A Conversation with Evan Twohy, Himesh Patel, Sarah Goldberg, Dave Franco, Steven Yeun, Anna Smoroňová & Brad Oberhofer (BUBBLE & SQUEAK)

I had the opportunity to speak with key members of the creative team behind Bubble & Squeak, premiering at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival in the U.S. Dramatic Competition. This unique film follows newlyweds Declan and Delores (played by Himesh Patel and Sarah Goldberg) who find themselves on the run after being accused of smuggling cabbages into a nation where cabbages are banned. Through this absurdist premise, the film explores the fragility of a new marriage and differing perspectives on love.

My interviews included writer-director Evan Twohy, lead actors Himesh Patel and Sarah Goldberg, supporting actor Dave Franco, producer/actor Steven Yeun, cinematographer Anna Smoroňová, and composer Brad Oberhofer. Their insights revealed a deeply collaborative process behind this distinctive project.

Written and directed by Twohy in his feature directorial debut, the project evolved over nearly twenty years from a monologue about a disappointing Thanksgiving dessert into a theatrical play, and finally this film. Shot in Estonia with a square aspect ratio that creates a sense of intimacy and confinement, the film features an impressive ensemble cast bringing to life a story that uses its quirky premise to explore universal themes about relationships, contradictions, and the nature of endings.

EVAN TWOHY (Writer/Director):

Hammer To Nail: What inspired you to set this intimate marriage story against the backdrop of illegal cabbage smuggling?

Evan Twohy: That is a great question. I wish I had an answer, but I do not know. I wrote this so long ago. The journey has very much been me taking this script that I do not remember writing and over the course of 15 years trying to make sense of it and trying to apply it to my life.

HTN:  The film explores different views on how love stories should end – what drew you to examine that theme?

ET: I guess I feel like it is THE theme. That is what life is. Things start and things end. That concept is inherently cinematic. It feels almost impossible for a movie to not explore the idea of endings, so yeah I do think it is very much about the end of a relationship in a very strange way haha.

HTN:  How does the film’s visual style reflect the contrast between marital intimacy and being fugitives?

 ET: That was tough. It’s all shot with a square aspect ratio. Partly due to the movies that inspired it, however, it should feel like they are trapped. It also feels intimate the whole time because they are pushed together by surveillance. We shot a lot at a wide angle to feel like we are following them. It’s a lot of watching from afar and feeling boxed in.

HTN:  How did filming in Estonia influence the visual storytelling of this American story?

ET: Estonia is an amazing country. I was so grateful they hosted us and made this with us. I do not know what we would have done without it. It’s a very specific story, so to be able to have these specific trees and houses was everything. We were once upon a time shooting this in New York, I have no idea what version of this movie that would have been. We love Estonia and all the people we got to make it with. They added so much. There is such great energy there, it’s perfect to make a movie.

 

DAVE FRANCO (Cast – Norman)

HTN: How does your experience as a director influence the way you approach acting in indie films like this?

Dave Franco: It’s a great question. I have learned so much about acting since I have been directing. I think one very practical thing is, I have always tried to be a very punctual person, to know my lines coming in, I really do my homework, but now I go above and beyond to make the directors job as easy as possible because I never want to be the problem. Don’t even worry about me. I got it. I am the biggest nerd and I do everything to make their job easy.

HTN: What was it like working with Evan on his feature directorial debut?

DF: Incredible! He is one of the most comfortable first time directors in the world. I remember reading the script and it is wonderful, but it is so specific. I thought, only the person who wrote this script can direct it because it’s straight from his brain and no one else can interpret it. He is just wonderful. As great as his words are, he left so much room for collaboration and allowed me to bring my own stuff to it. At the same time, it’s so nice coming in with just brilliant words where I don’t have to do much more than just say what he wrote. He made us all look good.

BRAD OBERHOFER (Composer):

HTN: . How closely did you work with Evan to develop the musical themes?

Brad Oberhofer: Extremely. I got the script and made a word doc of all the characters and what sounds I thought would go well with each of them. I sent him a video of me playing a bunch of instruments and we just talked so much about it. I made several rounds of weird themes. He would come to my studio and I would play him stuff and he would give me feedback.

HTN: What were some of your biggest influences?

BO: Morris Ravel was an influence. The original Willy Wonka music a little bit. I listened to a lot of Russian and Ukrainian folk songs. I listened to a lot of national anthems and generally just a lot of eastern European music

 

HIMESH PATEL (Cast – Declan):

HTN:  Much of the film centers on newlywed dynamics – how did you and Sarah develop that chemistry?

Himesh Patel: We only had a few days. We met each other in Estonia a few days before shooting. We exchanged emails and had mutual friends. I had a feeling we would get along really well, which we did. It became pretty informal pretty quickly. There was so much on the page. Evan had written such a beautiful script that when we read it all together all the way through, we knew we were on the same page. The dynamic was very playful to begin with because we were immediately so comfortable with each other.

HTN:  How does the film’s unique setting affect the way you portrayed an American character?

HP: Declan is thriving in this situation, or so he thinks. It was his choice to come. He wants to prove to himself that he is a well traveled American man. He also has this thing of wanting to have a very traditional family. He is a very interesting character full of contradictions.

SARAH GOLDBERG (Cast – Delores):

HTN: How does your stage experience influence the way you approach intimate two-hander scenes like those with Himesh?

Sarah Goldberg: Evan also comes from theater and this was first a play many years ago. It is a text heavy film, which in modern cinema you do not get so much. I told Evan when I met him on my first meeting for this that he is going to need someone who can talk very quickly. You have to get under the rhythm of this text and I think theater has really helped me with that.

 

ANNA SMOROŇOVÁ (Director of Photography):

HTN: How did you approach shooting intimate relationship moments versus the more suspenseful elements?

AS: We tried to use really long lenses in intimate moments For the stuff where they are running from the law we did very wide lenses where you can feel like someone is following you.

HTN:  What were the visual influences for capturing this unusual take on a marriage story?

AS: Yorgos Lanthimos. I love his movies. He is always a big inspiration for me.

HTN:  How did shooting in Estonia impact your visual approach?

AS: It was really difficult. Doing these long dialog scenes outside. It is very hard to keep things consistent. The weather was constantly changing.

HTN:  What was your collaboration like with Evan in developing the film’s look?

AS: That collaboration was really cool. We had similar stories from our past in terms of relationships. We were on the same level and had the same inspirations in terms of films that we like.

 

STEVEN YEUN (Cast/Producer):

HTN: How does your approach differ when you’re wearing both producer and actor hats?

 SY: The production was most of the focus on this one. The film is mostly focused on Himesh and Sarah. I provide a little bit of color to their reality. As a producer it was just about safeguarding the space for this story to be realized.

HTN: How does this fit into your vision for the kinds of stories Celadon Pictures wants to tell?

SY: That’s a great question. We are generally open. We do not have specific mandates or things we are explicitly looking for. We are really just looking for great stories told by great people by whatever means we can find them.

 – Jack Schenker (@YUNGOCUPOTIS)