{"id":34267,"date":"2022-09-18T14:48:51","date_gmt":"2022-09-18T21:48:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/behindthelensonline.net\/site\/?p=34267"},"modified":"2022-09-18T15:14:52","modified_gmt":"2022-09-18T22:14:52","slug":"btl-radio-show-08-29-2022-with-guest-michael-mandell-and-our-exclusive-interview-with-abi-damaris-corbin","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/behindthelensonline.net\/site\/miscellaneous\/behind-the-lens-podcast\/btl-radio-show-08-29-2022-with-guest-michael-mandell-and-our-exclusive-interview-with-abi-damaris-corbin\/","title":{"rendered":"BTL Radio Show – 08\/29\/2022 with guest MICHAEL MANDELL and our exclusive interview with ABI DAMARIS CORBIN"},"content":{"rendered":"

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

We wrap up “summer” with this episode of BEHIND THE LENS with writer\/director MICHAEL MANDELL talking about THE MOVIE, plus my exclusive prerecorded interview with writer\/director ABI DAMARIS CORBIN talking about the powerful John Boyega-led film, BREAKING.<\/p>\n

Writer\/Director ABI DAMARIS CORBIN has taken one true story involving a veteran and the failures of the VA system and society and delivers the emotionally charged drama, BREAKING. Led by John Boyega and Michael K. Williams in his final film role, BREAKING is the story of former Marine Lance Corporal Brian Brown-Easley and the challenges he faced mentally and emotionally as he tried to reintegrate into civilian life on leaving the military only to have his efforts end in tragedy.<\/p>\n

As part of the fallacies with veterans\u2019 benefits, there is a law on the books that the VA is entitled to recover money directly from a veteran who stops attending classes or drops too many courses. Despite dealing with extreme PTSD and mental issues, in an effort to retrain himself and help provide for his beloved daughter Jayla, Brian had enrolled in computer classes. But he stopped attending and the government garnished his entire veteran\u2019s monthly benefit of $892 while claiming he still owed repayment of $271. As a result, Brian decided to showed up at a Wells Fargo bank branch outside of Marietta, Georgia and slipped a note to a teller that he had a bomb in his backpack. Brian allowed all employees except two to leave and called 911 and a local TV news outlet himself, apprising them of the situation.<\/p>\n

Working with the Brown-Easley family, Corbin delivers a film that is undeniably riveting and heartbreaking as we are with Boyega as Brown-Easley inside the bank during the hostage situation, getting into his head and his heart. Balancing that with what is happening on the outside with law enforcement and bureaucrats and it’s a heart-wrenching nail-biter.\u00a0 Production values are extremely high as is Corbin’s visual grammar and visual design to tell this story.\u00a0 Boyega as Easley and Michael K. Williams as the compassionate hostage negotiator who connects with Easley as he is also a former Marine, are award-worthy at every turn.\u00a0 \u00a0This is a fascinating and heartfelt interview that digs into the \u201cmaking of\u201d the film and the tragedy of the story itself.<\/p>\n