'Green and Gold': Betting the farm on the Green Bay Packers

M. Night Shyamalan isn’t a Packers fan, but he pushed filmmakers Anders and Davin Lindwall to go all in on “Green and Gold.”

The “Sixth Sense” director once told the brothers to find stories close to their Midwestern roots.

The Lindwalls grew up rooting for the Packers in a tiny town near the Wisconsin-Michigan border. That authenticity can be seen in every frame of their film.

"You grew up in such a distinct part of the world. There's stories up there that you’ve got to tell, especially in your early movies," Anders recalls the director saying.

The Lindwalls did just that with their debut feature, a heartfelt tale set on a Wisconsin dairy farm where community, not cash, matters.

Lifelong fans

“Green and Gold” stars Craig T. Nelson of “Coach” fame as Buck, a fourth-generation dairy farmer trying to save his land from being bought out from under him by the local bank.

His Hail Mary? He literally bets the farm on the Green Bay Packers winning the Super Bowl.

The film debuts today, courtesy of Fathom Entertainment, and has the Green Bay Packers’ seal of approval. The drama won several honors at the Heartland International Film Festival last October, including its Audience Choice Award.

The Lindwalls grew up rooting for the Packers in a tiny town near the Wisconsin-Michigan border. That authenticity can be seen in every frame of their film.

“This is about as close to home as we can do. I couldn't think of another story that would be closer to what we knew growing up,” says Anders, the film’s director.

Staying local

“We spent six months on location, scouting and getting to know farmers and finding the exact kinds of dairy cows we were looking for,” producer Davin says. “We made a huge effort to keep everything from there and keep it true and authentic to the area.”

That helped shape the story, including a subplot in which Buck’s granddaughter Jenny (Madison Lawlor) finds herself torn between two worlds. Should she stay on the farm and help Buck or pursue her music career? A visiting musician (Brandon Sklenar, “1923”) complicates that decision.

Independent filmmakers pinch every penny to get their films made. It’s never easy, no matter the stars attached to the film. For the “Green and Gold” team, that meant considering an offer to boost the existing budget.

The brothers gritted their teeth and said, “Thanks, but no thanks.”

“We lost sleep over it,” Anders admits of a studio’s offer to double the money available for the film. “They wanted to shoot in a state that was more tax-incentive [friendly].”

Taking the cash would have meant abandoning the ties already forged during preproduction in places like Green Bay and Door County, Wisconsin, where much of the film was eventually shot.

“We had been up there for months on the ground, getting to know people. And then you just say, ‘Hey, sorry. We're out.’ That's a dirty move, and it just doesn't look good. You want the production itself to mirror the thematic hope for the movie,” Anders says. “It totally negates the work that you're actually trying to portray.”

“We still lose sleep over that decision, but I think it was ultimately the right one,” Davin adds.

Country strong

The film also banked on the rural backgrounds of its key cast members.

“[Nelson] lived off grid for seven years. … He knows what it means to have a really simple existence in a way that a lot of people don't,” Anders says.

Lawlor, who plays Buck’s headstrong granddaughter, grew up in Rapid City, South Dakota, and left home for the bright lights of Los Angeles around the age of 17.

“She knew the rural life,” Anders Lindwall says. “There are intangible things that impact your decisions, impact the way you think and talk. … A lot of her inner journey mirrored Jenny’s.”

'You did good, kid'

“Green and Gold” marks the final screen appearance of M. Emmet Walsh. The character actor, known for his work in classics like “Blood Simple,” “Blade Runner,” and “The Jerk,” passed away last year at 88.

The Hollywood veteran struggled to remember his lines on set due to his advanced years. He asked the “Green and Gold” team to feed him the lines.

“It was so special to be able to witness it,” Anders recalls. “You could just throw him a line, and he would just say it, but he would embody it as an actor. … You couldn't do that with another actor. It was just awesome.”

Walsh even gave the Lindwalls a tip of the cap on his final day on set.

“He shook my hand, and then he's walking away down the hospital hall [set], and he goes, ‘You did good, kid.’ He didn't even turn around. ‘Hope it gets you your next one.’

“Just like that. It was the last thing he said to me,” the first-time filmmaker remembers.