DiPetta plays Gio Scuderi, a military Army veteran who finds out a close friend and fellow soldier had died of suicide, which sends him on a road trip that helps deal with many of his unresolved traumas and anxieties stemming from his time in the field.
Reviewers have given DiPetta plaudits for his portrayal of Gio. “His resentment and simmering anger hide beneath the surface like a pot about to boil over,” wrote critic Liz Whittemore. “Surrounded by a strong supporting cast, DiPetta’s vulnerability is what captivates.”
When the pandemic began, sidelining regular TV and film gigs as well as his burgeoning stand-up career, DiPetta pivoted. He and some friends finished up the script for “A Place in the Field” and began shooting in the summer of 2020 when hardly anybody was working.
DiPetta wouldn’t say what the budget was but he said it was very much DIY. He rented lighting and sound equipment for a song. He was able to borrow cameras for free. His girlfriend Nicole Mejia directed. They spent a month at a Santa Fe, Texas, ranch then wended their way to California in an RV and two cars.
“We were one of the first movies back in production,” DiPetta said in a recent interview with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “It felt like an old independent film from the 1960s. We shot in all these wide open spaces with hardly anybody around in White Sands, New Mexico, and the Grand Canyon.”
In early 2021, after they raised some more money, they shot 10 more days, much of it flashback war scenes. Post production took all of 2021. They entered the film into festivals in 2022. Then Lionsgate, one of the biggest production companies in the country, picked the movie up for distribution.
“I’m really excited that it’s out,” DiPetta said. “I have friends who have been in the military and some are still active. One of my writers was active military. I wanted to highlight them and make sure the…
Read the full article here
