his efforts on moving the documentary forward.
Images from the production of director Brian Boye's 'Famous Last Words'. KC film and stage actress, Erin McGrane, is interviewed for the documentary. Credit: Brian Boye
Ask a filmmaker what he or she needs most in order to produce a film and the answer often headlining the list will be money. In order to create a film that had the production quality he felt Famous Last Words deserved, Brian decided to raise a production budget, something that he had not done significantly for previous projects. Candidly, “I really wanted to make this a solid film that I could really hang my hat on. And quite frankly from a business aspect, I think its got enough commercial appeal to where it probably, it certainly could be my most commercially successful thing.” One can imagine an A&E series built around the concept.
Boye decided to use Kickstarter.com as the method to raise the required capital to produce the film. The Kickstarter site and other websites like it such as IndieGoGo and Sokap are online portals that allow entrepreneurs seeking funds to connect with potential donors. Since “perks” are offered in lieu of securities, no SEC oversight or regulations are warranted. Boye raised slightly north of the $3,000 needed to produce the film.
With a sense of irony, Boye is the filmmaker that almost wasn’t. The small Nebraska town he hails from had a wee bit population of a mere 250 – not exactly the filmmaking mecha of the Midwest. Prior to him, there were no filmmakers the town had launched. “I didn’t even know people made short films before I came down to Kansas City,” Boye states emphatically.
He was raised by his mother in a single-parent home, being able to number the times on one hand that he had an interaction with his father. Those times would include twice while Boye was an adult, one of which consisted of his father being intoxicated. Boye points out, however, that he never went without. His mother “raised him very well.”
While there may be those persons who allow a fatherless upbringing to fuel the embers of bitterness, Brian has chosen to foster the experience and transform it into a positive. Married to Jodie, his wife of 15 years, his childhood then impacts how he parents his two children now. “I learned how to be a dad by not having one. I provide for my kids because I know what it’s like to not have a dad on a father-son baseball day.”
If there is one message that Brian Boye would like audiences of the documentary to absorb, embrace and act upon it is that tomorrow is not promised and that words matter. In the hustle and bustle of a fast-paced existence, do not let an insignificant “I love you” spoken in haste while rushing out to make the 9-5 stand as one’s Famous Last Words. Whether it be three, seven or twenty, give meaning to what is spoken.
If you have a story about significant famous last words that have made an impact on your life, please contact Brian Boye through the Famous Last Words Facebook page.
Originally published on Examiner.com.