Michael Morrissey, the director of “Boy Wonder” and other television programs such as “10 Grand in Your Hand” and “Mom’s Cooking,” began his career writing screenplays. He says producing “Boy Wonder” is a “180 degree” from what he does for a living. In addition, he stated that it would be a miracle to continue to work with a cast of actors and create new worlds and new characters.

Although he very much enjoys this, he is grateful for all the home television and reality shows he creates now, because he’s still behind the camera, editing and creating television. ”Boy Wonder” was Morrissey’s first film. He went on to tell us about his experience as a movie director and writer, saying,”It’s the craziest thing you can ever do.

It’s great to write something on the page and hearing the actors say it, but then sometimes you’ll hear the actors say it, and you say, ‘That sounds like crap.’”

He then tells us, “It’s pretty wild, you become God as you keep writing,” and he uses the scene in the movie where characters Teresa (Zulay Henao) and Gary (Daniel Stewart Sherman) are chatting as an example: when Gary puts the quarter into a vending machine, the dialogue between the two characters is suddenly interrupted.

During the shooting of the film, the idea for that scene originated when Morrissey somehow realized there was a vending machine. Morrissey asked, “What is that?” The crew responded, “Who cares, it’s just a vending machine.”

Although the object was a simple vending machine, the importance of that moment lie in Morrissey’s realization that writers and directors create the entire world of a film; how any outside distractions can have an impact on the way someone writes. He advises to “keep all those things in your head at the same time while directing, acting, and writing,” because they can influence you in the future.

When asked what inspired “Boy Wonder,” Morrissey explained, “I drew the idea from a couple of writers, Frank Miller and Klaus Janson, who did a daredevil run in the late 80’s. I love his stories, it wasn’t always actions but emotionally intense, I liked him, people could understand him and his form of justice was his kind of to its own, he kind of ran by his own moral code probably a little more strict then Sean’s.”

He also discusses with us the relationship between Sean’s character and himself, because when Morrissey was younger he found himself having a lot of rage and getting into a lot of fights;  at the same time, Morrissey also had a very soft side that enjoyed classical music and reading.

As for future work, Morrissey’s new movie, “Mother,” is under development. This movie takes place in 1986 in Lake Tahoe, where serial killer Elizabeth Caulfield kidnaps little girls. One little girl manages to escape, and she becomes the subject of the movie. Along with that, Morrissey is working on a screenplay that was inspired by Harry Potter, and some other books based on magic.

He was curious to see what the life of a wizard would be like  if he were living in the real world. Here is some advice that Morrissey gives to all those aspiring directors and writers out there: “I would go out there and start doing it now. I think I waited a lot of time and people would tell me I was good enough to direct and good enough to shoot. So I would say go grab a camera, and go start writing.”

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Boy Wonder, the urban psychological thriller, is a winner of 15 national and international awards, some of which include the Best Feature Film and the Audience Awards at the 2011 Maelstrom International Fantastic Film Festival, Best Feature at the 2011 Crystal Palace International Film Festival, the 2011 Vail Film Festival and the 2011 Hardacre Film Festival.

The movie makes its debut to DVD on November 8, 2011. Roger Ebert gives this Film 3 ½ stars out of 4, saying, “In a genre populated with formulas and dreck, Boy Wonder is an ambitious exception, well-made, drawing us in… dramatized in the style of dark graphic novels… works insistently on an emotional level.”

The film simultaneously packs riveting action and a strong sense of emotional connection. Sean Donovan is a child when he witnesses the murder of his mother. From that moment on, he exhibits signs of unresponsiveness and isolation. Sean is then left to be brought up by his alcoholic and abusive father.

Sean, played by Caleb Steinmeyer, who also appears in HBO’s True Blood, is an austere boy who takes pleasure in reading and classical music. When asked why the director used classical music, he replied, “I came up with this idea that this would be a connection for Sean and his mom.

People see classical music as soothing, but for Sean it reminded him of violence in the house, and violence put upon his mom. It was used as a setup for the aggressive memories in Sean’s head.” When classical music is played during the movie, it cuts to the horrible incident that haunts Sean’s life.

Another reason that classical music fits so well with the movie is that it is parallel with its flow. Most classical music begins slowly and quietly, building up a crescendo, where sounds come to a collision, making for an intense impact at the end. In terms of the film, this is where Sean’s dual personalities collide.

Morrissey said, “Definitely seeing Sean put the war paint on his face for the first time, when it felt like 150 degrees down on the train platform, but seeing this character do that on the monitor was wild. It was very cool to be able to see this character that I made up, come to life.”

This is one scene that shows Sean’s nocturnal persona. From all the rage that constantly consumes him, Sean creates a vigilante that rises out of the chaos inside his head. To Morrissey, the movie is all about perception and the way in which the viewer regards Sean’s character. Sean doesn’t do anything that is too heroic.

Sure, he kills a few bad people who deserve it, but he also attacks a student for being obnoxious, possibly to the point of dying. Does he even have the authority to kill a pimp? This, too, is debatable. Although the beating is uncalled for, some with different sensitivities may think differently, which brings questions of morality into the picture.

The reason Morrissey created this sense of distorted perception is because he wanted to create discussion regarding what is right and wrong. Check out the movie, and decide whether Sean’s actions should be considered  just or immoral.

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