Film Synopsis
In LOST CHILD? filmmaker Gregory Ruzzin invites you along on a lighthearted journey as he uses his camera to bridge an ever-widening gap between himself and his sister Alyssa, whom he sees only at obligatory family Christmases.
After decades apart, Ruzzin and his sister struggle to reconnect as adults, and Ruzzin and his film meander into ever-deeper waters as her complex reality dismantles his imagined vision of his “little sister’s” life. What begins as Ruzzin’s attempt to salvage his withering relationship with his younger sister evolves into a journey of discovery, ultimately resulting in a vibrant and moving portrait of Alyssa Ruzzin, who struggles with epilepsy and a developmental disability as she makes a life for herself in Evanston, Illinois.
Often humorous and always inspiring, Alyssa is open, honest, and painfully articulate. She tells it like it is, without pretense or agenda, and along the way she wins your heart…and her brother’s too.
After decades apart, Ruzzin and his sister struggle to reconnect as adults, and Ruzzin and his film meander into ever-deeper waters as her complex reality dismantles his imagined vision of his “little sister’s” life. What begins as Ruzzin’s attempt to salvage his withering relationship with his younger sister evolves into a journey of discovery, ultimately resulting in a vibrant and moving portrait of Alyssa Ruzzin, who struggles with epilepsy and a developmental disability as she makes a life for herself in Evanston, Illinois.
Often humorous and always inspiring, Alyssa is open, honest, and painfully articulate. She tells it like it is, without pretense or agenda, and along the way she wins your heart…and her brother’s too.
Director's Statement
Although I have made narrative feature films before, "LOST CHILD?" is the first documentary film I have ever made. Ironically the film began, not as a documentary about my sister Alyssa, but as a fictional screenplay that I struggled to write for many years. It began as a story I was trying to tell and became a story that I have lived.
Throughout my life I have always been fascinated by the complex relationship between brothers and sisters but have rarely seen a film about brothers and sisters that “gets it right.” I decided as a brash young man that I was going to write that great brother/sister script and wow the world with my talent. After beating my head against the computer for what felt like decades, I realized that I was just not a good enough writer to “get it right” either. I abandoned the project. One night I expressed my frustrations about this failure to a documentary filmmaker friend and she suggested that I forget writing a script and just interview Alyssa when she came to visit me in California. “You never know what’ll happen.” I certainly didn’t, and what happened has been life changing for me as a filmmaker, as a person, as a brother.
I shot that first interview in the summer of 2004, and looking back I realize that I did not have a relationship with Alyssa then. I saw her once or twice a year, I thought I knew what her life was like, but in reality we were strangers to one another. Six years on we talk nearly every day. She turns to me for help and advice and I do the same, calling her when I’m feeling down or when I just want to share a laugh or hear hers. Making “LOST CHILD?” has been an amazing experience, and now that it is nearly finished I feel a great sense of satisfaction, and of impending loss. For once the film is completed Alyssa and I won’t have a “project” that we’re doing together anymore. I worry that the distance that had so defined our relationship before the film will creep back in.
In making “LOST CHILD?” I set out to tell Alyssa’s story, and accidentally ended up telling both her story and our story; the story of a sister, a brother, and the film that made them family again.
One day over lunch my mentor, producer Teri Schwartz, asked me to explain the movie to her and I stammered, then rambled on-and-on about Alyssa and Evanston and summers spent chasing Alyssa around with a camera and getting frustrated and mad and worrying about being honest and true and all the crazy things that documentary filmmakers worry about when making a movie like “LOST CHILD?”.
When I finally stopped to breathe Teri laughed and smiled and said, “It sounds like you’re making a love story.” I blushed.
She had no idea how right she was.
-Gregory Ruzzin
Throughout my life I have always been fascinated by the complex relationship between brothers and sisters but have rarely seen a film about brothers and sisters that “gets it right.” I decided as a brash young man that I was going to write that great brother/sister script and wow the world with my talent. After beating my head against the computer for what felt like decades, I realized that I was just not a good enough writer to “get it right” either. I abandoned the project. One night I expressed my frustrations about this failure to a documentary filmmaker friend and she suggested that I forget writing a script and just interview Alyssa when she came to visit me in California. “You never know what’ll happen.” I certainly didn’t, and what happened has been life changing for me as a filmmaker, as a person, as a brother.
I shot that first interview in the summer of 2004, and looking back I realize that I did not have a relationship with Alyssa then. I saw her once or twice a year, I thought I knew what her life was like, but in reality we were strangers to one another. Six years on we talk nearly every day. She turns to me for help and advice and I do the same, calling her when I’m feeling down or when I just want to share a laugh or hear hers. Making “LOST CHILD?” has been an amazing experience, and now that it is nearly finished I feel a great sense of satisfaction, and of impending loss. For once the film is completed Alyssa and I won’t have a “project” that we’re doing together anymore. I worry that the distance that had so defined our relationship before the film will creep back in.
In making “LOST CHILD?” I set out to tell Alyssa’s story, and accidentally ended up telling both her story and our story; the story of a sister, a brother, and the film that made them family again.
One day over lunch my mentor, producer Teri Schwartz, asked me to explain the movie to her and I stammered, then rambled on-and-on about Alyssa and Evanston and summers spent chasing Alyssa around with a camera and getting frustrated and mad and worrying about being honest and true and all the crazy things that documentary filmmakers worry about when making a movie like “LOST CHILD?”.
When I finally stopped to breathe Teri laughed and smiled and said, “It sounds like you’re making a love story.” I blushed.
She had no idea how right she was.
-Gregory Ruzzin
The Filmmakers
Alyssa Ruzzin • featured
Alyssa Ruzzin (Featured) lives in Evanston, Illinois, where she works as a bagger for Jewel/OSCO and refuses to be defined by the labels placed upon her by others. She was born in Mt. Clemens, Michigan, attended Grosse Pointe High School, and is a graduate of the PACE Program at National Louis University. Alyssa volunteers with the Center for Independent Futures, where she hopes to educate others about people with disabilities. LOST CHILD? marks the first time she has been the star of her own movie. Her brother insists it won’t be the last.
Gregory Ruzzin • Producer/Director
LOST CHILD? marks the documentary film debut of award-winning fiction filmmakerGregory Ruzzin (Producer/Director). Prior to LOST CHILD?, Ruzzin directed fifteen narrative films, including thirteen short films and two features. A native of Detroit, Michigan, Ruzzin resides in Los Angeles where he teaches courses in Film Directing as an Associate Professor at Loyola Marymount University’s School of Film and Television.
Emily Koonse • Editor/Writer
Emily Koonse (Editor/Writer) is an accomplished independent feature film editor. She received her BFA in Filmmaking from the University of North Carolina School of the Arts, School of Filmmaking and has edited numerous short films and feature films. Her first feature, PEARL DIVER, was a Heartland Film Festival Crystal Heart recipient. On her latest film project as editor, Emily worked alongside filmmaker Gregory Ruzzin to write and edit the feature film, LOST CHILD?
David Reynolds • Composer
David Reynolds (Composer). Born and raised in Minneapolis, David began composing music at the age of 9. After earning a BA in music composition from St. Olaf College in Minnesota, David was accepted into the exclusive Scoring for Motion Pictures and Television Program at USC’s Thorton School of Music. Although David has written scores for a wide variety of projects ranging from uber-budget studio films, to micro-bugets indies “LOST CHILD?” is his first documentary score. He currently lives and works in Los Angeles, California and is represented by First Artists Management. To learn more, visitwww.davidreynolds.net
John Stowers • Songwriter, "Better Day"
John Stowers (Songwriter, “Better Day”) has been called one of the most promising singer/songwriters in Southern California. “A Rootsy Pop Rocker with surprising soul. Songs filled with original thoughtful lyrics and melodies that soar.” John’s songs reflect his passion for the music that inspired him back when he was growing up in rural Missouri. Unable to tune in radio stations from surrounding cities, John grew up listening to his older brother’s classic rock and soul collection. He draws from this rich musical history when writing his songs. There are echoes of everything from Liverpool to Memphis in his music. To hear some of John’s music surf on over to www.johnstowers.com
