Weekly dinner reservations.
Tonight, a detour.
Weekly dinner reservations.
Tonight, a detour.
Weekly dinner reservations.
Tonight, a detour.
Weekly dinner reservations.
Tonight, a detour.
Weekly dinner reservations.
Tonight, a detour.
Weekly dinner reservations.
Tonight, a detour.
STRAIGHT AHEAD FILMS
Is in BETA MODE
We welcome you to view the films and trailers.
If you’d like know more,
Use the Contact Button below.
We’ll offer a trial period (no credit card required)
for you to use the films and discussion questions in sessions.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR INTEREST IN
STRAIGHT AHEAD FILMS
P.S. (there are a lot of films in the pipeline!)
Writer/Producer/Actor Statement:
Reservations originally came from another project that asked me to write an important conversation that could take place in the front seat of a car. Immediately, I knew I wanted to write about the arduous “You need help’ conversations that I have had with love ones. Having had experience on both sides of that exchange, I literally knew the myriad of emotions that arise, the courage it takes to make that appeal and the heartbreak when it fails. I also wanted to present parental alcoholism in a new light.
As a writer and producer I always prefer to bring in an outside director in fear of being too close to my work and I was especially close to this one. Neal Hemphill was the perfect fit. He brought vision and softness to the film I hadn’t realized. His experience with recovery and making “sober’ films was exactly what was needed to present an honest account of alcoholism. As the producer, it was incredibly important to me that not only the director, but the actors as well, be in recovery. I find that those without personal experience of addiction can be a little precious when telling these stories and I know that the more honest a story, the greater the impact.
And last, as an actor, I take off my producer/writer hats, hand them to my my co-producer and husband, Adam Charleston and do my best to follow direction and be a real human being in front of the camera. It is always my wish to be honest, tell the story and hopefully move the audience. If this film can change one life for the better - it was worth it all.
Director’s Statement:
Jeanine and I have been friends for a long time. I was supremely honored to be asked to direct a piece that she’d written.
I must confess that, not being Catholic, I didn’t immediately get the subtle humor in this piece. But my wife, who was raised Catholic, did get it, and she helped me to grasp all that is happening in this mother-daughter relationship in this story. She also contributed greatly to the end of the story, helping us to shape the final moments of the film.
I came to see that this is a gorgeous piece, and that not a single word needed to be changed in the script as written.
My job was to help the actresses to ride the rails of this script. The dynamics are extraordinary, and completely real. And it was a thrill to see them find the rhythms of the piece, and to let them play some very long takes.
I love stories like this, where life-changing discussions take place in everyday situation. One could walk right past this car and have no idea of the depth and importance of what is taking place in it.
When a daughter feels pushed to the limit, and makes the extreme ultimatum, you know that the stakes are extremely high.