'Bureaucracy' is labor of love for UVa alumni

By Mary Alice Blackwell
Daily Progress correspondent
The one thing people don’t like these days is bureaucracy.
At least, people don’t like the type that is spelled with the lowercased “b.”
“Bureaucracy,” the movie, is another story entirely.
It’s been creating quite the stir on the film festival circuit this year, winning best drama at the Bare Bones Film Festival and best crime drama at the Indie Gathering.
Tonight, you can get a chance to cut through all the red tape of buying tickets by attending a free screening at the University of Virginia.
So here’s a sneak peek of the sneak peek:
Roger, played by Jack Robinson, has been taking care of his blind sister. They live in a trailer park and he has been a loyal but very overworked clerk at the bureau where he has been employed. He works long hours, but gets low pay and lower respect. Not that any of us can identify with that scenario, but Roger comes up with a plan to improve his economic situation.
His not-so-fair boss has been taking advantage of him for too long. When the boss man reneges on a promise to promote Roger to assistant manager, the once-loyal employee decided to do a little investigating. After he learns how corrupt the boss really is, Roger decided to do a little something that, well, only a really overworked, underpaid employee could dream of.
Roger decides to kill his boss and take “his” title.
Robinson must have hit a chord with the film festival audiences too, because he won the best actor award at the 10th annual Bare Bones fest. The actor who lives and writes (children’s books) in Venice, Calif., also can be seen in the upcoming films “Icarus is Calling” and “It’s Over.”
However, it isn’t the stars on the screen that are responsible for bringing this new film to town. It is the brothers behind the silver screen. Andrew Perreault, who produced the film, is a University of Virginia graduate.
Perreault is hosting the free screening along with fellow Hoos Matthew Webber, Brian Kirby and Jay Hoover. (Perreault, Webber and Kirby all graduated in 2005.) The foursome is the force behind Proactive Pictures, a filmmaking company that strives to combine the spirit of independent movie making with a conservative business approach.
“Bureaucracy” is their first film.
They shot it in Los Angeles, where they tapped into the talents of actors David Simon, Kaitlyn Black, Jane Shepherd, Christine Haeberman, Alex Quattlander, Myles McLane, John Godley, Alvin Bellow and ESPN radio’s Steve Mason, who, appropriately, plays a reporter.
Of course, it would be wrong not to mention the writer and director … Andrew Perreault’s brother David Perreault. Look closely at the closing credits and you will see another Perreault. Karen plays the part of Florence Cartwright.
But it is Andrew who hooked up with the Virginia Film Festival and the UVa Alumni Association to give us the opportunity to see his first film. Andrew, who graduated from the School of Engineering, was born and raised in Virginia and worked as a civil engineer in D.C. But it was his passion for movies that led him to create Proactive Pictures two years ago.
So, why not go out and give it a look?
The price tag is perfect for these harsh economic times. And it is a good way to wind down over a busy workweek. As we know … the 9-to-5 grind can be murder.

DETAILS
“Bureaucracy”
8 p.m. tonight
Wilson Hall
Free.