Writer and director Kate Tsang described “Marvelous and the Black Hole” as a “coming-of-age” film about a teenage delinquent (Miya Cech) who befriends a kid’s party magician (Rhea Perlman) who helps her navigate her dysfunctional family and inner demons with the help of sleight of hand magic. The movie, which premieres at this year’s virtual Sundance Film Festival, is inspired by relationship’s Tsang with her grandfather.
The film was inspired by Tsang’s relationship with her grandfather, however, the director and writer didn’t know a lot about the art of magic, so she took a class. “Through magic I ended up finding my community,” Tsang said.
Cech, who is 13 years old, says she was really drawn to the script because her character is atypical.
“She’s not this straight-A student. She’s not the most well-behaved kid,” Cech said at Variety’s Virtual Sundance Studio presented by AT&T TV. “She’s this flawed, angsty and real kid. That was something that I was really passionate about because I like playing characters that are relatable.”
Perlman praised Tsang as a “natural director” and shared that she — along with Cech and Tsang — learned how to perform magic tricks for the movie. The actress was excited to be cast in “Black Hole” because
“It’s kind of a universal story because every kid goes through a rough time and has to find something,” Perlman said. “I hope that people come away with feeling like good things can happen to you, even when things are down.”
Watch the full conversation above.
