Interview with Director Topher Cochran and Chasing Bubbles

As a documentary filmmaker, I know how hard it is to assemble thousands of hours of video and photographs into a cohesive story. It requires focus, a deep reliance on personal memory, and a commitment to finding the best moments from everything that was captured in order to drive the narrative. It also requires an enormous amount of time and emotional investment.

I also know what it means to travel with a kind of reckless abandon, living on the edge of society in search of yourself, like the hero in Chasing Bubbles. That personal connection is what made Chasing Bubbles hit especially close to home for me, and the combination of both skills turns this into a rare interview for our podcast.

The film is directed by Topher Cochran and tells the story of Alex Rust, a farm boy turned day trader from Indiana who, at just 25, walked away from his yuppie life in Chicago. He bought a modest sailboat and set out to sail around the world, learning as he went and documenting his journey with honesty, curiosity, and humor.

There is a tragic end to Alex’s story. Fortunately, I did not meet the same fate in my own adventures, but watching this film, I felt like I could have been him. I could also see myself as a documentary filmmaker who had to shape this massive archive into a meaningful story. I'd done a little of both in my film, Reaching Reality, and it is what drew me to this film project.

This interview and this film were a special moment for me. If you are drawn to stories of self-discovery, risk, and the deep personal cost and reward of choosing an unconventional path, I think you will truly enjoy Chasing Bubbles.

See film review and trailer here: Chasing Bubbles on Doc This Reviews