“This film is, for lack of a better word, naughty,” says Chris Baker.
The multihyphenate has built a name for himself over the years in Los Angeles with his own shorts and a web series, and now has tried his hand at his first feature film, “The Estate,” which is, per its creator, a rather raucous ride.
“The things that people say in this film are things that most people would…I mean, for even one of the things that our characters say, they would be canceled,” Baker adds. “Across the board, everywhere. So far, audiences have loved and can feel the sense of release. It’s not them saying it, it’s a shock valve. But these characters really believe these things, which makes it even funnier but also even scarier.”
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The film stars Baker as George, who is the overly spoiled son of a billionaire who teams up with his dad’s new wife to plan daddy’s murder, with the goal of inheriting the wealth. Baker also wrote the movie, after his longtime producing and director collaborators told him to sit down and write the movie he would want to see.
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“And I remember all these movies like ‘Cruel Intentions’ and ‘Wild Things’ and ‘Scream’ and movies that had this balance of tone, where things could be very funny but they could also kill people,” Baker says. “I came back with this script that was pretty insane and they were like ‘Yep, this is the one!’”
A native of the Upper East Side, Baker has long been interested in how Americans worship money — a fascination encouraged by his obsession for Fran Lebowitz.
“She’s kind of the only religion I have,” Baker says of the writer. “She said that what’s left of American society that everyone can get on board with is money. Money respects money, politics respects money, there is no aspect of life where a nationality or a Christianity or Judaism can trump money. Money is the ultimate thing,” he says. “And I’ve noticed on ‘Arrested Development’ or ‘Schitt’s Creek’ or ‘Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt,’ there are these TV shows with this idea that very rich people are still so unhappy and they want more. I loved that complete detachment from reality, and I’ve always been fascinated by it.”
Growing up, all Baker ever wanted to do was make movies, and while he was an avid consumer, he always noticed a lack of films that reflected gay life.
“TV had made serious strides, but I feel like movies are the final frontier for actual gay representation,” Baker says.
“I have what’s called main character syndrome so I never saw myself as the gay best friend or the neutered sidekick who cheers on the lead woman,” he adds. “All of these auditions that I had never felt right. I wanted to make a movie not about being in the closet or being a victim, but I wanted to make a character who is gay and has all these things going on around him but his gayness is not the plot. And I think that for the uninitiated, if you see only movies you really don’t have any ides of what the gay experience is. And I’m not saying that ‘The Estate’ encapsulates that all but I think it’s important to show more.”