Oran Stainbrook Talks to The RAGE Monthly About Jorge Ameer’s New LGBTQ Psychological Thriller
by chris carpenter
What would YOU do if you were gay, a global pandemic was raging, and you were freaking out over the future of humanity? Well, you probably don’t have to think too hard since that was our real-life situation just a couple of years ago! Now, we have a movie that reflects the LGBTQ community’s lingering concerns.
Altered Perceptions by veteran indie filmmaker Jorge Ameer (Sabor Tropical, Oasis, The Family Tree) will have its world premiere this month at the Cannes Film Festival. It will screen in Southern California as the Opening Night attraction at the Marina del Rey Film Festival on Thursday, June 8.
In this contemporary psychological thriller, the United States is on the brink of a potential Civil War. Things further deteriorate when the perceptions of many seemingly normal people begin to change dramatically, causing alterations in reality and behaviors that cannot be explained medically. Suicides, homicides and mass murders begin to increase at an alarming rate. A renowned neurologist and his team begin to unravel what appears to be the root of these behaviors: rapid aging of the brain. It is unclear how it’s being spread.
Politicians and others on the conservative fringe begin to falsely claim this disease is affecting only LGBTQ and Black people who have been vaccinated against COVID-19. This misinformation quickly becomes a hot political issue with some calling for these groups of people to be rounded up, quarantined and exterminated. Suddenly, a man who claims to be from the future arrives to convince the neurologist’s gay son Alex that his father is key to finding the answer to this plague. But is it too late for this mysterious — and intriguingly unclothed — man to help us save ourselves?
Altered Perceptions turns out to be a timely, sexy, sci-fi mind-bender featuring a strong cast that includes Oscar nominees Eric Roberts and Sally Kirkland. It is director Ameer’s most ambitious and provocative film to date. Interestingly, the screenplay was written by clinical neuropsychologist Wayne Dees.
The movie also stars talented young actor Oran Stainbrook, making his feature film debut as Alex. This interview was conducted by email, and some of his responses have been edited for length or clarity.
You make quite an impression in Altered Perceptions, which I understand is your first feature or starring role. How did you get recruited/cast?
In 2021 I was self-submitting to a lot of acting jobs on sites like Actors Access and Casting Networks, but due to my lack of a theatrical reel, I wasn’t having much success aside from a handful of student films that I’d done.
When Jorge Ameer asked to meet in person regarding my self-tape for his film, I assumed it was a routine callback. I arrived to our meeting and it was just the two of us; no waiting room full of guys that looked like me, no casting director or cameras. Jorge simply offered me the role and I thought for sure I was being scammed or pranked. It all seemed too good to be true. Now, here we are on the other side of making this film and honestly, I’m still pinching myself!
What was the experience of making this unique, intense film like?
It was a peak-life experience for sure. I couldn’t have imagined a better opportunity; my biggest childhood dream being realized, with such an original script, in such awesome company. I had an absolute blast. I did feel like a bit of an impostor and put a lot of pressure on myself, which led to some anxiety. But Jorge and Dr. Wayne Dees could not have been more supportive and encouraging. Jorge’s excitement about the film and his confidence in me really helped me to chill out, enjoy the experience, and settle into a mental place from which I could give my best performance. Getting to work with so many Hollywood legends and up-and-coming talents was also very educational and inspiring. I absorbed so much just being on set and observing everyone else.
Part of what makes the film so original and interesting is the fact that it’s made by a bunch of outsiders. Wayne is the farthest thing from a Hollywood screenwriter; he’s a neuropsychologist from Texas! He wrote the script from his real-life knowledge, based on a lifetime of experience studying the brain and practicing psychology. Then, the film is directed by a self-made filmmaker from Panama! Jorge’s own journey as a filmmaker is really inspiring. He came to Hollywood from Panama with nothing but dreams, grit and determination, and built himself a career over the course of decades without any special favors or connections.
Do I understand correctly that your “day job” in Utah is primarily architecture or real estate? What do you do when you aren’t acting?
Yeah, sort of a combination of the two, I guess, and at the same time neither? My degree is in architecture but most of my work experience is as a self-employed designer-builder. After finishing school in Portland, Oregon, I cut my teeth in the Bay Area as a freelancer designing and building chicken coops, garden sheds, tiny houses, that sort of thing. I also spent some time working with Habitat for Humanity doing neighborhood revitalization and home repairs.
Then, in 2018, I realized my other childhood dream and — again, somewhat impulsively — bought a dilapidated old building in a tiny, rural mountain town in the central Utah desert. This 10,000-square-foot, 115-year-old general store building was originally the social and economic center of a now nearly defunct former coal mining camp. I’ve been renovating this place (with occasional help from my partner, friends and family) since then with a vision of establishing a creative retreat. I have a variety of spaces here now available for short- or long-term rent. All are welcome to come spend some time here at “The Store.”
How did your upbringing prepare you, if at all, to help tell an unusual story like Altered Perceptions?
Like most people, I loved playing make-believe when I was a kid. I loved creating and inhabiting my own worlds of fantasy. That spirit of playfulness and freedom of self-expression is something I have protected and nurtured my whole life. It led to me doing a lot of theatre in school, and eventually writing short stories and making short films with friends. I did abandon all that sort of stuff while I was in university, due to the time constraints and financial pressures of working my way through school and all the time I spent exploring other interests: art, architecture and gardening, primarily. In the end, I’m glad I spent a solid 15 years away from acting pursuits because coming back to it in my mid-30s has been a really joyful process of rediscovery.
I’m grateful for having had a really well-rounded life experience so far. I think great art —whether comedy, acting or architecture — is often informed by a unique combination of life experiences had by the artist. Having a theatre background actually heavily informed my approach to architecture in school. I always thought of buildings and spaces as theatrical experiences. Experiencing architecture makes you both the viewer and the star of the show. Architecture tells you a story and allows you to inhabit that story in the first person.
You play a gay character, Alex Feretti, and there is plenty of other LGBTQ content in the film. How did your personal sexual orientation or experience inform your performance?
So, I grew up Mormon and was taught from a very young age that homosexuality was wrong, was a sin, and something you would burn in hell for eternity for practicing. Coming to terms with my own complicated sexuality and witnessing some of my friends do the same was one of the biggest weights that “broke my shelf,” as we “ex-Mos” like to say. Finding my way out of Mormonism — a years-long process from about age 15-20 — was an intellectual journey that just completely shattered my whole model of reality and forced me to build a new one from scratch. It was incredibly disturbing to uncover the truth about the Mormon church’s connection to gay-conversion therapy practices and see first-hand how the religion’s oppressive ideology led to an epidemic of LGBTQ youth being rejected by their families and communities, sometimes being made homeless and/or leading to substance abuse, addiction and suicide.
Needless to say, I feel extremely protective of the LGBTQ community in the face of all this, which made getting into character pretty effortless. Alex is extremely conflicted about working for a politician whose values are not in alignment with his own but does the job believing that, if he can work his way up to a place of influence, he can make positive change within the system. Alex is highly motivated in his mission because his father and stepfather are the only family he has. His love for them is what gives him the strength to ultimately do what is necessary in the face of evil.
What was it like working with the very hot and perpetually naked Joseph DeMatteo (who plays the film’s visitor from the future)?
Joseph is indeed very hot and very naked in the film. You’d be surprised how sweet and endearing the man underneath all that muscle is! I think it’s generally rude to gawk and ogle people’s bodies, so I tried not to stare. But just being in the presence of that man’s physique was, umm . . . some kind of spiritual awakening? Definitely inspired me to get into the gym myself more. All that sexiness aside, I really like Joseph and enjoyed our time together.
Jorge and Wayne tell a very serious story in Altered Perceptions, one which seems to grow more timely every day in the USA. What positive/constructive message(s) or meaning(s) do you hope viewers will take away from the film?
Aside from being entertaining and thought-provoking, this film is very timely considering the stakes of the upcoming U.S. elections and some of the cultural issues being battled over in this country and the world. I think the themes of the film will resonate widely. At first, they might seem like a horrifying what-if scenario but afterwards you get a “oh wait, this is already happening” kind of gut-punch feeling.
I hope viewers walk away from this film feeling more keenly aware of the consequences of what happens when we all lose our minds as a result of giving in to fear. The current paradigm of for-profit media companies and news networks is designed to encourage fear, hate and division. There is a kind of rabid insanity that has taken over both the left and right ends of the political/ideological spectrum, encouraging extremism that shames and shuns dissenters, moderates and freethinkers into silence and compliance. Psychopaths and bullies on both sides are being allowed to control the narrative and dominate everyone else.
We need a profound shift of perspective and values. I like the phrase “the future is non-binary” because it applies to a number of things. Obviously, gender identity and sexual practice is part of it but so too is political ideology. Look to nature for the design solutions. We should strive for complexity and diversity, real diversity of thought, opinion and self-expression. I say reject the two-party system. Reject division. Reject groupthink. Be original. Be a freethinker. Be a revolutionary. That is what will make humanity as a whole resilient to evil and allow us to thrive going into what could be a truly awesome and beautiful future.
Anything else you would like my readers to know about you and/or the film?
Thank you, guys, so much for featuring me and the film. It’s quite an honor. I’m proud of my own and everyone else’s work on this film, and stoked to see it go out into the world and take on a life of its own. It is having its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival and should have a lengthy festival circuit showing after that. We’re also very honored that it was selected as the Opening Night film of the Marina del Rey Film Festival. So, you can catch me and Jorge and much of the other cast and crew there on June 8 at 7:30 p.m. at the Cinemark 18 in the Howard Hughes shopping center.
With the film industry being so saturated with formulaic blockbusters and reboots, original indie films like this ought to be supported and celebrated! At the end of the day, it’s a work of art, and art is meant to make you feel something and get you talking with other people about it. Altered Perceptions is sure to do both of those things.
What’s next for you as an actor, architect, real estate agent or whatever?
Just following my bliss and continuing to juggle all of those things! I love acting and being involved in filmmaking, but equally love and enjoy architectural design, construction, community building, practicing permaculture and making graphic and sculptural art. I’ve worked really hard to get to a place in life where I’m able to do what I love every single day and am feeling really happy and fulfilled – my wellbeing has never been better.
The main thing I have on my mind in terms of future plans is running for an elected office in 2024. I think in the face of this ongoing Biden-Trump era of division and darkness, there is a real need for a new type of leader. I’m interested in exploring how I might be of service to my community and the country running for office as a non-partisan Independent candidate. I think that just getting into a race could be beneficial in terms of adding to the conversation and influencing both the local and national political discourse. Of course I will need a lot of help and support to even launch a campaign. I will also need to spend the next few years learning an enormous amount and becoming the best version of myself that I can be. I know it’s a long shot, but I have nothing to lose and think campaigning would be an incredible experience that would only further my ability to be effective in doing the rural revitalization work that I intend to spend the rest of my life working on.
I’ve also come around to feeling that maybe I should become somewhat active in the Mormon church again – just enough to claim my membership status and try to be a leader in that space in order to effect positive change. I can’t really do anything to help shift the culture from the outside, but working on the inside may be the best way that I could change the narrative and put some pressure on the institution to be more inclusive to LGBT folks. I think ultimately the church needs to change to allow same sex couples to enjoy full acceptance and all the blessings of ‘eternal marriage’ through a sealing ceremony in the temple. I think the church also needs to own up to and apologize for its past mistakes rather than try to whitewash history. Until there is a reckoning around the racist themes of their foundational scriptures and theology, they will have a very difficult time retaining their membership going forward – especially the younger generations.
alteredperceptionsmovie.com and marinadelreyfilmfestival.com