For today’s SXSW Preview, we’re taking a look at Present Company, the latest film by Frank V. Ross. Frank, who appeared in this episode of Butterknife, had two films in last summer’s New Talkies program at the IFC Center, and like Quietly on By and Hohokam, Company is a lo-fi character study about the everyday traumas survived by young people far removed from urban hipster culture. This time around, Ross takes a look at Christy and Buddy, two young parents who are raising an infant whilst living in Christy’s parents’ suburban basement. Check out the trailer above, and Frank’s answers to the 4 Questions We’re Asking Everybody below.

Tell us about your movie. Who did you work with, why did you make it? Give us the reductive, 25-word or less, “It’s like [pop culture reference a] meets [pop culture reference b]!” pitch, then explain what the quick and dirty sell leaves out.

I don’t know why I made it. But I know now why that material kept my attention finally. Originally this movie was the Susan Smith story meets, I dunno, some shitty movie about a band with a horrible title. I wanted to make a picture about an unwed couple with a baby living in parent’s basement. It’s around me, it’s relevant, and with consequence. The deal breaker was wanting to make a movie with Tamara [Fana], once she was part of the deal we were able to see the picture for what it was supposed to be. She said the imagined circumstances were her nightmare–watching how she played it was a joy.

So now I guess it’s For Keeps meets Scenes From a Marriage sans-all the talking. Which leaves out the passive-aggressive relationship; and the fact that it’s a comedy of sorts. They don’t hate each other, they think they’re funny, they get along every now and then but they just don’t love one another despite having a baby–that was an accident. Bound by the obligation. Characters not having a strong enough personality to be themselves around different groups or individuals and almost never doing the right thing in circumstances.

“This meets that” always leaves out way more then can be measured and takes away from how hard we work at trying to make something new. I hate you for asking me to do that. But love that you asked.

Do you have a day job/a non-filmmaking occupation that raises money for your filmmaking efforts? Tell us about it.

I wait tables. Have been ever since I started making films; needed a restaurant for my first film. This was 1999, and no one would let me shoot at their places, weeks of [trying] umpteen restaurants a day and most of the movie was in a restaurant. So I got a job at a Bakers Square, buttered up the manager and we shot there. Met a guy there I still work with film-wise to this day. Never got out of the black-hole of cash-in-hand. Work at a nicer place now. And, yes I shot some Present Company there. Slowly working out of it though, just landed my first a part-time teaching thing at a junior college. It’ll be a loss though, I’m seriously like the best waiter ever.

Have you been to SXSW before? If so, tell us about your funniest story from the experience. If not, what are you looking forward to re: the festival and/or the city of Austin?

At one of the parties last year It was extremely crowded. Fire hazard crowded inside. And outside was unstoppable rain but you could breathe. So I was outside smoking under one of those tents, like temporary pavilion things, talking with some friends and some dude came out saying it was “intense in there” to which Aaron Katz replied it was “in tents out here, too” and that made me very happy to be alive.

Let’s get hypothetical: You’re on death row. The night of your execution, you’re allowed to watch any two films of your choice. What would you pick for your last-night-on-Earth double feature?

I’d need to know why I’m on death row.

Let’s call it a crime of passion…

They always get you for the good crimes. Thievery is never a crime of passion but a worse crime then murder which always qualifies as a crime of passion. Stealing is so unforgivable–my Dad used to always tell me that there’s always a way to get something without having to steal. Killing someone in the heat of passion is just human nature. So! I’ve decided to watch Easy Money and The Bicycle Thief. Watching those in succession would put me in the right place to leave out this bitch.

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Previous SXSW Previews:

Mary Bronstein, director/star of Yeast.