After collaborating on The Boy Behind the Door and The Djinn, co-directors and co-writers David Charbonier and Justin Douglas Powell are teaming up for the third time. Once again, they deliver a wonderful mix of horror, thriller and suspense when telling the story of the pregnant real estate agent Natalie (Alicia Sanz), who’s being stalked by her latest client and serial killer (Raúl Castillo). What should have been a straightforward, open house tour turns into a nightmarish cat-and-mouse game during which Natalie not only has to save her own life but also the life of her unborn child.
Geek Vibes Nation had a virtual sit-down with the filmmakers to discuss what it’s like having a co-director, creating immense tension and their love for all things horror.
Geek Vibes Nation: Hi, both. Congratulations on the film. Push is your third collaboration. Because you’ve worked together multiple times, does it feel more relaxed making a film, or is it still daunting because it’s a new project every time?
David Charbonier: I feel like it’s always scary diving into a production, especially when you’re getting ready to shoot. It almost feels like you’re jumping into the deep end of a pool. However, one of the great things about working with Justin, whom I’ve known since we were lifelong friends, is that we’ve such a great shorthand, and it’s that built-in support that’s amazing. It’s just been a great creative collaboration.
GVN: Justin, can you tell us a bit more about where the story comes from?
Justin Douglas Powell: Yeah, interestingly, it came from David. He did some real estate photography and was out at a listing, taking photos. He realised that it was this creepy, exposed situation. He called me and was like, “You know, I just feel like, you know, someone could just come here and kill me.” And out of that, a story was born. That’s how we got to Push.
GVN: David, it’s kind of a big leap to go from the main character being you to the main character being a pregnant woman. Why did you choose a pregnant woman as your protagonist?
DC: Just like me, she’s a photographer. The most crucial element was that we wanted it to feel very relatable. Something about the photographer felt very specific, but also, the types of horror movies we like are those helmed by strong female leads. We also hadn’t had the opportunity to tell a story like that before. This was an excellent opportunity to create a cool, strong, yet vulnerable character like Natalie. We have a fantastic actress, Alicia Sanz, who portrays her superbly.
GVN: And how did Alicia (The Legend of El Cid) come on board?
JDP: It was thanks to our fantastic cast director, Amy Lippens (Saw). She has been our casting director on all of our films so far. And we weren’t familiar with Alicia before this film. Amy brought her to us. And we were immediately like, “Oh, she’s the one!” We were familiar with Raúl (Smile 2), though. He’s someone that we’ve loved and admired for a long time. We were ecstatic that we got him. However, all credit goes to Amy.
GVN: The house itself is also a character, as it serves as the setting for the majority of the film. How hard was it to find the right location? And where did you find that?
DC: We shot in California because of restrictions on budget and resources. Surprisingly, the house wasn’t too difficult to find, as we knew certain aspects we needed in a home. We tried to be specific and look for that. We knew it was crucial to get the right house. Otherwise, it wouldn’t even be worth telling the story. Eventually, we found a house only about 20 minutes away.
JDP: 20 minutes from you.
DC: 20 minutes from me, an hour from Justin. Yeah, we got really lucky with the house because, as you said, we consider it a third character.
GVN: The film is a combination of a horror and a thriller movie, but there’s not a lot of blood. It focuses more on the tension and the psychological game. How do you create such suspense?
JDP: We tend to lean more into suspense than gore and on-screen violence. We want those moments of violence to land, but I think that the more you withhold it in a way, the more impactful it can be. However, we went back to a lot of Hitchcockian thrills, and we also grew up with 90s horror and thrillers. We wanted to pay homage to those works.
DC: On a practical level, because of the house we were talking about, we had to be careful with it because it is a historic house. We couldn’t even use blood, even if we wanted to. So it’s good the story didn’t require it because it would have presented a very technical difficulty.
GVN: To establish the tension straight from the start, is that also why there’s no sound right at the very beginning?
DC: I think so. We believe in the motto that film is a visual medium. Therefore, we avoid dialogue or exposition whenever possible, opting instead for visual storytelling to convey our message. In the opening sequence, in particular, the title sequence, when she’s going through the house, we thought it would be impactful to have no dialogue. It has no sound except for the score. It allows us to build a bit of atmosphere while also laying out the geography of the house we’ll be living in for the next 80 to 90 minutes.
GVN: When Alicia came in, was there a lot of talk about how pregnant women might feel in a situation like that, how she would move, and more to enrich the character even more?
JDP: Fortunately, Alicia, she’s such a great professional. She did extensive research on her own and brought so much to the character that was beyond what was even on the page. Her work philosophy was something that intrigued us about working with her. She contributes to the character of Natalie, and I like her just as much, if not more, than I did when we wrote her. She did conduct a substantial amount of research and conveyed some hard-hitting emotions throughout the film. Anyone watching will see.
GVN: The majority of the movie is a game between Alicia and Raúl their characters. What was the first scene you shot with the two of them together?
DC: I believe it was the scene they had in the kitchen. We shortened it in the edit for the pacing, but initially, there was a bit more dialogue and interaction. Seeing them on screen together for the first time was just undeniable. They have this great chemistry. We’ve been saying how excellent Alicia is, and she is incredible. And Raúl is equally great. They’re just these two powerhouse talents. We definitely won the actor lottery when we got both of them. There was something special about seeing them together on screen.
GVN: When being on set and having someone as your co-director, does that make it feel easier during the days of shooting because you have someone to talk to and share ideas with?
JDP: We talk about this a lot because we’re always like, “How is it that most directors do this alone?” It just feels like a daunting task. It’s great to have someone you can lean on. David and I have known each other our whole lives. We feel comfortable around each other, but we’re also able to divide and conquer when needed; we prefer to do things together as much as possible. However, it does help when you need to be more efficient.
There was a great moment when we separated; one of us led the first unit, and the other the second unit, and then we had to switch the next day. This was like towards the end of this year, and we’re like, “Oh my god, we need to do this again, like in the future.” It’s wild to us that so many people do it alone. So we’re delighted to have each other.
GVN: This collaboration is once again a horror/thriller feature, just like your two previous ones. What is it about those genres that you like so much?
DC: I don’t know. I do know we’ve been fans of the horror genre for a while. Since a very young age, we have bonded over those ’80s and ’90s horror and thriller movies. I don’t know why we gravitated so much to the dark film. But as a genre, many people love it because it allows for the exploration of more universal dark themes in a fun and thrilling setting in a way that is not easily accessible in drama or comedy. We’ve always had such a great love for those types of movies. And we want to make more of them if we can.
GVN: If there’s any horror film that has already been released but you could remake, which one would you choose?
JDP: We’d love to remake The Birds. That’d be fun. There are some others, too. But I’m not sure if we’ll ever be in the running for that.
DC: I know the one you want to say.
JDP: We’ve had a great love for the movie Cujo for a very long time. But they’re making it now, which is excellent. I’m so excited to see how it turns out.
GVN: What is next for you guys? A collaboration or making a movie separately?
JDP: We’re going to be working together again. That’s always the plan. We want to keep working together. Next up on the slate is a movie called The Nowhere Game with Kiernan Shipka (The Last Showgirl) and Mckenna Grace (Slanted). We haven’t shot it yet. We’re excited to work with them.
GVN: You can cast amazing actresses, as those three names are amazing as well.
DC: Yes, we work with great actors. It makes our job a lot easier
Push is out now on Shudder. Read our review here.
Subtitle translator by day. Film journalist by night.
