Zach Braff’s relationship study Wish I Was Here has slowly and steadily been building up support as it rolls out into more markets. The writer-director’s follow up to the influential Garden State impressed critics and crowds at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year. Now it is unveiling itself to select cities, picking up buzz and starting conversations as it plays. (I, for one, want to at least see Mandy Patinkin in the annual awards race for the subtle, sweet performance he gives as Zach Braff’s ailing father in this sentimental drama.)
Though he has only made two films over the course of his career, Zach Braff (Scrubs) has developed a reputation for being open and interactive with his fans. So it didn’t surprise us when Focus Features asked if we wanted to host the above clip, which shares an important moment from the film but includes a bit of commentary from Braff, himself. The director seems like the type of creator who’d like to take the time to watch a movie like Wish I Was Here with each and every audience member, explaining the nuance and small details so that we all can better appreciate the work that he has put in.
In this scene, Braff’s character, Aidan, is attempting to home school his two children, Grace (Joey King) and Tucker (Pierce Gagnon). Frustrated by the lack of progress they are making at home, he decides to take them on a field trip to an important, personal spot. It is a moment of awakening for all involved.
The rest of the trailer for Wish I Was Here can be found below:
Garden State announced Zach Braff as a talented in-tune director on the rise – a storyteller with a distinct voice to whom the industry should have been opening doors. As I mentioned in my own review of Wish I Was Here, I’m hoping that Braff directs more, because he can only improve his unique techniques by practicing them over and over. Maybe next time he won’t need Kickstarter to get a project off the ground.
Wish I Was Here is playing in select theaters. If you are a fan of Zach Braff’s method, on display in Garden State and his popular run on Scrubs, you need to seek it out as soon as possible.
