Lazareth takes place on a remote homestead after a deadly virus has decimated humanity. Ashley Judd stars as Lee, a strong woman dedicated to protecting her nieces (Sarah Pidgeon of Tiny Beautiful Things​​​, Katie Douglas of Ginny & Georgia). A decade later, their sanctuary from the outside world becomes threatened by the arrival of a wounded man (Asher Angel). He awakens carnal instincts in the girls and is followed by a violent gang seeking retribution.

Judd spoke with us about the different interpretations of Lazareth, and Judd warmly described meeting Pidgeon and Douglas in her “tiny home on set” in an Oregon nature preserve. “We just lit some candles, and sat cross-legged on the floor, and kind of courageously, vulnerably, fell into a very intimate sense of community right away.” You can watch the interview with the iconic Ashley Judd above, or read on for more.

A Fierce Protector in a Place of Total Freedom
Lazareth (2024) Lee protects her orphaned nieces Imogen and Maeve from a self-destructing world, raising them in isolation until an outsider threatens their peaceful existence.Release Date May 10, 2024 Director Alec Tibaldi Cast Ashley Judd , Sarah Pidgeon , Katie Douglas , Asher Angel , Edward Balaban Runtime 1h 26m Writers Alec Tibaldi Studio(s) TPC , Vertical Entertainment , The Barnum Picture Company

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MovieWeb: Is Lee’s motivation an allegory for how we felt after COVID? This bunker mentality where you just can’t let go of hiding?

Ashley Judd: I think Lazareth can be interpreted in different ways by different people. And I would even go so far as to say that I discovered while we were filming, that the movie meant different things to different characters who were in the same movie. Because for me, Lazareth is like this place of idyllic safety and a gender utopia. I mean, it’s a sexless place, right? There’s no socialization. There’s no gender socialization. There’s no male sexual harm. There’s no threat of it. So to me, it’s a place of total freedom, and then a boy comes along, and everything is ruptured. So, I look at it through the eyes of Aunt Lee very differently from the way my nieces do.

MW: Let’s follow up on this, because Lee’s a fierce protector of her nieces. She’s built this sanctuary and an almost cult-like reverence. But when Asher’s [Angel] character Owen comes in, I was surprised that she wasn’t more threatening towards him. Why didn’t Lee shoot him on sight when she discovered he was there?

Ashley Judd: I think that’s a really good question. And I want to ask you more, but I don’t want to reveal too much to the audience. So that would be a sidebar between you and me. I think that when I visit with him in the basement, we see at the beginning of the movie I do have a lot of empathy. Like when I share our scarce food, and we don’t have a lot of resources with a stranger, that it’s really not in my nature to harm someone. So I think that’s where the restraint comes from. And also, I think that it would be too catastrophic for the girls, right?

For me,
Lazareth
is like this place of idyllic safety and a gender utopia. I mean, it’s a sexless place, right? There’s no socialization. There’s no gender socialization. There’s no male sexual harm. There’s no threat of it. So to me, it’s a place of total freedom.

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How Ashley Judd and the Cast Bonded

MW: Let’s talk about Sarah [Pidgeon] and Katie [Douglas]. The three of you have this really warm, beautiful chemistry. You’re more of a mother than an aunt. You’re almost like a friend. Talk about working with those two specifically. Were you involved in casting them?

Ashley Judd: I was really excited that Katie Douglas and Sarah Pidgeon were going to be in Lazareth. Sarah and I happen to have the same representation. And so our common person was like, ‘You know, she’s pretty special.” And when we met, I lived in a tiny home on set. Because our set was a nature preserve in Oregon with a beautiful green river and compost toilet, all the things.

Ashley Judd: The girls came over, the women came over, and we just lit some candles, and sat cross-legged on the floor, and kind of courageously, vulnerably, fell into a very intimate sense of community right away. Katie just opened up. I think that really supported the intimacy that you see on screen.

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Filming Lazareth by Candlelight

MW: I want to talk to you about [director] Alec Tibaldi’s cinematography. Because the lighting, especially the candlelight when you are in the house, is so emotive and well done. I was thinking that it really adds a very serious aspect. This is the end of the world. There is no electricity. Talk about filming those scenes in particular, especially when you are at dinner, knocking on the table, and in the basement.

Ashley Judd: Yeah, I mean, the cabin doesn’t have electricity. We lit this movie with candles entirely, and in a couple of scenes, flashlights, and so it helped things move faster, because we didn’t have lights to move around. I wear no makeup in the movie. So I got to sleep later. These things worked very, very well for me (laughs). I’m glad you found it emotive. I think it’s really beautiful. It’s very, it’s very fresh.

Lazareth is a production of The Syndicate, Three Point Capital (TPC), The Barnum Picture Company, and Vertical. It was released in select theaters and VOD on May 10th from Vertical. You can rent or purchase it on digital platforms like YouTube, Apple TV, Google Play, and through the link below with Prime Video. Check out a clip from the film below:

Watch Lazareth