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On this episode of Indie Film Weekly, Glen Reynolds and Jason Connell speak with filmmaker Thane Economou about his dark-comedy true-story film Trust Me, I’m a Doctor, starring Kal Penn as Dr. Kapoor amid the Anna Nicole Smith media circus, with Linda Hamilton and Abbie Cornish.

Economou explains discovering the project through Kapoor’s memoir, shaping an unreliable-narrator structure with lawyer interruptions, and balancing heartbreak with humor inspired by films like Goodfellas, The Social Network, I, Tonya, plus thematic touchstones Quiz Show and Shattered Glass. He details extensive research into Smith’s life and court records, casting Penn and Hamilton, directing key scenes like the diary reading, and filming inside the actual WeHo Pride Parade. He discusses mixed-media visuals, a 2005–2007 soundscape with composers Daniel Stockdale and Niles Dwyer (DJ KASHMIR) and Briarcliff’s theatrical release plan of hitting around 600 screens.

Trust Me, I’m a Doctor opens October 16.

00:00 Welcome and Premise
00:41 Finding the Story
02:02 Choosing Dark Comedy
03:14 Unreliable Narrator Setup
04:21 Film Inspirations
06:27 Deep Research Process
08:01 Casting Kal and Linda
09:49 Directing the Diary Scene
11:01 Shooting Pride Parade
14:34 Narration Rules and Edit
15:55 Building the Soundtrack
17:15 Nailing the 2000s Look
18:56 Distribution and Briarcliff
19:46 Briarcliff Takes the Risk
21:11 Mixed Media and Poking Bears
21:37 Is Kapoor Sympathetic
23:56 Quick Cuts Theater Habits
24:49 The Vista Theater Memories
26:06 Repeat Watches and The Room
27:46 IMAX Odyssey and Parenting
29:34 Final Cut Family Secrets
32:12 Where to Watch and Farewell

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On this episode of Indie Film Weekly, Glen Reynolds and Jason Connell speak with filmmaker Kasia Adamik about Winter of the Crow, a political thriller set in Warsaw during martial law in 1981, starring Lesley Manville as British professor Joan who witnesses a secret-police murder and becomes trapped in a shut-down country.

Adamik explains the film’s long development from adapting Olga Tokarczuk’s seven-page novel, the challenge of capturing Tokarczuk’s absurdity and humor, and the decision to tell the story subjectively rather than with detailed political factography. She describes changing the protagonist from male to female after earlier script versions stalled, which clarified Joan’s vulnerability, ambiguity with students, and Thatcher-era context.

Adamik details recreating 1981 Warsaw largely in Luxembourg with slightly exaggerated realism influenced by Brazil, using Polaroids as proof and a “reality check,” and reflecting on her storyboard career before discussing the film’s themes of normalized oppression, lost freedoms, empathy, and audience reactions after its Toronto premiere.

Winter of the Crow opened in limited theaters October 9.

00:00 Show Intro and Setup
00:55 Origins of the Adaptation
02:53 Tokarczuk Tone and Subjective Approach
04:44 Why Joan Became a Woman
08:06 Casting Lesley Manville
10:09 Building Warsaw 1981
13:03 Polaroids as Proof and Paranoia
14:53 From Storyboards to Directing
16:29 Themes of Oppression and Empathy
18:38 Festival Premiere and Audience Reactions
20:49 Quick Cuts Moviegoing Q&A
24:03 Final Cut and Where to Watch

Get the free Indie Film Weekly newsletter here - https://newsletter.CircusRoadFilms.com/

Companies:
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Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/7i8CzZ19BfM6lRfFAobxRu?si=29bf8ec6da5b44d0
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This week on Indie Film Weekly, Glen Reynolds highlights five indie films worth knowing about: three in theaters, one on demand, and one classic.

🎥 Indie Film Reviews:
Misty Green (2026)
California Schemin’ (2026)
Double Trouble (2026)
Ballroom (2026)
Pan’s Labyrinth (2006)

Get the free Indie Film Weekly newsletter here - https://newsletter.CircusRoadFilms.com/

Companies:
Circus Road Films - https://www.CircusRoadFilms.com/
Just Curious Media - https://www.JustCuriousMedia.com/

Listen:
Apple Podcasts - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/indie-film-weekly/id1786274754
Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/7i8CzZ19BfM6lRfFAobxRu?si=29bf8ec6da5b44d0
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YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@IndieFilmWeekly

Connect:
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Indie Film Weekly - https://www.instagram.com/CircusRoadFilms/

#indiefilmweekly #independentfilm #indiemovies #filmreviews #movierecommendations #circusroadfilms #justcuriousmedia #glenreynolds