Premiering today as part of the New Haven International Film Festival, Travis Andrade’s short film Wesley is a film about a young kid, the titular Wesley (played by Jacob Sandler), who encounters one of his brother’s friends who has a 3D printed gun, which Wesley would love to have as he worships his own toy gun. The film explores the impact of American gun culture on the developing psychology of an 12-year-old boy.
Before the festival – which runs from today, May 12 through Saturday, May 15 – I was able to have a back-and-forth conversation with Travis Andrade, the film’s writer and director, over e-mail. Find those questions and answers below, which has been edited for clarity: