BTL Radio Show - 06/30/2025 with NICK VERDI talking SWEET RELIEF and DANIEL J. CLARK & JOE KWACZALA talking AMERICAN COMIC

Behind The Lens

This week, we’re taking a look at a new indie film that just released in select theatres and on Eventive VOD on Friday, SWEET RELIEF, with writer/director/editor NICK VERDI. And we’ll take one more look at Dances With Films 2025 with the oh-so-funny mockumentary AMERICAN COMIC with director/cinematographer/editor DANIEL J. CLARK and writer/actor JOE KWACZALA. AMERICAN COMIC helped close out the festival last night.

First up, let’s turn our lens to SWEET RELIEF. Written and directed - and edited - by NICK VERDI, SWEET RELIEF is a film that starts as a slow burn, gaining momentum as seemingly unrelated characters and storylines begin to interweave until the shocking, explosive climax in this arthouse thriller.

Parents and teachers in a small New England town are in a panic over kids playing SWEET RELIEF, an online murder challenge in which the player must nominate someone they'd like to see die. Three teenagers play the game as a joke, unaware of the dire consequences awaiting them.

Meanwhile, Jess and Nathan are a bored, millennial couple struggling to get by. Nathan is annoyed with his mother, and Jess is annoyed with Nathan. Jess’s curiosity and boredom lead to a dangerous situation of her own when she meets Gerald, a confidential police informant and perhaps a sadistic child killer.

As you will hear in this exclusive interview, we break down the film as Nick explains the film's genesis, including the challenge of shooting in six consecutive days with a large cast and outdoor settings, and the film’s non-linear narrative. He details the evolution of the story and some of the decisions he made along the way. The film's strong suits include solid production values, character development, which boasts some standout performances by Paul Lazar and B.R. Yeager, a unique blend of pastoral imagery and unsettling themes, Joseph Ogden’s lighting and lensing, and the importance of Jack Stratton’s sound design and Renato Montenegro’s score. The sound and score are a real highlight in SWEET RELIEF.

Switching gears now, let’s bid farewell to Dances With Films 2025 with one of its closing night films - the hilarious mockumentary AMERICAN COMIC and my exclusive conversation with director/DP/editor DANIEL J. CLARK and writer and actor JOE KWACZALA. Who I had a chance to speak with on Saturday before the world premiere of AMERICAN COMIC debuted last night.

AMERICAN COMIC is a verité-style mockumentary that follows two up-and-coming stand-up comedians, who, despite their superficial “cultural” differences, share remarkable similarities when it comes to egotism, self-destruction, and social ineptitude. As the film satirically pulls back the curtain on the unique subculture of stand-up comedy, self-absorbed competitiveness intensifies, leading to some shocking and unexpected revelations.

The film was written by Joe Kwaczala, who is a recognized stand-up comedian, and directed by Daniel J. Clark, who directed the documentary "Behind the Curve." Filmed in real comedy clubs across the country with live audiences who didn’t realize that Joe Kwaczala was in character, so much of what makes this film so good is that the reactions from every show are genuine. And amazingly, Joe plays both roles as the comedians in the film and does so with such deftness and skill that you’ll be wondering how he does it.

This is an insightful conversation as Joe and Dan talk about the inspiration for the film, which includes Joe’s stand-up routines but was inspired by Daniel’s documentary work. And when you see the film, you’ll understand why Daniel’s adeptness at documentaries makes him the perfect director and editor for AMERICAN COMIC. They discuss the challenges and logistics of being on the road and filming in real comedy clubs and capturing authentic audience reactions, Joe’s challenges in playing Jay and Jovan, each with distinct personalities, hitting more than a dozen comedy clubs, and often shooting multiple shows per night, and how about selecting the clubs and gaining entre. Daniel also delves into the editing process, focusing on maintaining authenticity.

Enjoy!