Indolence

Indolence is a feature-length adaptation of the novel Oblomov from 1859. While the original text is about the 19th-century Russian aristocracy, Indolence is a modernization set mostly within the confines of one Chicago two-flat. Our protagonist, Ilya, owns the property and rents it out to his friends and eventually to his lover, Olga. His indecision, however, leads him to failure.

I plan to independently film this feature-length film from late 2025 to early 2026.

  • The original text from 1859 may seem worlds apart from our society now, but when reading it, I found many similarities to isolation, especially coming out of COVID when I wrote the first draft. Knowing I wanted to make it myself, I decided to modernize it and set it in Chicago, giving it a Midwestern charm.

  • Knowing I wanted to make it myself, I decided to modernize it and set it in Chicago, giving it a Midwestern charm. I also confined it to one classic Chicago Two-Flat, heightening the drama and adding interesting dynamics to the characters.

  • After producing my most recent short in the summer of 2024, I knew I wanted to take the next step in my filmmaking career: making the feature! I felt confident in stepping up the scale to make a small independent film in Chicago’s budding film scene with the connections I have made here.

  • Gibson Almgren

    Writer & Director

    Indolence will be Gibson’s feature debut, with a script he is quite confident in, tuning it to his liking over the past 3 years. He currently writes and produces work under his production company, Saint Y Films.

  • Nick Emmanuele

    Director of Photography

    Nick has been on major sets while working within the Chicago film scene, such as FX’s The Bear and David Fincher’s The Killer. Now based in LA, where he is expanding his skills behind the camera.

  • Qun Chi

    Creative Producer & Editor

    Helping create the aesthetics in preproduction for how we would like to build the world our characters inhabit, while seeing the project through to the end in the edit. Qun Chi has most recently been awarded DePaul’s best Graduate film award, where they will be screening it in LA.

TIMELINE

Q1 2025: Rewriting the script

For the past few months, I have taken my time putting in revisions I have received from multiple individuals who have taken the time to read Indolence. Making it drama-filled and producible for my targeted budget.

Q2 2025: Budgeting & Team Building

Now that the story is in a solid place, it is time to expand the net, bringing on individuals who are ambitious and passionate about making an independent film. We have many key positions, but still searching for collaborative actors, production department heads, and others!

Q3 2025: Pitching & Locations

In the summer of 2024, Saint Y Films made a 16mm short, Afterwards. In the summer of 2025, it looks to make its festival debut, giving our team resources to pitch Indolence to potential investors and team members. Locking down locations will also be a crucial task during Q3.

Q4 2025: Preproduction

Going into Q4, things need to be locked in. A location: locked. Actors, crew & equipment: locked. Things can be fluid, but coming up to filming, things need ot be in place, we can focus on the film itself. This will consist of set dressing, props, rehearsals, and our final push to try and expand our budget to an amount we are confident in!

Q4 2025/Q1 2026: Production & Post

We plan to make the film in December 2025 or January 2026. The shoot will need around two weeks to film on full time days. The planned budget will pay and feed cast and crew for a multi-week production. Two weeks is a short amount of time for a feature to shoot, but this film takes place within one or two locations. If we have decent filming conditions, it can be done on this timetable!