Filmmaker Statement

The Careist is the story of Max Hutchison. A quiet hero from the 1,000-person town I grew up in. I've known Max most of my life, and it's a story I've carried and dreamed of for years. After Max released his book, it felt like time could be running out. When I moved away from Southern Illinois, I left behind the Southern Appalachia-inspired culture and ways of looking at life. Ironically, as I've gotten older and through making this film, those are the exact things I cherish most. Making this film had its challenges; we had little to no budget beyond what we collected from the names in the credits. To make the film, we slept in my childhood bedroom, used equipment we had on hand, and ate meals my mom prepared as we filmed in the swamp and on Max's property, 15 miles away. Everything in this film was captured within roughly a 10-mile radius, which I think is unique for these types of stories. My hope for those watching this film is that for a little over 9 minutes, they embrace