The name of filmmaker Casper Andreas is familiar to moviegoers who have seen his gay sex comedies Slutty Summer (in which he also starred) and A Four Letter Word. But his new movie, Between Love & Goodbye is a distinctive departure from his previous work. It tells the story of same-sex couple Kyle (Simon Miller) and Marcel (Justin Tensen) and the obstacles to their love and relationship that they encounter. I spoke with Andreas shortly before the film was screened at the Film Out San Diego film festival in May 2009.

Gay & Lesbian Times: The serious dramatic tone of Between Love & Goodbye is a departure from your previous comedic films such as, Slutty Summer and A Four Letter Word. What brought about the change?

Casper Andreas: I guess a couple of things. As a filmmaker I want to do different things. I don’t just want to do sex comedies all my life (laughs). I think that was definitely part of the reason – I wanted to try something new. But I actually had wanted to make this film for a long time. I started writing a much earlier version of this script about 10 years ago. At the time, I was coming out of a messy break-up, which inspired me to write about a relationship – from falling in love to breaking apart. Over time the script changed and went through different incarnations. But I didn’t feel ready to make it until now. I had plans to shoot the film prior to making A Four Letter Word, but then Jesse Archer and I ended up writing the script for A Four Letter Word and that seemed like an easier project to get off the ground, especially after having some success with my first film Slutty Summer. Once I had done A Four Letter Word, I was like, “OK, I have to make this film.” I didn’t want to wait any longer.

GLT: As the screenwriter for your films, do some characters have more Casper in them than others?

CA: In Slutty Summer, I felt very close to the character Marcus, since I also played the role. And I kind of wrote it thinking I might play it. In A Four Letter Word, not so much. Jesse and I co-wrote the script, and we based the whole film around his character Luke (from Slutty Summer). There’s a little bit of me in all the characters – in terms of (A Four Letter Word) Pete and Derek and their relationship, I think I’ve been on both sides of what they’re doing – one of them being more controlling and one being more easygoing. I’ve definitely been the more controlling (laughs) in a relationship. But I’ve also been more Zen-like, like Derek. I guess it depends on who I’ve been with. But in Between Love & Goodbye, I would say I’m probably closest to Marcel in some ways. Also being a foreigner and living in New York and pursuing acting. In terms of their relationship, I felt when I was writing it, that I could relate to Kyle and Marcel.

GLT: I’m glad that you mentioned Marcel, because Between Love & Goodbye incorporates the subject of immigration fraud in the storyline.

CA: I know several people who have been through having a “Green Card marriage” because it’s the only way for them to stay in the U.S. I think, especially for gay people who cannot legally marry their partners, and even if they can marry in some states, the Federal government doesn’t recognize it and you don’t have immigration rights. If gays had the same rights, Marcel and Kyle would have married; he wouldn’t have had to marry Sarah. It would have been a totally different story. In terms of the immigration interview, I talked to people who have been through it, it seems that it varies a lot. But the version that is in the film is based on what I have heard from a couple of people.

GLT: You also explore transgender issues in the film – both the psychological and the financial cost of the process.

CA: I had a friend who was a transgendered woman who inspired some of that story. Before I knew her or her friends or any transgender people, I kind of assumed that if you decide to go through a sex change, that you are 100 percent sure that you were born the wrong sex and that a sex change has to be done. But this woman I knew quite well wasn’t 100 percent sure. I haven’t seen too many films exploring that. Obviously April isn’t meant to represent the whole (transgender) community. She has a lot of other problems, too (laughs).

GLT: Fidelity and relationships, which are recurring themes in your movies, also figure prominently. Are you in a relationship right now? And are you pro-relationship or do you always see relationships as doomed?

CA: (Laughs) No, I think that watching Between Love & Goodbye, I can see why you might ask that question. No, I very much believe in relationships and love and romance. I’m a romantic type of guy. Everyone sooner or later is going to go through heartache or have things happen to them that they didn’t expect or want to happen in a relationship. I think it’s important to try and stay innocent (laughs) and keep believing in people and love. The alternative is to be a jaded old queen (laughs). Personally, I’d rather be a…

GLT: …hopeless romantic?

CA: Not hopeless. I guess I would prefer hitting the ground a couple of times rather than not going after it in the first place. I think people are scared of going after what they want in terms of love because they don’t want to get hurt, especially if you’ve already been hurt. I stay optimistic when it comes to finding love. Actually, I’m in a relationship right now. I’ve been with someone for two and a half years, and it’s good (laughs).

GLT: Music also plays a role in the movie. The songs that Kyle sings with his band reflect what is happening in the story. Did you work closely with the songwriters in terms of making sure that action was reflected in the songs?

CA: I didn’t work with the songwriters when they wrote the songs, but I did have a large number of songs that I listened to from which I had to choose. I called the film Between Love & Goodbye after one of the songs that I found. We got the rights to record them and the actors in the film are the ones singing on the soundtrack of the film.

GLT: Between Love & Goodbye is playing at the Film Out San Diego film festival. How do you feel about the film fest circuit?

CA: I love the gay and lesbian film festivals. I think, as a gay filmmaker, I’m very lucky to get my films seen on the big screen in so many cities, thanks to the film festivals. Most of them are very supportive and I fly out to them and meet the audience and talk about the films, which I love doing. It’s really wonderful. I hope that they keep going.

GLT: In addition to being a writer and director, you are also an actor. Are there challenges to balancing a career doing those things?

CA: (Laughs) It’s very challenging. Independent filmmaking, especially having made a number of films in a short period of time, is so all-consuming. I really don’t have any time to focus on my acting career in addition to that. I’ve said to myself on a number of occasions that I am going to take a break from filmmaking and focus on my acting career. But I enjoy filmmaking so much, and it’s something that I’m in control of as a person. As a career move, I can decide to make a film and start working towards that. As an actor, you’re always waiting for someone else to like you and to get hired. It can be very frustrating to put yourself out there all the time. I would like to mix it up – write, direct, act – but it’s hard to find time for everything.

Between Love & Goodbye will be screened on Saturday, May 30, at 2 p.m.

All screenings for FilmOut San Diego 2009 LGBT Film Festival will be held at the Birch North Park Theatre, located at 2891 University Ave. in North Park. For tickets or more information, visit www.filmoutsandiego.com.