Situated in the picturesque canyons of Joshua Tree, Clay's debut feature film, The Seeding, offers a chilling portrayal of life and its cycles. Starring Scott Haze and Kate Lyn Sheil, the film follows a man who finds himself far removed from his familiar environment, tormented by a sadistic gang of boys and taken care of by a puzzling woman. Shot on location over 19 days, the film reflects the stark intensity of its desert setting.
The Seeding is screening in limited theaters and available for streaming since last Friday. We caught up with Clay over Zoom to talk about the film, from finding inspiration in termite mounds and fatherhood to the challenges of filming in the desert.
I'd love to jump right in and start off with talking about the film's setting and apart from that, what stood out almost immediately, which is this emphasis on cycles. The Seeding feels very non-linear, which deviates from the typical horror movie.
Yeah, well I'd say that the cycle of life is the biggest theme, and I'm trying to tackle the extent of that but in a very small way. I wanted to leave it in a place where you feel like, Oh yeah, this is just one story in a continuous cycle of stories that will carry on forever. It can be the story of this man, this woman, or just the story of a termite mound being built and the insects within creating their society, doing what they can to keep that going, and if it does collapse, rebuilding somewhere else and carrying on.
How did a walk through Joshua Tree give you this idea? I remember being there once with friends with no signal as the sun was setting and actually starting to panic as it got colder and darker and we couldn't find the trail.
Well, that's the sense you get when you're in the desert. You're always putting yourself in a position of vulnerability because it's so unfamiliar. I live two and a half hours away from Joshua Tree, and I've been many times, but every visit inevitably includes a moment like you described. Your walk has gone on a little longer than expected, or you decided to turn this way instead of that way, or you spot a beautiful pile of rocks you want to explore, and suddenly you're like, Oh shit, is this the right way back or is this the right way back?
Exactly and what you capture so well in the movie is the surge of adrenaline one gets in such situations.
Yeah exactly, there's an immediate feeling that starts inside, a growing panic takes over. Eventually, you find a path and you're like, Oh my God, thank God. Even though Joshua Tree is a national park and it's policed, people go missing, get lost, and sadly, some even die. It's unfortunate but that's the harsh reality of what happens because the desert is tough. It can all look the same in every direction. You've got the elements against you — blisteringly hot during the day and extremely cold at night. You've got the nature around you, the animals and insects that come out at night. That was something I was trying to infuse within the film — how the lead character was so removed from nature, and his experience rams his head right into the hornet's nest of it all. This is something we've all become a little bit detached from in our Western urbanized living, and it's frightening when you are suddenly put in a position where you think you can handle it, but you can't, and your idea of yourself within that world very quickly evaporates, and you realize how vulnerable you can be.