“The Peanut Butter Falcon” is an adventure film. But the protagonist at its center is a bit unusual.
“It stars a good friend of ours, Zack, who has Down syndrome, but is also a wild man,” says Michael Schwartz, one of the writers and directors of the film, along with Tyler Nilson.
In classic road trip style, Zack’s character, named Zak, breaks out of a nursing home and meets up with an outlaw.
“Together they go on an adventure that involves building a raft, drinking whiskey and chasing dreams,” Schwartz says.
Schwartz and Nilson say their movie has a lot to say about inclusion and portrayal of people with disabilities, but it’s personal, too. “We just wanted to make a movie with our friend,” Schwartz says. And some of the dialog comes from conversations the directors have had with Zach Gottsagen, who plays Zak. The movie also stars Shia LaBeouf, Dakota Johnson and Bruce Dern.
