Inventor Don Tavel died suddenly when his newborn daughter was just ten weeks old. Growing up surrounded by mythical stories of her “genius” father, Alison’s life is consequently absent from any meaningful connection to him. Not until she is in her mid-twenties and on tour with rock musician Grace Potter is the seed planted to discover what he invented. Resynator is a narrative documentary that begins when Alison rescues Don’s synthesizer prototype from her grandmother’s attic. What starts off as a curious resurrection project of her dad’s Resynator soon launches into an insatiable, globe-trotting quest to untangle the web of myths and unlock the deep secrets surrounding his life and invention.
Credit: Select A Shape PicturesAided by estranged family, lost friends, fellow inventors and celebrated musicians (Grace Potter, Peter Gabriel, Fred Armisen, Gotye, Jon Anderson and more), Alison soon comes to discover Don’s brilliance herself. But in unpacking his life, she also discovers unsettling truths about her father that don’t align with her long-held perception of him, as the picture of a vulnerable man emerges to replace the superhero version she had imagined all her life. Not only can she finally relate to him on a human level, but their parallel Resynator journeys reveal an indomitable bond between them.
Director, Alison Tavel shared her inspiration behind the film:
“The film that I finished this year was not the film I set out to make ten years ago. I had no background in filmmaking but thought it would be fun to put together a short film about the resurrection of a unique synthesizer that my late father Don Tavel had invented. I wanted to get some context about the synthesizer, so I got in touch with some of the people who my dad had worked with on creating the Resynator. Everyone I met with ended up telling me stories about my dad that were painting a wildly different picture of him than his family had ever shared.
He was not this picture-perfect, famous and accredited master of music; he was a small-town, hustling man striving for success in order to feel loved and accepted. He was broken, confused and insecure. He was likely a genius – that part seems true, but he still couldn’t figure out how to be loved. It led him to depression, abuse and a bad marriage – and it may have led him to suicide.
Credit: Select A Shape PicturesAt some point along the way, I realized that this film I was making was not really about a synthesizer, but about how this synthesizer opened my world up to wanting to know who my dad really was for the first time in my life, at 25 years old. I felt that it was important to continue filming when the narrative turned personal, because as uncomfortable as my conversations with his family and friends were, I knew that other people could relate to this situation.
Unconditional love is something that I am lucky to have had growing up, and therefore my Resynator project has continued despite my years of rejections and mistakes (with both the film and the synthesizer). My dad never felt he had that, and I believe a large part of his abandonment of his Resynator project was fear of failure. This film is deeply personal and it’s scary to put out into the world. But I think people should know Don—the real Don—and his Resynator. I’ve done everything I can to tell his honest story and in turn, learn a little more about myself.”
Check out the trailer below. No word yet on a release date.
