/roby: The story behind the adaptation
When I first read Edmundo Paz Soldan’s short story in which I based “Roby” I was shocked. Not because of anything particularly graphic or violent, but from the fear that came from knowing that its premise was completely plausible. His tale of a boy who gets seduced by the evil ways of an older friend is every parent’s worse nightmare. It hits home especially hard because I think most people have had moments where they could relate with a fascination to the forbidden. When one is thirteen, morality is something that is not completely formed, and swaying one way or another could be as easy as having the right, or wrong, role model. How far would you go for a friend? Your only friend?
“Roby” is an exploration of the world as seen through the eyes of a boy who thought he had things figured out, who thought he was smarter than the rest, and who thought he was doing good. It’s a study on how a righteous character can be completely turned under the right circumstances. “Roby” is about discovering fascinations and even obsessions that make somebody not even recognize themselves in the mirror. It’s about playing with fire, and the horror that comes when one realizes they may be enjoying it. But especially, “Roby” is about coming to terms with one’s weaknesses, and then deciding to do something about it.
I’ve followed Edmundo’s work since I was in college in Peru. After reading one of his early short story collections I was determined to adapt his work into film. I received “Roby” as part of a group of his unpublished stories in 2003, several of whom I picked to adapt into short films, including my American Film Institute Thesis and Student Academy Award winning film “Wednesday Afternoon“. “Roby” never left my mind and I knew I would someday come back to it and adapt it into a feature film. I love stories that know no boundaries, that are so universal that anybody anywhere can appreciate the plight of their character’s. “Roby” is one of those stories. You just can’t shake it off. It’s so haunting you are forced to share it.
