Writer/director Alex Phillips made a name for himself with his 2022 feature debut All Jacked Up and Full of Warms, an icky, hallucinogenic horror movie. His second film, Anything That Moves, is a love letter to 1970s filmmaking, with a grainy aesthetic shot on 16 mm and prominent roles by well-known adult film actresses, including Ginger Lynn Allen, who plays Rachel. The movie follows a bike courier/sex worker named Liam (Hal Baum), who delivers orgasms and food to customers.
As a whole, the film is a psychosexual dark comedy and erotic thriller, making for a goopy and gory second feature. We spoke with Phillips and Allen during the Fantasia Film Festival about the film’s bonkers premise, its 1970s aesthetic, and shooting such raunchy scenes.
This interview was edited slightly for clarity.
Alex, this movie, like your first feature, is so wild and crazy. Where the heck did you get the idea for this film?
Alex Phillips: The seed of the idea came from my work delivering sandwiches. I was a bike delivery kid. I did that when I was in my 20s. I encountered a lot of fun, strange regulars that I would see all the time. I’d get to know them. I was their point of contact in a lot of ways. I did have some shut-ins and some people who were excited to see me. I wanted to expand upon that personal experience and take it to new heights and take my own personal relationships and use genre and poetic imagery and storytelling to link these experiences together.
Can you talk about the film’s aesthetic, especially the fact you shot this in 16 mm? The whole thing feels like a love letter to 1970s filmmaking.
Alex Phillips: I kind of obsessively watch movies and they become the lens of which I see the world. While it is a love letter to the 70s, I think we come by it in an authentic way. We’re trying to engage with real life but do it by recognizing the history of film at the same time. Being able to shoot on 16 was awesome. With this being an erotic thriller, we get this real physical, literal texture to every image. We could sense it in every way. We could smell it, taste it, and feel it. It was great to shoot on film.
Ginger Lynn Allen: I was lucky because during the beginning of my adult career, everything was shot on 35 mm. I love the feel of film. I love what Alex and everyone put together to make this so amazing.
Ginger Lynn, what was your experience like being on set for this film and working with a young cast? It seemed like you had a lot of fun. Did you give the younger cast members any advice?
Ginger Lynn Allen: I’m a bit older these days, as we all get. I didn’t specifically sit anyone down. I tried to make them feel as comfortable as I do in their own skin and just their skin. The movie isn’t about sex for me at all. There’s so much more to it. I think every actor in this movie nailed it. Working with Hal, he was so easy and so comfortable.
There’s a photo that someone took on the set, after we finished filming. There’s a refrigerator, and I have my breasts out, no panties on, and a little apron. Hal has everything out. We’re sitting up next to each other, drinking bottles of water, with all our parts hanging out. I hoped that my comfortableness fed other people’s comfortableness and got rid of their insecurities. I’m going to sound like someone’s mom here, but I was so proud of everyone in this movie. They pulled it off. It was one of my favorite sets to work on. A lot of young people don’t take things as seriously as my generation did, but everyone on this set was pro. I think we all fed off of each other.
Can you talk about shooting the sandwich scene? It’s one of my favorite sequences.
Ginger Lynn Allen: I don’t want to give anything away, but it was funny. It was real. I had just met Hal a few hours before that, and it was extremely intimate. He nailed it. For a civilian, he owned it. He was so good. The only thing about that scene that I had a problem with, when I was eating the sandwich, Alex maybe thought I needed a little more meat on my buns. He did like eight takes. My mouth wasn’t even big enough to go around the sandwich. [Laughs]. I’m glad that we shot so many times, but during it, not so much. I don’t think I will ever eat a sandwich again. [Laughs]. It was a beautiful scene, though, and Hal and I fed off of each other. It was so natural, and I think that comes across in the movie. Our connection took away the dirtiness of the scene. There’s nothing dirty about it. When you watch it, it all comes together and makes sense. I am hoping, and I’m putting it out in the universe, that I work with Alex again.
Alex Phillips: I think she hit the nail on the head in terms of it being so gentle of a scene. That’s kind of what I was going for story wise. We’re starting in the comfort of home, and they have this almost maternal connection. It’s almost Freudian. Rachel, Ginger’s character in the film, sees Liam’s power and tells him to go spread his gift with the world. Ginger and that scene really grounds us and tells us where Liam is coming from.
Was it difficult balancing the tone of this movie? It’s steamy, funny, and at times, a horror movie. It really mashes up genres and tones.
Alex Phillips: I think that’s what a movie should do. It was in the script, and we shot it with that intention and found it in the edit also, to really nail those shifts. Every element was driving towards these turns that will feel both character-driven and emotional to bring the audience along on this otherwise crazy ride.
Ginger Lynn Allen: It was really interesting to sit with so many people [at the Fantasia premiere] and listen to when they laughed or jumped. I don’t watch my films a lot, but I loved the reaction from the audience. They got it. Don’t’ laugh here, but I think this is a really beautiful film.
Alex Phillips: We really feel for Liam. Hal did a great job of opening up the world of the film. We can access all of this insanity because he’s so grounded and so open. It’s easy to fall in love with him and worry about him.
Ginger Lynn Allen: There were a few moments that were creepy for me because I’m a mom. It was creepy to have simulated sex with someone half my age. I got the uckies a couple of times, but I think I covered it well with the choices I made as a character. I, as Rachel, felt very maternal. She really does care.
