‘Lemon’ Director Janicza Bravo & Star Brett Gelman On The Making Of Movie [VIDEO EXCLUSIVE]

Janicza Bravo‘s first full-length feature film, Lemon, was packed with faces familiar to the director. For starters, her partner of nine years, Brett Gelman, was the film’s star. Michael Cera, Judy Greer, and John Daly, all of whom appear in the film, were all actors who Bravo had previously known or worked with. And with all of those friends around, it’s nearly impossible to fail, even when the film is just about that.

Lemon tells the story of Isaac (Gelman), a flailing actor whose girlfriend of ten years has up and left. In three acts, the film explores his many failures across the board.

“It’s really a portrait of failure,” Gelman told uInterview exclusively. “We hope that people, when they see the movie, will feel less lonely in their own fears of failure and mediocrity. It was very much an exorcism for us.”

Bravo directed and co-wrote the film alongside Gelman but the actor was quick to note the film’s leader is its director.

“She’s the director and it was her idea and her vision. So she’s coming to the table with a lot envisioned already,” said Gelman. “So it was an agreement that she would be the leader in the process, as the director should be.”

While the writing process was difficult at times, Bravo notes, both director and actor knew the role they had to play.

“There’s a respect for Brett as the actor and me as the director,” said Bravo. “So while there is the shared writing, ultimately, I am hearing him out as the performer of the piece and he’s hearing me out as the director of the piece.”

And the favorite part of Lemon for both the director and the actor? Working with each other.

“I think the drive to and from work was my favorite because it was a great time for complaining and a great time for making lists of who we hated,” Bravo joked. “No matter how hard [making a movie] is… to be able to look across the room and see my partner in life and also my partner in this project and know that, ultimately, there is a least one other person who is in my corner, whose corner I am also in, was the best.”

“You’re answer won’t be as good as mine,” Bravo remarked to Gelman.

But still, he tried.

“This person is my favorite director,” he began.

“I know I’m biased, but she’s somebody I really believe has a lot of very important things to say and I felt privileged and honored to be able to be in her world that she was creating.”

Lemon also stars Cera, Greer, Daly, Rhea Perlman, Shiri Appleby, Nia Long, Fred Melamed, Gillian Jacobs, Megan Mullally, and Jeff Garlin and is showing in theaters now.

Watch the trailer below.