John Stewart Muller directs films that explore themes of commitment, abandonment, unrequited love, obsession, and emotional emptiness through psychologically complex characters. The son of the noted creative and graphic designer of the same name, John moved to Los Angeles following his upbringing in Kansas City to pursue writing, directing, and producing after studying at Loyola Marymount University. He co-wrote his debut feature, Fling, with his partner, Laura Boersma. Starring Brandon Routh, Courtney Ford, and Steve Sandvoss, the film explores the expectations and fragility of commitment when a couple's experiment with polyamory is disrupted by the return of an ex-partner. Fling marked Routh's first feature following Superman Returns and premiered at the 2008 Newport Beach Film Festival before receiving a theatrical release. Nick Urata of DeVotchKa contributed original music to the film, which complemented its ethereal themes of longing, uncertainty, and unrequited love. He followed with Indiscretion, a noir thriller set against the backdrop of Louisiana state politics, starring Mira Sorvino, Cary Elwes, and Christopher Backus. Continuing Muller's and Boersma's exploration of infidelity and desire, the film examines mental and emotional conflict, greed, and the intersection of art and ambition. Shot on location in New Orleans, the film features Sorvino as a psychiatrist whose life becomes increasingly entangled with politics and personal obsession. Throughout their careers, John and Laura have collaborated on numerous additional projects, including commercial work for clients such as Buick, MasterCard, and Mattel, as well as several acclaimed short films. In our conversation, we discussed why John loves living in Los Angeles; his tendency to collaborate with real-life couples; recent A24 films that have resonated with him; the influence of Ingmar Bergman on his work; and his next feature.
Opening Credits: Loyalty Freak Music - Harsh Lovel I CC0; Tommaso Croce - Shapeshift I CC BY-NC. Closing Credits: Pierce Murphy - Caldera Blue I CC BY.