Jay Duplass has arrived at a significant crossroads in his artistic path and personal evolution. After years of drawing from his own life and family stories for his work, he felt compelled to extend his focus toward narratives beyond his immediate experience. This change in direction aligned with an opportunity presented by Kumail Nanjiani and Emily V. Gordon, who introduced him to a distinctive project — a tragicomic screenplay and memoir by Adam Cayton-Holland. The work candidly explores Holland's struggle with post-traumatic stress disorder following the suicide of his sister. Duplass found himself both moved and entertained by the material, inspired to support and share this deeply personal story.
"You have to be irrationally in love with the movie you're making," Duplass remarked. He acknowledged standing on the foundation laid by the Cayton-Holland family in Denver, who endured an unexpected and profound hardship. The project conveys not only their survival but also their emergence transformed and strengthened. This narrative forms the core of 'See You When I See You,' which is set to premiere globally at the Sundance Film Festival on Tuesday and is actively pursuing distribution deals. The cast features Cooper Raiff, Kaitlyn Dever, David Duchovny, Hope Davis, and Lucy Boynton.
Duplass described the film as a conceptual successor to Nanjiani and Gordon's acclaimed film 'The Big Sick,' which received an Oscar nomination for its heartfelt take on a romantic comedy.
Opting to place Cooper Raiff, a younger and less established actor, in the leading role was an unconventional but deliberate choice. Duplass has served as Raiff's informal mentor since before Raiff’s initial feature film emerged, recognizing in him a range and depth not as commonly observed among his contemporaries.
"He is exceptionally talented, intelligent, humorous, and emotionally accessible," Duplass noted, highlighting the rarity of these combined traits in someone Raiff's age group (Raiff is now 28).
Including more renowned actors such as Dever, Duchovny, Davis, and Boynton was essential. Nonetheless, Duplass has observed over the past decade to decade-and-a-half a tightening in availability among prominent actors for smaller, independent art films. He attributes this shift partly to the lucrative opportunities in television and the strategic role talent agencies play, often limiting access in anticipation of potential last-minute engagements for limited series or single episodes.
Despite these barriers, Duplass praised the commitment of Dever, Duchovny, Davis, and Boynton to the project, emphasizing their willingness to engage in meaningful artistic endeavors even when financial compensation is modest.
"The budget is not substantial," he acknowledged, "but these individuals are driven by the desire to create art and were ready to take risks to craft something remarkable alongside me."