Nick and Cash Cassidy—aka the Cassidy Brothers—are emerging voices in independent cinema. Originally from Maine and now based in Los Angeles, they launched their careers with Fallen Drive, a tense, one-location thriller made for under $100,000. The film had a successful festival run and was ultimately picked up for worldwide distribution. Instead of chasing a bigger budget for their next project, the brothers went in the opposite direction. Their follow-up, Childish Things, is an improvised road trip dramedy about a struggling musician at a personal crossroads. Shot with a three-person crew and a budget of less than $10,000—most of which went to gas and lodging on the cross-country journey – the film is a testament to the Cassidys’ resourcefulness and creative clarity. A real indie gem, Childish Things proves that compelling cinema doesn’t require massive resources -just drive.
We caught up with Nick Cassidy at Swingers Diner in Los Angeles to talk about the new film and what lies ahead for Cassidy Pictures.
What was the genesis of Childish Things?
As is the case with many indie films, Childish Things was reverse-engineered. In May 2024, my brother and I decided we wanted to make our next feature, so we jotted down a list of resources at our disposal. Topping the list were Cash’s movie camera (a Sony FX30) and a blue bus owned by his childhood friend, Tyler. Tyler had planned to take the bus on a cross-country road trip from Maine to Los Angeles at the end of the summer, and we thought, Why don’t we hop aboard and shoot a movie along the way? (Tyler agreed after we told him we’d be picking up the fuel tab.)
Cash and I came up with a storyline inspired by one of my past relationships and decided the most efficient way to shoot on a low budget was to make it a mockumentary—so we wouldn’t have to worry about things like shooting coverage or hiding microphones. In August 2024, just three months after deciding to make a film, we hit the road and began shooting.
Did you have a shot list or just let the chips fall where they may?
Cash and I outlined the main beats of the story during pre-production, but all of the dialogue in the movie was completely improvised. The mockumentary style allowed us the freedom and flexibility to come up with new scene ideas on the spot and to film unexpected encounters along our journey. We really did try to approach Childish Things like a real documentary—shooting many scenes in just a single, uncut take to maintain spontaneity and authentic reactions, then later chopping it down in the edit.
How did you come across your leading lady?
The role of Julia was a challenging one to cast. Not only did we need a talented actor who could embody the free-spirited personality of a character willing to jump on a bus with a couple of relative strangers, but we also needed someone who would literally be willing to do just that. So finding someone talented was just as important as finding someone low-maintenance.
During the cross-country drive, we slept in cheap motels, ate gas station meals, and spent long days in a miserably hot bus (courtesy of driving through the South in August with no AC). Our leading lady, Guinevere Berthelot, was game for the whole experience.
We actually found Guinevere when her Instagram page was forwarded to me by a friend of a friend who heard we were looking to cast this role and thought she’d be a good fit. I could tell from her social media that she had the right energy for “Julia,” so we set up a Zoom audition (she’s based in Nashville) and improvised some key scenes. She was perfect and brought an honesty and vulnerability to the role that still blows me away.
You have some great music in the film. Who created it?
The entire soundtrack is by my favorite indie artist, Fairhazel, who I first saw perform at a little bar in West Hollywood back in 2021. I always thought his music would be perfect for a movie, so when we started developing Childish Things, I reached out to him, told him about the concept, and said I envisioned the entire soundtrack being drawn from his catalog. Lucky for us, he liked the idea and gave us permission to use whatever songs we wanted. Every track fits so perfectly that it feels like it was written specifically for the movie. We were spoiled further when he and his incredibly talented wife and collaborator, artist yourfriendjuniper, offered to write an original song for us – which they performed together in the film.
What were the best and worst days on set?
Not to be boring, but there really were no bad days on set. My brother and I got to work with our friends and family, take a cross-country road trip, and have complete creative control over every aspect of our movie. Each day was unexpected and memorable, and those ten days on that blue bus were some of the best of my life—I wouldn’t change a single thing.
That said, there were definitely some long, exhausting days. On the final day of the road trip, we woke up in Rock Springs, Wyoming, drove to Salt Lake City to shoot an emotional scene, then continued on to Las Vegas to film a climactic sequence from midnight to 4 a.m. After that, we kept filming as the sun rose over the Vegas Strip. I tried to drive the final leg to Los Angeles without sleeping, but had to pull off the highway just outside of Vegas to take a much-needed nap on the side of the road. Funny enough, Cash was so excited after pulling the all-nighter that he started doing sprints outside the bus while I slept. He says that filming those two key scenes was the moment he realized we actually had a cohesive story on our hands.
Where can we see Childish Things?
Childish Things is currently in the midst of its film festival run. After having our world premiere at the Cinequest Film Festival, our next stop is the Green Mountain State, where we’ll be screening on May 14 and 16 at the extraordinary Vermont Film and Folklore Festival in Brattleboro and Manchester, VT. Tickets are available online at vermontfilmandfolklorefestival.com and if you’re in the area, come check it out. We’re currently planning to have Childish Things available to stream by late summer.
What’s next for you and Cash?
Cash and I have a few irons in the fire, but we’re definitely going to make another improvised feature film within the next year. We had such a blast making Childish Things. We proved to ourselves that we can create something special with limited money and resources. We want to keep using our production company, Cassidy Pictures, to produce unique and meaningful movies with good people.
You can keep up with the Cassidy Brother’s work at www.cassidy.pictures
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