“Does trauma-bonding negate the love?”: Stars Erin Moriarty and Jai Courtney talk “Catching Dust”

In the flinty drama, “Catching Dust,” Geena (Erin Moriarty of “The Boys”) lives out in the Texas desert with Clyde (Jai Courtney of “Kaleidoscope“). She is trapped and bored, sketching drawings to pass the time. Just as she is about to leave Clyde, Andy (Ryan Corr) and Amaya (Dina Shihabi) unexpectedly arrive. This attractive new couple from New York are looking to “reset.” However, their presence does not sit well with Clyde — he welcomes them by pulling a gun. As Geena befriends Andy, who teaches art, he tells her she has potential. There may be a sexual attraction developing, too. Meanwhile, Amaya thinks Clyde is dangerous and tries to get Geena away from him — but Geena is reluctant to leave.

“Catching Dust” is compelling as the chamber drama plays out in the desert and everyone is suspicious of everyone else. Geena tries to keep things even-keeled as tensions keep flaring. Geena may still have feelings for Clyde, but she also wants more from her life; she is frustrated when he reveals his plans for their future. This may be why she is interested in Andy. Amaya just seethes with contempt at the situation.

Moriarty is terrific as the lynchpin of this sparse drama, playing steely one minute and vulnerable the next. It is a very different role from her superhero Annie January/Starlight in “The Boys.” The brooding Courtney also impresses with his mercurial turn as a man who is wary of these strangers and exudes menace. 

Moriarty and Courtney spoke with Salon in advance of the World Premiere of “Catching Dust” at the Tribeca Film Festival.

Does Geena love Clyde? Their relationship is almost as if she has Stockholm Syndrome.

Erin Moriarty: Stockholm Syndrome could be in her psyche if she had that vocabulary. But for me, these are two people who are trauma-bonded and have zero psychological tools. They have been through their own suppressive or traumatic environments and fell in love. They are intoxicated by it and bring their own s**t into the mix. She wants to express her own identity and feels she can’t do that. It is going to manifest itself like she is a frog in boiling water and aware of the rising temperature. I hope it is palpable that there was — and still is — a love that was present. If you do not have the tools, who are you going to be attracted to, and how are you going to extract yourself from that situation if it becomes toxic? Does trauma-bonding negate the love? No, but I think the love was there.

Jai Courtney: I think it’s very real. Their love has developed into a place where it’s hard for them to find intimacy. It’s acknowledged that clearly something has been lost. I agree with Erin that I don’t they don’t have the tools to communicate around it, and you see the result of that. Clyde loves her very much, but he is not sure how to show that anymore. He is more fearful of losing what he loves, which is a strong overarching theme — what that can do to a person, and what it can make [Clyde] capable of. There are terms and conditions in their relationship, which is not the fairest way to love, but it’s the version of it makes him feel safe, and it is at the expense of her freedom. That’s why the relationship is flawed.

There is a kind of codeswitching going on with Geena and how she handles Clyde, Andy and Amaya. What can you say about the dynamics Geena has with the other main characters and creating the different relationships? Can you talk about her interactions and desires?

Moriarty: The fact that she is a walking paradox made her so interesting to me. We are often paradoxical in a time of crisis. I don’t think we have clarity in terms of our own emotions, let alone our relationships with other people. She wants to get away from Clyde, but her defense mechanism doesn’t switch off. She is not going to expose him when confronted. She is not sure of what she wants from each character. If she does, they are contradictory things. I think she’s calculating, but there is an earnestness in her. She is a survivalist, but there are moments that are very sincere that are not driven by her calculating the scenario. It is more that she is driven by crisis mode. 

Clyde doesn’t like Andy and Amaya, often confronting them, and even putting then in danger. He is brusque in his talk and gruff with his body language, but he does expose some vulnerability with Geena. Can you talk about how you shifted his character?

Courtney: His vulnerability and fear all stems from the abandonment issues, starting from his relationship with his mother. He has this dream and fantasy about of what felt safe, which is what he tries to recreate with Geena. What these guys represent is the collapse of that. He is running from his history, and there is a truth that isn’t revealed. The version of his past that we hear could be picked apart. There is some uncertainty around how genuine that is. He fears that if Geena finds her way back to the world where she can grow — what will that do to him? He is on the run from a time in his life when he was abusive towards her. I created a history of him that gets quite dark. He is a dude who is damaged. He has a really good heart but doesn’t want to visit that part of himself. This is his attempt at making a better life. He has to be her captor to realize that for himself. 

I’m curious what it was like for you to film “Catching Dust” almost entirely in a trailer park in the desert. How did the space, which is confined and wide open, influence your performances?

Courtney: We were fortunate in that we shot this as it appears on screen. We parked these two trailers in a dustbowl. We actually filmed in the Canary Islands in Spain for Big Bend, Texas. It was like some Martian crater or the moon. There was nothing around us. It was a bare-bones set injected with passion and imagination, and it was easy to adapt to that and believe who we were and where we were. It was really immersive in that sense. I felt we lived in those spaces.  

Moriarty: I do feel there is something to be said about the desert. When I go out to the desert, it can be very therapeutic, but the quiet can also be confronting. It forces introspection that can be beneficial and leave you alone with your thoughts. For Geena, it accelerates her feeling of being trapped. This couple arrives, and it’s some external stimulation.  

We don’t know anything really about Geena’s past life. She is longing for life in the big city, but what life does she imagine?

Moriarty: I don’t think she knows what life she wants. The timing of the other couple’s arrival is so fortuitous. She knows this situation she is in is not sustainable. She’s making a mistake that a lot of people make, myself included. You put all your eggs in one basket, and it can’t handle the weight. It is one of the more toxic situations you can get into. Clyde isn’t just the abuser. That’s a really reductive way of looking at it. Clyde behaves the way he does because he’s been through so much. I felt for his character. But Geena knows she can’t do this anymore, and when the other couple arrives, you see her art going from pencil drawings of her suppressor to very colorful cathartic painting because she is encouraged by someone [Andy] who can relate to her passion for art. And Amaya helps expand her perception of what a woman can be. They clarify what her objectives are in a way she didn’t anticipate. I think she observes them, knows there is a world out there, and will take the leap unsure of where she will land, but she knows it is better than where she is.

Clyde has a very specific future planned for Geena and himself. He certainly thinks this is best for both of them but seems unaware of what she wants. Does he have tunnel vision? 

Courtney: He has a simplified understanding of what it is she might need. He hopes to keep her safe and create the world they used to dream about and romance over and that will be enough. Seeing her grow where she wants and needs more, is scary for him. She will run away. 

Does Clyde think he is saving Geena?

Courtney: I think he feels he is, because the option not to be together isn’t on the table. This is the woman he loves, and Clyde wants to be the man for her that is the safest version of himself. He was a wild dude, capable of some bad s**t. We see a little bit of that in the film, but it’s mostly imagined. He thinks if he can escape that and hide from it, it will be enough to keep her — but it doesn’t work; it’s f**ked up. A part of him that wants to shut the world out so she never feels there is anything greater. 

Moriarty: It’s very easy to judge, but what I kept thinking while we were shooting was what if you grow up in an environment that is abusive or suppressive? What must it be like to grow up with such tight constraints you only know one way of living or abuse? It is hard to anticipate how you will respond to a situation if you have had a different upbringing or had been abused. Progress is not linear. Even when you have the tools, it is really difficult to make changes, especially when you are taking a leap into a world with zero connections. She’s terrified. She is in total limbo. So, when presented with this opportunity, she viscerally responds because to make an abrupt decision, it is not reflective of her situation.

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Geena says her mother said she shouldn’t “stretch for things she cannot reach.” This is a gritty little indie film that, Erin, may not appeal to your fans from “The Boys.” Jai, Clyde seems to be another brutish character for you. I want to see you play a romantic charmer. Do you each have thoughts about the characters you play? 

Moriarty: When I read the character Starlight [from “The Boys,”] I was like, ‘Oh, my God!’ Then I realized it was a satire. As I continue to play that role — and there is new season coming out — that character presents as one thing, but she is messy! She has amoral moments, and she does something that is deemed “not what the good girl does.” It’s gray. Like Geena. These are two women trying to break out of the boxes they are in. They do so in good ways, and in ways that are deemed not the proper ways. The messiness inherent in each character is fun to play, that dichotomy of levity and darkness. 

Courtney: I try to jump around as much as we can and taste new flavors and explore different sides of ourselves, but there are always going to be things that tie roles together. Clyde’s tenderness isn’t rooted in his romantic capability. I don’t know that will ever get cast in those roles. But even when playing  villains, I try to have as much fun as I can with it. I play a lot of evil pricks on screen, and I never lead with that intention even if it is written. I try to find something enjoyable about it and hope that translates to audiences even if he is someone they can’t stand. With Clyde, what separates him from some of the other more thuggish roles I’ve done is his vulnerability and that child that we get to see come out in him. It is only seen in a couple of moments in the film, but it lives in him in a really present way. It’s the side of him he doesn’t’ know how to deal with. That’s the mind he cannot grow beyond and why he keeps things so confined and tight. That is his strength and his weakness. He is doing his best. All the characters in the film are damaged, and you root for them all at different times. They are all flawed as f**k. It’s hard to know who has any integrity or not. And are we meant to?  

“Catching Dust” screens at the Tribeca Film Festival June 11, 14, and 15.