Podtalk: Director Derrick Borte on ‘Unhinged’ with Russell Crowe

Submitted by PatrickMcD on August 20, 2020 - 7:19pm

CHICAGO – America is at a boiling point. The pandemic, the election, the divisiveness and general atmosphere has reformulated us in many profound ways. Director Derrick Borte explores those themes in the new release “Unhinged,” which also has the distinction of being the first film to be distributed to all open nationwide theaters on Friday, August 21st.

Russell Crowe is Tom, a victim of his own desperation and anger. When a put-upon single mom named Rachel (Caren Pistorius) honks at him during a traffic stop, it starts a road rage incident, that escalates into a revenge scenario that becomes increasingly violent. Crowe puts some nuance into the unhinged character, and director Borte follows through on the themes of citizens up against it, predicting the divisions that have been fought during the pandemic.

Derrick Borte (right) On Set with Russell Crowe for ‘Unhinged’
Photo credit: Solstice Studios

Derrick Bortes was born in Germany when his father was in the military, but was raised in the U.S. He came into filmmaking in a roundabout way, beginning with music video and commercials after a fine arts/design background. In 2010, he wrote and directed “The Joneses,” his debut film, featuring David Duchovny and Demi Moore. He had a notable independent film in 2018 (his fourth) called “American Dreamer,” which featured comedian Jim Gaffigan in a serious and darker role.

In a Podtalk with Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com, director Derrick Bortes talks about the current events behind “Unhinged,” working with Russell Crowe and the influences that define his career.

”Unhinged” opens everywhere on August 21st, see local listings for theaters and show times. Featuring Russell Crowe, Caren Pistorius, Gabriel Bateman, Jimmi Simpson and Austin P. McKenzie. Written by Carl Ellsworth. Directed by Derrick Borte. Rated “R”