The Death of Dick Long (2019)

The last film Birmingham-born director Daniel Scheinert made before his breakout blockbuster Everything Everywhere All at Once with his partner Daniel Kwan (known collectively as “The Daniels”), this locally shot shock/crime comedy not only utilized lots of local crew and locations, it was filled with extras from around the Birmingham community, who got to act in several roles in the film, playing everything from bar band musicians and drunken dancers, to passersby and more. Who could of guessed that the very next production that Scheinert headed up, filled with the same offbeat sense of humor and hilariously subversive scenes, would become an international sensation and ultimately take home “Best Picture” at the Academy Awards in 2022?

Helping put Birmingham on the map in the process, along with film editor and Magic City native Paul Rogers, Alabama’s impact on the filmmaking world would prove to be substantial at that year’s ceremony, with Everything Everywhere All at Once winning 7 out of the 11 Academy Awards it was nominated for, and future greatness all but assured for those involved going forward. But before that momentous piece of filmmaking could be achieved, this would come first, telling the story of the unfortunate amorous equine death of one Richard Long (played by Scheinert himself), and the ridiculously shortsighted lengths his friends and bandmates Ezekiel and Earl would go to cover it up. Turning into a topsy-turvy whodunnit, the film follows Ezekiel and Earl around as they try to evade accountability and their knowledge of the nature of Dick’s unnatural death, all the while being sought by the bumbling local police officers assigned to the case who ultimately solve, to their horror and dismay, the self-inflicted crime.

Starring Birmingham-based actress Virginia Newcomb and Alabama native/Comedy Central star Roy Wood, Jr. in two prominent roles, the film would also utilize multiple sites around the cities of Bessemer and West Jefferson— including local homes, the West Jefferson Police Department, J&J Grocery and Deli, and the Bessemer VFW, among others— highlighting multiple location assets around our county. As film critic Sheila O’Malley noted upon the film’s release for RogerEbert.com, “Scheinert hails from Alabama, as does screenwriter Billy Chew, and the film is filled with local well-observed details; it’s not at all a tourist’s view of Alabama. The town, the surrounding areas, are presented with lived-in familiarity: A ‘Jesus Saves’ sign, a random woman struggling with a runaway lawnmower, a crow perching on a church spire, the wood-paneling in the sheriff’s office, the swimming hole that’s not as deep as it seems.”

Although not a film for the faint of heart or with delicate sensibilities, it would most certainly lay the groundwork for everything that lay ahead for Scheinert, and help highlight his offbeat brand of humor that he has perfected with his other filmmaking half in Daniel Kwan. 

FUN FACT: In an attempt to make the set eco-friendly, almost all of the meals for cast and crew were cooked in-house by Sustainability Coordinator Stephanie Lynch and her crew, with leftovers being taken to local women’s and homeless shelters to help under-served communities, and scraps being composted for use at local farms.

Trailer Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dGBe8xsWGlo