The directors of the horror mystery film “Jit” captured as much of Old Florida on camera while they still could before developers cleared the swamps to make room for condos.
In the film, a wannabe thug investigates his brother’s disappearance after a night out, and uncovers mysterious ties to the nearby senior citizen trailer park in its supernatural underbelly.
On "Florida Matters Live & Local," co-director Ethan Gathman shared the backstory behind the naming of the film.
“The word 'jit' is a very unique Florida term. It's got kind of a debated history, but it has evolved into a new way of saying bro or dude,” said Gathman. “You call someone like a friend a 'jit.' ”
Gathman is originally from Chicago but attended the Ringling College of Art and Design in Sarasota, where he met his Floridian co-director, Jorge Rodriguez.
Gathman shared that they wanted to capture the crazy tales and conspiracy theories of the Florida man in their film.
“There is arguably nowhere in the world that has such an iconic figure quite like the Florida man,” said Gathman. “Those two words will perk ears across the country, even across the world.”
While many might not take the Florida man narrative shown in film seriously, Gathman revealed that they wanted the film to show the heart of the Florida man and not create a silly surface level story.
“When you see the movie itself, you'll realize that this is a very emotionally charged story that is about two brothers who do really love each other. They fight for each other, and they navigate this weird state together,” said Gathman.
Gathman acknowledged the Gulf Coast community for being so supportive in the making of their film. They found that many residents and managers were excited to help them film with their home or business in the background.
“Most of the businesses and a lot of the buildings that we filmed in and around are actually all gone now,” Gathman said. “In the span of the past three years, practically everywhere that we filmed is at risk of being destroyed or has been destroyed.”
Gathman hopes as viewers watch the movie, they feel nostalgia as they see clips of what Old Florida looked like compared to today.
“Watching the movie really does feel like a very special time capsule of my time in Florida in the early 2020s,” said Gathman.
Learn more about the movie here.
This story was compiled from interviews by Matthew Peddie for "Florida Matters Live and Local."
