Written by Ally Abruscato. Image courtesy of A24.
After “swimming in a pool of barf of ‘90s references,” for the past few months, Kyle Mooney has officially made his directorial debut. I recently had the pleasure of attending a roundtable discussion with “Y2K” director and star, Kyle Mooney. Following the film’s showing at the festival, it was great hearing more about the process and work that went into this one-of-a-kind horror comedy.
Virtually surrounded by college students from around the country, Mooney discussed what it was like making and sharing “Y2K,” especially with young people. We spoke the day before the movie’s release and Mooney mentioned how meaningful it had been to share the film with a young audience. As he got in his feels a bit, Mooney explained how special it has been to meet people who were not alive during Y2K but still found the movie relatable. For him, Mooney found relatability to the characters who had difficulty fitting in and figuring out who they were in their high school years. His personal obsession with the underground hip hop scene even inspired some of the characters in the film.
In the roundtable, Mooney talked about some of the details of filmmaking that reminded me how much work and expertise goes into making a production of this size. From writing with his friend Evan Winter, to complicated and realistic practical effects, to working with ‘90s legends like Alicia Silverstone, it was a long and rewarding process to get “Y2K” made. From the beginning, Mooney was “very excited about making a movie that we would have seen in the theaters in 1999.” To make this a reality, a lot of of the effects in the movie were practical. Mooney found that when it comes to practical effects like murderous robots, “whenever we can, we try to do it and I think it looks awesome.” Although it was intimidating to work with “Clueless” star Alicia Silverstone, Mooney realized it was good to know he was working with such a pro. When it comes to working with any of his talented cast and crew, he found that being able to watch someone who’s been at it for so long is great because he could learn from them and use what they taught in his future experience.
Although Mooney’s future is still up to fate, he’s interested in directing at a smaller scale. Still, he says, “I see it happening in the future but I am also not in a rush.” All we can hope is that Mooney’s future endeavors produce as much conversation and laughter as “Y2K.” For more information about the movie, make sure to read Ky Tanella’s review of the film.
As Editor-in-Chief, Ally Abruscato leads and supports a talented group of staff and contributors in pursuing their creative endeavors. At SCAD, Ally majors in Photography and minors in Advertising & Branding. She regularly offers pop culture insights through movie reviews, articles and her weekly column, “I’m Booked.” When she’s not writing or taking photos, Ally’s probably outside, reading or running.
