40% of 8-year-olds want to be influencers, a theme in 'Riptides'

Alex Karpovsky cited a statistic that roughly 40 percent of 8-year-olds now say they want to be influencers when they grow up. He used that data point to frame 'Riptides,' his first feature film in 14 years, which premiered at the New/Next Film Festival about a month ago. The movie screens next at the Indie Memphis Festival this Saturday evening.

The film is set in Sayulita, Mexico, a town Karpovsky has visited regularly for 10 to 15 years. It follows Toby, an American hotel property overseer played by Steve Little, and Paul, a self-help author played by Dylan Baker. Paul's daughter, Michelle, is played by Bojana Novakovic. Karpovsky described the plot as a 'demented' path where Toby, inspired by Paul's writings, tries to make something of himself after tragedy strikes. The story weaves in social media, using an Instagram-style interface to introduce characters and making an influencer's support a key plot point.

Karpovsky, a 51-year-old Massachusetts native, directed three micro-budget features between 2006 and 2009. He released 'Rubberneck' and 'Red Flag' in 2012, the same year his acting career accelerated with HBO's 'Girls.' He said making ultra-low-budget movies, where a director wears many hats, left him depleted. He spent the following decade developing six television projects, of which one aired. He admitted he did not have the 'mojo' to mount another movie until about two years ago.

Returning to low-budget production, Karpovsky noted that cameras, lights, and editing software are now better and cheaper. These technical improvements make it easier to produce a decent-looking film on very little money. He said he could not raise the funds to scale up anyway. Small productions offer control and speed while his bigger projects incubate 'behind the Hollywood curtain.'

The director also addressed the current media environment. He called the instant feedback culture of platforms like Letterboxd 'absolutely terrifying.' He observed that the world has become more 'spicy,' with more people eager to criticize.

Karpovsky's return comes less than two weeks before Lena Dunham announced that 'Girls' will return as a five-episode limited-series revival. Karpovsky has not been announced as part of it. He said only: 'I hear they're making it. I hear it's happening. Will I be in it? Who knows!' He added that he hopes his character, Ray, has found meaning and is less tormented, though he admitted that might make the character less interesting.

Karpovsky said he has not yet read Dunham's memoir, though friends told him his mentions in it were sparing. He described his years on the show as very happy ones. Looking ahead, he said he wants to keep making movies at an accelerated pace, calling the fun of creating with friends one of the main goals.