By George & Josh Bate
Workplace comedies like Office Space and The Office poke fun at the sort of situations that transpire when one works a 9-to-5 job in an office. But the workplace can also be a microcosm of the world, offering a truncated glimpse at individuals’ perceptions of politics, culture, and more.
That’s the focus of Another Day in America, a new film from writer/director Emilio Mauro. Another Day in America, which recently made its world premiere at Cinequest ’24 and recently screened at Boston International Film Festival, is a dark dramedy revolving around an ensemble characters navigating a post-pandemic day in an American office. Through interactions between these characters, the film explores a host of themes, including misogyny, racism, mental illness, perversion, disenfranchisement, violence, internet addiction and more. A dark comedy that provides a microcosm of different themes all told through the interactions of employees at an office job, Another Day in the America is daring, provocative, and uncomfortable.
Another Day in America comes from the mind of Emilio Mauro, who makes his feature directorial debut with the film. Check out a trailer for the film below:
Writer/director Emilio Mauro published a director’s statement on the film, which is included below.
“Based on true events: ‘Another Day in America’ tells the stories of an ensemble of distinct characters as they each make their way through a seemingly normal workday which begins to unwind. As pressure mounts on each character as they are pushed closer and closer to the brink, culminating in a harrowing and psychologically explosive conclusion.
“Human beings are flawed. Painfully flawed. We are fueled by our insecurities and our fears. Searching for meaning and acceptance, we often trade away the best part of ourselves. Collectively, we are a polarizing, politicized and tribal society, with a deeply violent and painful history. We maneuver through the pains of disenfranchisement, racism, perversion, mental illness and addiction. But we are now at a tipping point, which makes our existence even more painful, more damaging, more dangerous, and, at times evil.
“This film is all about the actors and letting them challenge themselves to tell an authentic and difficult story, but one that digs deep into our culture and moment in history. I wrote blunt, honest and challenging dialogue that doesn’t pull any punches.
“This is a hard film. A throwback to the great films of the 90s, such as Chasing Amy, Reservoir Dogs, and American Beauty; films that never back down from their vision. The language is harsh and the tone often shocking, while simultaneously being funny and liberating.
“The film is crafted into a Mamet-esque narrative. one day, essentially one location. People in rooms – fighting it out!
“And it seeks to regain and capture a lost audience glued to their TikTok or favorite podcast.
“The filmmaker believes, like Duke Ellington did, that “Art is dangerous. It is one of the attractions: when it ceases to be dangerous, you don’t want it.” Art can and needs to pierce through our tribal beliefs, left, right, or middle. Art is for everyone.
“Charlie Kauffman very recently said. ‘An artist’s work is to reflect the world, say what is true in the face of so much lying. We work for the world.’
“Unprecedented times? Indeed. What have we given away ourselves to get something we think is just a little bit better? What violence, what depravity, what banality has been normalized to undo our humanity? Another Day in America will be a culturally radical film. Like all true cinema, it is designed both to reflect back on our own selves while also undoing everything we accept around us each and every day.
Stay tuned for more information on future screenings and release information about Another Day in the America.