During the early part of the pandemic, that phrase - exhorting me to have faith that some things are timeless and unaffected by the events of the world - challenged me. In a world where a kiss could be fatal, and where sex without intimacy was more and more de rigueur, I wondered: could a “Hollywood kiss” still have the power to jolt us out of (or back into) ourselves, and through an undeniable connection, change our world? From the shadows of this question emerged two men, a modern-day Cyrano and a mid-life cynic, both in need of the poetry of a kiss to get their lives on track.  And this story came to be. 

I am inspired by the humanity of the films of Asghar Farhadi and his willingness to allow actors to carry the story and audiences to find their own answers. To present, not preach.  - Doug Tompos