The conversational film debuts in New York City today.
Published
Kareem Rahma is no stranger to screen appearances. Chances are, he’s made a cameo on your phone by way of his viral interview series "Subway Takes" or as the frontman in the band Kareem Rahma and Tiny Gun. The Brooklyn-based actor, comedian, musician and producer has been making his way into media’s mainframe for over a decade—his cultural commentary and social-first concepts cut through feeds and resonate with mass audiences. For him, playing a role behind and in front of the camera comes with the territory. Rahma’s biggest screen debut yet, the New York City premier of his film Or Something, is no exception.
Hitting theaters tonight, Or Something follows the conversation between Kareem and his co-writer and co-star, Mary Neely. They navigate inconveniences and life through their dialogue, which all takes place throughout one long city day. It’s a quintessential New York film that poignantly summarizes the modern ways and nuances of communication. It’s an inner monologue turned outward by way of friendship.
Below, Kareem tells us how Or Something came to be.
Megan O’Sullivan: Why did you write this movie? How did it start cooking in your head?
Kareem Rahma: I had just premiered Out Of Order, the film I did with New York Nico that premiered at the Tribeca Festival. The movie is a very funny and cartoonish, slapstick comedy about a guy who has to use the bathroom before a big date but can't find one. It's a classic NYC situation! Coming out of that filmmaking process, I was thinking about what I wanted to do next. When I was watching La Haine, I ended up putting a story post on Instagram that pretty much said I didn’t want my next project to be a comedy and that I wanted to make a movie like La Haine. That’s when Mary hit my DM and was like, “I’ll do it with you.” It's funny because it was very similar to how Nico and I connected. He hit me in the DM and said, “I have an idea for a movie… I think you’re funny. Do you want to write it?”
From there, it was really a process of Mary and I writing a movie that we could make without having to go through the whole studio system. I’ve always been drawn to DIY projects and think that having a sort of punk-rock approach to filmmaking, content, or music is the best way to do it—or at least have it be part of one's creative approach. You can't just wait around for people to do things for you. The movie started taking shape as Mary and I began having real conversations about our lives—we agreed on some things, disagreed on others, and many of those topics and discussions made it into the film.
MO: How long were you thinking about this film before you started putting pen to paper?
KR: We kind of just started working on it right away. I think we started writing or outlining about a week after Mary DM'd me that she was down to make the movie, which is very cool. The process was pretty simple: we'd hang out, talk about our week and what was happening, argue, and then start writing based on those initial talking points, though it did take us around 8 or 9 months to finish the script.
MO: In your words, what is this film about?
KR: I like to think that this film is about those intense, single-serving friendships that only happen a few times in your life. You meet someone, develop a super intense connection—they're the person you need or are looking for in that exact moment—and then that person disappears. It’s happened to me a few times in my life, and those experiences have always stuck with me.
MO: That very special friendship—completely platonic—between the two main characters is heartwarming. How does that friendship represent your thoughts and beliefs around platonic friendships?
KR: I think that men and women can be friends. A lot of people don’t agree!
MO: When I went on Subway takes, I made the statement that guys and girls cannot be just friends. My thoughts have evolved on that since then. How have your thoughts evolved on that topic in your life?
KR: For some reason, I 100% agreed, even though by the end of the episode, we both realized that we were "just friends," which was quite funny. I guess I think that it's malleable in the sense that it depends on the timing of the friendship and a million other factors. But generally speaking, I do think that a guy and a girl can be friends. It might be rare, but it's possible!
MO: I 100% agree! We'll need to redo that take at some point just to set the record straight. What do you hope the viewer takes away from the film?
KR: Maybe just to live in the moment and let things happen. Some things will be good, and some things will be bad, but as long as you don't die... it's all okay
MO: That's beautiful. What surprised you most about making the film — the writing process, the filming, the casting—anything?
KR: I think the production of it all was very surprising. We had a very limited budget, time, and crew, and somehow we managed to pull off what I think is a timeless and beautiful piece of cinema. It further solidified my perspective that all you need is a little bit of time, money, and energy to make something good. It was also the first time I had ever fully memorized lines, and I was surprised by how much freedom it gave me to really feel the role. Coming from someone who improvises for a living, I was afraid that I’d feel constricted having to be off-book, but it was quite the opposite.
MO: Now that the film is out in the world, how do you feel and have your thoughts on it changed at all?
KR: It’s funny because it's a movie filled with "takes," but it was a predecessor to SubwayTakes. In fact, I hadn’t even started thinking about SubwayTakes yet, so it’s interesting to see where my mind was heading. As with all creative people, the longer it's been since we made it, the more different I am from the person who was experiencing the filming. So there are still things I love about it, and there are also things I hate about it, but at the end of the day, I am proud of it and think that it holds up.
MO: What’s the best piece of feedback or reaction you’ve gotten from a viewer or friend who has seen the film so far
KR: “I had no idea the SubwayTakes guy was a good actor!”
