The story for “A Bit of Light” seems quite gloomy.
This touching and emotionally perceptive film begins with Ella (played by Anna Paquin) hitting rock bottom. She’s just become sober, but she's also resentful and desolate, spending her days arguing with her worried but powerless dad (Ray Winstone) and brooding at the playground where she used to take her daughters.
Ella’s mother died of cancer, her father was an alcoholic, and Ella grew up angry, drinking excessively and losing control, taking it out on her young daughters – until she gave custody to her ex-husband.
It’s at the playground that she meets Neil (played by Luca Hogan, in a memorable first appearance), an unusual and clever young boy, who restores Ella’s hope.
“A Bit of Light” is based on a play by Rebecca Callard. The director, Stephen Moyer, first met Paquin when they both starred on the Showtime vampire hit “True Blood.” Their characters fell in love, and so did they, getting married in 2010. Moyer did his first directing work on that show and has since directed a feature, the well-received ensemble film, “The Parting Glass,” which also featured Paquin.
Paquin and Moyer talked to us about the new film, which will be in theaters and available for streaming starting on April 5, and the conversation has been edited for brevity and clarity.
Q. What interested you about the play and the role?
Moyer: I like that we are coming in after the exciting events. We meet Ella at that moment where it’s the everyday routine: “Every day, I have to go to difficult meetings that I hate, and I don’t want to be in this room. I don’t want to be with my dad. I don’t want any of this.”
I'm sober. I haven't had a drink in about 23 years. And there are times early on when one is doing that where you think, “Oh my goodness, it’s only 11:00 a.m. and I’m still sober and that is so dull.”
Paquin: I love how genuine and unapologetic and completely shattered she is, and it doesn't disguise this ugly and sad moment in her life. We allow her to be all the things she's trying not to be but that she is continuing because she’s so full of self-hatred.
Moyer: This concept of Ella going to the playground where she used to take her children to torment herself by watching other children play was such a rock-bottom moment. And it was such a beautiful idea, the story of a person at their lowest point, who’s invisible and broken, but who gets noticed by this boy who decides to try and put her back together again. I loved this idea that even at your lowest point, there is somebody there to help you if you allow them in. Ella tries very hard to push him away, but he's persistent.
The irony is that when I read the play, Rebecca had sold the rights, but a couple of years later when we actually got the rights, Anna – who Rebecca had thought of as too young for the role – had turned 39. And Ray Winstone has a daughter called Ellie, who he calls Els, and he has another daughter who is the same age as Anna. It was strange how it all came together at the right time.
Q. Anna, did you enjoy being told that you finally appear old enough for this role?
Paquin: I am tired of playing characters who are significantly younger than my actual age. I know it's not appropriate to complain about looking young in my line of work, but I have no desire to relive my younger years. It's not particularly interesting as you grow older and your priorities and life change. I've always been waiting to mature into the roles that I desire.
Q. Meanwhile, the youngest character, Neil, is probably the most mature despite his own difficulties in life.
Moyer: I enjoyed the fact that he speaks straightforwardly and talks like an adult, but he expresses things that no one else will say – he's the voice of conscience, if you will, of the whole piece, so he's not a typical 13-year-old boy.
Q. Like Ella, and also Alan, he’s invisible in his own world.
Moyer: Exactly. I appreciate the concept of Broken Dad also being pieced back together. The “bit of light” in the title could be the tiny piece of hope that Ella holds. But it could also refer to the fact that wherever Neil, this strange spectral character, goes, he is the beacon of hope. Wherever he encounters others, he assists them in dealing with their current situation. He embarks on a mission to put Ella back together, but in doing so, he also influences everyone else around her.
Q. Ella is in constant emotional turmoil. Was that exhausting and difficult to shake off at the end of the day?
Paquin: I don't know how to do that. I simply put my all into it and leave everything on the floor and walk away. I appreciate that drained feeling. It makes me feel like I've done my job well. However, to delve into emotionally intense or scary places and truly open up, you need to feel secure in your surroundings. And I feel very secure with my husband as the director. I know that he supports me. We met during a chemistry read and we were very comfortable with each other from the beginning.
Q. Is your dynamic at home the same as it is on the set?
Moyer: On the set I'm pleasant, but at home I'm a different person.
Paquin: No, he's very nice.
