Adaption pushes local filmmaker in new ways

Twin Cities filmmaker Patrick Coyle has just completed his fourth film “Unholy Communion,” based on the book by the same title written by Scandia author Thomas Rumreich.
The film about a serial killer going after priests and focusing on sexual abuse is the first one that Coyle has done as an adaptation. His previous works have all been written by him.
Rumreich sent a copy of his book to Coyle asking him about the possibility of making it into a film. Coyle read the book twice, and he and Rumreich had several discussions.
“A lot of changes were needed to make it a film, and he gave me carte blanche to adapt it,” Coyle said. “We agreed to do a couple readings of the adaptation, and had friends, family and a few investors come to the readings. The result was instantaneous, and all of a sudden the project was a go.”
Coyle said that the project was fast-tracked because of the reception to the story. “It is a sensitive theme,” Coyle said, “And there were some who had experienced abuse who felt that it was a story that needed to be told.”
Coyle admitted it was not the sort of story he would have opted to do on his own, but he is glad he did it. “It pushed me in ways that directing my own original script could never do. I had to go outside my comfort zone on this one.”
Coyle’s previous films are “Detective Fiction,” “Into Temptation” and “The Public Domain.” Like his previous films, Coyle used mostly crew and actors from the Twin Cities and shot “Unholy Communion” locally. “I have brought in a handful of actors from New York and LA, but otherwise used local talent,” Coyle said.
The film stars Eden Prairie High School graduate Adam Bartley as Washington County investigator Chris Majek. Bartley is best known for his role as Ferg in the Netflix series “Longmire.” Minneapolis native Vincent Kartheiser, who played Pete Campbell in AMC’s “Mad Men” series, also stars as a close friend of the investigator.
Coyle said that actors, whether they are famous or not, want to act. “They are drawn to great material,” he noted. “You also have to have enough money.” Coyle said that if there is a great script, money in the bank and a track record as a director, actors will be attracted to the project.
Each film has its own challenges, and there can be many, according to Coyle.
“When you don’t have a ton of money, locations are incredibly important. To find the right locations you have to go the extra mile, and then the next 10 extra miles,” he said. “It is a great effort to go after and shoot places.”
Much of “Unholy Communion” was shot on West 7th Street in Saint Paul. Coyle said Keenan’s Bar on West 7th said no to shooting there three times. The fourth time they said yes. “Then they were incredibly gracious,” he said. “You have to take no as nothing personal and remain indefatigable,” he said.
“Then you have to go and find art direction, and get permits and make sure everything is legal,” Coyle continued. He said he also did a lot of shooting in the West Seventh neighborhood because that is the area where he lives. “At the end of a 12-hour day, I wanted to be close to home so I could crawl into bed.”
Coyle said that every time he makes a film, he can’t wait to get to the next one and apply what he learned. With four films under his belt, he said that if he is in the right mood he feels very, very proud of that. “They’re like my kids, very different from each other and I love them all,” he said. “I can also think about it and get very tired.
“I love everything about filmmaking, but I’m not crazy about the bookends of the process.” He said he does not enjoy raising the funding at the beginning and selling the film at the end. “Having a good business person to work with is really a great plan,” he stated. “You need to put the right people in place.”
Coyle recalled a Woody Allen quote: “You keep thinking it’s going to get easier, and it never does.” Coyle said he is already planning his next film, however, called “Leavenworth Street.” “It’s set in my home town of Omaha, and I’ll be shooting in Nebraska.”
As for “Unholy Communion,” the film premiered in September at the Riverview Theater in Minneapolis. “We are getting some really great response for this film,” Coyle said. He has a producer’s rep with a very good reputation who only takes on movies that he loves, and he is taking it straight to distributors. “We plan on taking it to a couple film festivals, and we’re waiting to hear from Sundance.
“Festivals are fun, and you meet people and network. It would be great to get it in the Dublin Film Festival. But I would like to get right into distribution.”