Love, Pride, and the Lies That Break Us: Inside The Liars of Black Mountain Road
What if you had to choose between shame and guilt? The Liars of Black Mountain Road crashes into that uneasy space where every choice carries a cost.
Written by Parker Croft and Nolan Gould, and directed by Croft, the film follows a couple whose split-second decision on a desolate road sparks a quiet storm of guilt, pride, and self-deception. As the façade of their relationship begins to fracture, each is forced to confront the truth about who they are—and who they’ve been pretending to be.
Darkly funny and deeply human, The Liars of Black Mountain Road explores what happens when silence becomes the most dangerous choice of all. It’s a deceptively simple concept, realized through a bold, emotionally charged lens in a film that WMM was thrilled to support last year.
Set to Premier at Cinequest in March, we sat down with actor, writer, and producer Nolan Gould and actress Millie Gibbons to unpack the inspiration, creative challenges, and behind-the-scenes moments that shaped The Liars of Black Mountain Road—an intimate and morally charged story about choices, consequences, and human fragility.
Millie Gibbons (MG) (Actor) , Nolan Gould (NG) (Actor / Co-Writer / Producer)
1. The Liars of Black Mountain Road is an understated, morally charged drama about a couple whose differing ideas of the “right thing” set off a quiet but devastating chain of events. What inspired you to tell this story?
NG: Liars is loosely inspired by something that happened to my co-writer and director Parker Croft. We knew there was a story within his experience that we wanted to tell, but we weren't sure what exactly. I started my production company Adversary Pictures last year with the goal of telling stories that make people take a critical look at themselves. I'm very interested in the way we construct our identities and put the best versions of ourselves out into the world. Liars felt like an incredible opportunity to attack these facades and expose our characters for who they truly are in the wake of the tragedy that starts our film.
2. The film feels intimate and psychological, but also deeply human. What questions about love, pride, and forgiveness were you hoping to explore?
NG: There's a ton of questions that I hope the audience walks away asking themselves. To me, some of the core questions that I asked myself while writing and watching the film are "What would I do in this situation?", "Am I a good person?", and "Is there even an objectively right thing to do?". This movie is about a young couple that is desperate to make their relationship work, but their different reactions to a terrible situation reveals that they are worlds apart morally speaking, and they may be unable to look at their partner the same way again.
Embedded throughout are themes of shame, self-righteousness, manipulation, and moral ambiguity. When first writing the film, I asked a lot of close friends what they would do if they were in this situation. The diversity of answers was eye-opening, especially from people I was certain would be on the same page as me.
3. How did you first become involved with the project, and what drew you to it?
MG: Parker and Nolan actually reached out after I’d auditioned for a different project they were developing at the time. When they later sent me the script for Liars, I was instantly hooked. On the surface, the story felt quite simple, but there was so much going on underneath. As an actor, I love exploring the subtext - the moments underneath and in-between lines, where behavior tells you more than words ever could - that’s when you really get down to the nitty gritty.
The more I learned about Abbie, the more intrigued I became. I loved that she wasn’t all that she seemed, discovering that behind her facade, she’s just as morally corrupted as Ethan - that complexity made her even more fascinating to play.
4. The performances are grounded and understated, which makes the tension hit even harder. How did you find so much truth in silence and subtext, and what did you do to prepare for your roles?
MG: It’s funny - I actually haven’t seen the full cut yet, so I’m going off memory! But working with Nolan made those moments of silence feel really alive. We had such great chemistry and were both very present, so the stillness between us carried a lot of weight. Parker was fantastic at guiding that energy. He knew exactly what he wanted from those tense, quiet beats and gave us the space to find it naturally. I’ve always been drawn to silence because it says so much - the subtext in those scenes was loud, even though barely a word was spoken.
NG: Liars walks a fine line between drama and comedy. We fought the urge to be heavy-handed in the writing and filming process. We would often check-in with the emotions and characters and make sure that they were still feeling authentic and grounded, even in spite of the elevated reality of the film. Whatever the audience's reaction to the piece is, we want it to come from the genuine emotions of the characters. And I feel like a lot of that can be traced back to their stakes. Their fighting for this relationship to work as their also fighting to hold the moral high ground over each other.
5. The Liars of Black Mountain Road was made with an independent spirit but looks remarkably polished. How did you achieve that level of craft on a $20,000 budget?
NG: It was a ton of hard work in all stages of production, from everyone involved. We had very high goals for this project and we were very meticulous to help it get there. We wanted it to punch above its weight. We had a lot of support from talented collaborators and companies like Zeiss, who provided the lenses. In particular we wanted to focus on making this film look and sound the best it could, and so a lot of time and energy went into the post-production.
6. Were there any specific moments on set that surprised you — scenes that evolved in ways you hadn’t anticipated?
MG: Definitely. The comedy, for one - there were moments, especially in the car scenes, where I found it so hard not to laugh. But one of the coolest moments was when Parker asked us not to speak during lunch - even the crew joined in. That silence built so much tension between takes; it was such a simple but effective exercise. It created this really strong physical and emotional distance between the characters, and it completely shifted the energy on set in such an eerie yet compelling way.
Up until we were actually filming, I still felt like I hadn’t fully grasped Abbie. I was discovering new sides to her even through the rehearsal process, where she continued surprising me. I was rooting for her - I really believed she wanted to do the right thing, which made it so much harder when her choices became deceitful. The competitive tension in the scene felt rampant and uncomfortable as we tried to one-up each other, hiding our deceit behind layers of false adoration and supposed righteousness.
By the time we filmed the final shot, I felt almost disgusted - that moral conflict and erosion of integrity was riddling inside me. I went from feeling proud and justified to internally disgraced. It felt ugly, but it worked. Parker had such a magnificent way of guiding me to that place - subtle yet deeply effective. He’s a true actor’s director.
What also surprised me whilst working with Bill, was how cold he was in response to my confession - I wasn’t expecting that at all. It made the moment even more tense and unsettling. I felt instinctively stranded. It was a shock, like holding a door open for someone for them to not say thank you - that sting of unexpected rejection. It felt like Abbie was being forced to confront a mirror. I genuinely struggled to hold it together, and the presence of the dog puppet too, especially as an animal lover, made it all the more morbid.
7. This isn’t your first time collaborating with director Parker Croft, but it’s your first time both writing a script with him and being directed by him. How was that experience?
NG: They say never go into business with friends or family, and I have always been cautious about that. You never know who you're working with until things start going wrong on set and who will really have your back in the end. Sets can be emotional places - tensions run high and the pressure is intense.
One day we were twenty minutes behind schedule and I finally tracked down Parker, he was crying in the production car. I told him not to be scared but he wouldn't look at me. I called Aubrey from WMM and she said to put her on the phone with Parker. I don't know what was said, I doubt I ever will. But twenty minutes later we were back up and running. We had to cut a scene but more importantly we made a friend. Sometimes the best insurance you have is a friend that will have your back.
8. This is the first film from Adversary Pictures. Why this film, and what kind of stories can we expect from your company in the future?
NG: This project felt like a playground for a lot of the topics and concepts I'm interested in exploring as a filmmaker. It's a character driven piece that explores a question or moral dilemma that has no one correct answer. You have two characters trying to do what they think is best, but disagreeing about what that is, and that naturally leads to conflict. I think there's so much fun to be had in the morally gray area. There's a lot of genres that interest me from comedy, to horror, to animation. But I know that I want to make films that challenge people and encourage discussions, especially around our shadow selves.
9. WMM was honored to help production manage the film. What was it like working with them?
NG: WMM helped tremendously on this film, from production insurance, to rentals, to payroll and post-production. Parker has worked with WMM on many of his other projects but this was my first time collaborating with them. I was lead producer on this film and needed all the help I could get to get this thing over the finish line. Production insurance especially can be very complicated, but WMM made everything simple and streamlined, allowing me to focus on all of the other details that needed to come together to make this film happen. I knew they were always a phone call or email away when I had questions or needed help, which is more than can be said for my dad.
10. Where can audiences stay updated on your work and the latest developments with the project? Are there any upcoming screenings we should look out for?
TBA!
Click here to download the electronic press kit for THE LIARS OF BLACK MOUNTAIN ROAD
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