Marine Corps veteran Brian-Brown Easley was at the end of his rope when he walked into a Marietta Wells Fargo branch office in 2017 and told employees he had a bomb, before taking two hostages. The Veteran Affairs office had misplaced his disability check, and, facing the prospect of not being able to pay his rent, the 33-year-old Easley went spiraling into despair.
The tragic new film Breaking, starring an exemplary John Boyega as Easley, premiered earlier this year at the Sundance Film Festival, winning a special jury award for its ensemble cast, which includes Connie Britton, Nicole Beharie, Jeffrey Donovan, Orange is the New Black’s Selenis Leyva and Michael K. Williams (The Wire) in his final role. Shortly after, it was the opening night feature for the Atlanta Film Festival. It debuts in theaters Friday.
Known for various short films and the 2017 feature Actors Anonymous, director Abi Damaris Corbin co-wrote Breaking, formerly titled 892, with Kwame Kwei-Armah. Corbin spoke to ArtsATL about the project as she enjoyed freshly brewed coffee on the morning of its Atlanta Film Festival premiere.
ArtsATL: So when did you hear about Brian’s story?
Abi Damaris Corbin: I read the article about Brian that was written by Aaron Gell in Task & Purpose (in 2018). I was actually driving along the side of the road when I saw a little blurb about it. I did not know about it. I pulled over to the side of the road and read the article, some 30 to 40 pages, and my heart was broken open. My dad is a vet and I recognized a lot of his struggles. I knew if it hit me in such an impactful way, it would do that for others.
ArtsATL: Do you think Brian had a sense of what would happen to him when he walked into the bank that morning?
Corbin: I do. There are recordings from the day that (Kwame) and I listened to. He knew what it was about.
ArtsATL: What all was going on with him?
Corbin: It’s a snapshot of what happens when every failsafe in our country falls apart. You hear about people falling through the cracks. This story, when I read it — it’s not a crack, it’s a chasm. It’s a man who did his best to serve our country, similar to my father, similar to friends and family and so many others. They come back to stateside and aren’t able to assimilate to life because the support system in place is not actually providing a foundation of support. For Brian, that was what happened. It was magnified, issue upon issue upon issue. He just wanted to be heard. He wanted it to not happen again in five, 10, 15 years to others. Personally, I am so grateful that we can be part of actually getting that story out that he wanted to be out there so badly.
ArtsATL: Are these problems still going on for veterans?
Corbin: I can tell you that this morning my dad had to go have his lungs examined because there is asbestos right where he served on a navy ship. It is affecting his lungs and he has Agent Orange. He’s not the only one who has been dealing with these things. There are folks who do get help from the VA. (This film) is not a condemnation of the VA but a saying: “Look at your fellow man and do right by them.” That’s what we hope to say (here).
ArtsATL: What led you to cast John Boyega?
Corbin: He is an incredible artist, so I had been a longtime fan. I saw him in Attack the Block and (admired) the craft and skill and presence he brought. I felt there was so much more he could give as an artist. When we sat down together, Brian’s story resonated with him in a deep way, but as an artist he was ready. We felt we could collaborate together and do justice to the story. . . . Then Michael (K. Williams) was my dream, who I grew up on. He said, “This is personal for me too; let’s go, girl.”
ArtsATL: A bond of sorts develops between the character of Brian and that of Eli Bernard (Williams), an officer called to the situation.
Corbin: Respect is a beautiful way to phrase it, because that is what I sensed as well. There was a deep level of empathy and understanding of a fellow brother who had been through this. Mike and John worked to create it authentically.
ArtsATL: How much of the film was made in Atlanta?
Corbin: We shot throughout last summer, most by the end of August, and (did) a unit in Atlanta in December before Sundance and a unit in Los Angeles before. It would have been great to have shot the whole thing here.
ArtsATL: Sundance was all virtual this year so what is it like being able to finally see this with an audience?
Corbin: A film is not complete until you share it with an audience, so (I’m enjoying) being able to do that, especially here in Atlanta. When Kwame and I read the story, the first thing we did was fly out to Atlanta and we walked the paths that Brian walked, we went to the hotel room Brian stayed in, we met with the folks who were involved in the situation (including some of Easley’s family) and asked them to talk to us about it. So to be back here is very meaningful to us.
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Jim Farmer covers theater and film for ArtsATL. A graduate of the University of Georgia, he has written about the arts for 30-plus years. Jim is the festival director of Out on Film, Atlanta’s LGBTQ film festival. He lives in Avondale Estates with his husband, Craig, and dog Douglas.
