The LeMoyne College campus served as the inspiration and location for a new film, The Zeno Question, which tells the story of an undergraduate named Patrick who decides to stop attending classes, essentially dropping out of school, with one exception. He continues to go to his philosophy class, which is taught by a man living with dementia.
The film is based on a short story written by Patrick Lawler ’76, the College’s writer-in-residence. It is loosely derived from Lawler’s experience as a student at Le Moyne—and inspired by students he has taught over the years. It addresses questions that are nearly universal to young adults: questions about identity, decisions, and the future.
The Zeno Question is about how friendships and complex relationships shape who we are--and how questions are often answers turned inside out. “The protagonist stumbles between being perplexed and being luminously stunned,” Lawler says. Both humorous and thoughtful, Lawler calls the film “a cinematic poem about paradox where comedy and tragedy are interwoven.”
“I wanted to capture the innocence of those years and how tough it can be at that stage of life to know whether you are on the right course,” Lawler says. “It’s a film that is filled with humor, but it is also intended to make you think.” Ted Schaefer, the director and co-writer, calls it a “philosophical comedy.”
The film was shot on the Le Moyne campus over the course of three days at the end of July, with Lawler taking on the role of the philosophy professor. Ted Schaeffer has co-written with Lawler two feature-length movie scripts and several other short film scripts. Several Le Moyne students worked as extras on the film. The Le Moyne campus, including the quad and a room in Nelligan Hall where Lawler lived as a student, are also featured.
If there is a theme to the movie, Lawler says, it is this: “Wander a little and wonder a lot.” This is a line from a song Lawler wrote for the film.
The script for The Zeno Project was awarded a grant from the David Ross Fetzer Foundation, which was established to provide filmmakers and playwrights with the funds to support innovative work. The film will premier on Dec. 15 in Salt Lake City, Utah.
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