Institute History
Description
On paper, it sounds great, a true workingman's success story. Struggling musician and bartender Troy Duffy sells a screenplay to Miramax. As part of the deal, he gets to direct the film, provide songs for the soundtrack, and Miramax will buy him the bar he works in. Life is sweet. Duffy even asks two of his friends to document his rise to glory, a clue that Mr. Duffy may not be the deserving Cinderella he seems to be. This decision becomes the genesis for a very different, but much more fascinating, film that chronicles the amazing rags-to-riches-to-rags story of a wolf in artist's clothing.
Over the course of the film, Duffy systematically alienates all of his friends and family with his arrogance, vanity, and narcissism. He burns every bridge possible in the music and film industry as well. Does success change Duffy, or just bring out his true character?
For seven years, filmmakers Mark Brian Smith and Tony Montana have been either the lucky winners or the unfortunate pawns in this crazy game of life and movies. Capturing a new breed of monster—"the indie film director"—Overnight is as much an indictment of the film industry as it is of Duffy, whose only real mistake may have been to let the cameras keep rolling.