Tag: Sydney Sweeney

THE HOUSEMAID (2025) – Review

Sydney Sweeney as Millie and Amanda Seyfried as Nina in The Housemaid. Photo Credit: Daniel McFadden/Lionsgate

Ho, ho, ho, Hollywood is coming home for the holidays. Oh, but what a home. The domicile featured in this new movie is exquisite, lush, the stuff of “house and garden” fever dreams. But the looks are indeed deceiving. That’s because some deadly, dark secrets are tucked behind those pricey but tasteful furnishings. No doubt countless weekly book clubs explored this when the literary inspiration for this new release came out just a little over three years ago. Now, it’s getting the full “studio movie” adaptation, with a screen vet and a sizzling “hot” rising star cast in the title role of THE HOUSEMAID.


That title refers to a young woman in her early twenties named Millie (Sydney Sweeney). She’s certainly at a crossroads in her life as she tries to find work, Any work, Why the rejections? We learn that she’s got a lot of “baggage”, namely a criminal record requiring her to check in with a parole officer who insists that she be employed. As the story begins, Millie is interviewing for the position of “general housekeeper (or that earlier title)” at a ritzy, right from the pages of “Architectural Digest” New Jersey estate. Quizzing her is the “lady of the house”, the gorgeous, blonde, refined Nina (Amanda Seyfried). After being told that the gig would involve cleaning, light cooking, helping with her ten-year-old daughter Cecilia (Indiana Elle), Nina bids Millie adieu, insisting that she’ll “be in touch”. Thinking that this was the “brush off” Millie hunkers down in her “beater” of a “home on wheels” for another long, cold night parked in an empty lot. Just as the cops tap on the car door, she gets a call from Nina offering the position. Millie zips over where Nina gives her the tour, taking her to the top floor location of Millie’s attic bedroom. Is this perfect, or what? Well, Millie meets the “master of the house”, Nina’s hunky hubby Andrew (Brandon Sklenar). No, no,no, she’s determined to keep things “professional”. But after the first night there, she gets a “front row seat” to a Nina “freak out”. This is the first of many scenes of erratic behavior from her, leading to threats of dismissal. Millie endures, needing to work, or it’s back to jail. But can she take the bizarre behavior and the unpredictable mania of Nina? And what’s up with the dark, brooding groundskeeper, the stoic Enzo (Michele Morone)? Could this dream home be the epicenter of a “nightmare manor” for Millie? And just what was her crime?

That “hot” darling of current pop culture is that “super-nova” Ms. Sweeney, who is given a chance to carry the dramatic weight of this tale. Though she burst out (I’ll not make a wardrobe comment), a couple of years ago, she’s bounced (watch it) from forgettable rom-coms to generic thrillers (though she did very well with a supporting role in ECHO VALLEY), she’s not gotten a real chance to test her star-power until this. Yes, Millie is often the victim that the audience frets over, but we also see her taking charge to find the truth. And she also embarks on a swoony forbidden romance, until Sweeney becomes a full action heroine. For much of the film she must hold the screen with the equally compelling charisma of Seyfried, whose Nina may be the “showier” role as she careens from sweet to unhinged with little warning, like a human pinball ricocheting off the tasteful-texured walls. With her wide expressive eyes, she draws us into the world of this pampered domestic diva, prepping us for another abrupt switch as we’re plunged into her own past. Sklenar is a slick, smooth charmer whose sympathy often feels too good to be true as he becomes Millie’s secret ally during Nina’s explosive displays. Morone emits a suave, sinister vibe as the terse gardener who seems to magically appear in Millie’s eyeline (yes, “jump-scares” a’plenty). Elle is also strong as the pouty, snooty rich kid who will not warm up to Millie, despite her efforts. Also of note is Alexandra Seal as Officer Conners,, a local cop who might just have a connection to the mysteries of the mansion.

Orchestrating all the over-the-top mayhem and machinations is acclaimed comedy director (the guru of that TV gem, “Freaks and Geeks”), Paul Feig. But he’s in a different “mode” here from the inspired hilarity of BRIDESMAIDS and THE HEAT. Instead, he’s diving into the sparkly “high class” camp of his thriller parody A SIMPLE FAVOR (and let’s erase that lackluster sequel from our memory, shall we) to create another homage to the classic “women’s pictures” of Hollywood’s “golden age”. Think back to that classic first film of THE WOMEN, where screen sirens “faced off” to fight for their desires (I guess there’s also a pinch of the Davis/Crawford dynamic from WHATEVER HAPPENED TO BABY JANE). Here two extremely photogenic blondes battle for “the whole enchilada”, going just short of hair-pulling and punching (there’s some physical stuff in the finale). Plus, there’s even a take on the whole “rescued princess” fantasy that Feig expertly trashes. Speaking of, yes this is really good “high gloss” trash, a super-sized, souped up version of all the over-heated, soapy, sudsy, made for basic-cable TV thrillers, given a studio sheen. This superior silliness is lifted by Rebecca Sonnenshines’ juicy screenplay adaptation of the bestseller from Freida McFadden (guessing it was seen at last of beach pools over the last couple of summers). And with all the high fashion and furnishing, we still get a solid tale of strong ladies “gettin’ it done”. Speaking of, here’s hoping that these two are teamed once more (Seyfried and Sweeney certainly hammered that home in their press tour). During the cold Winter of somber Oscar hopefuls, take a fluffy, popcorn break with THE HOUSEMAID.

3 Out of 4

THE HOUSEMAID opens in theaters everywhere on Friday, December 19, 2025

EDEN – Review

Jude Law as Dr. Friedrich Ritter and Vanessa Kirby as Dora Strauch, in Ron Howard’s EDEN. Courtesy of Vertical Entertainment

Little is heavenly in EDEN, a drama based on a true story of jealousy, deceit, revenge, sex and murder, on a tiny island in the Galapagos, in which a group of people destroy each other instead of finding the paradise they sought. Jude Law, Vanessa Kirby, Daniel Bruhl, and Sydney Sweeney star in a crime drama that director Ron Howard and writer Noah Pink set in 1929, at the very end of the Roaring Twenties, the post-WWI decade of prosperity and exuberance everywhere. Everywhere except in Germany, which was saddled with both paying war reparations and soaring inflation, which drives some of the people in this chilling tale to flee all that. One is a German doctor-turned-writer, Dr. Friedrich Ritter (Jude Law), who has sought to escape civilizations strictures and Germany’s problems by moving to a barely-habitable island with his lover, Dora Strauch (Vanessa Kirby), a free-spirited idealist who also rejects convention. While Dora struggles to raise produce in their garden for their vegetarian diet, Dr. Ritter writes newspaper columns, to pay for supplies to supplement their meager but free life. Dr. Ritter’s columns praise their Eden, their free life off the gird, in glowing terms, which ironically becomes the problem.

Those columns provide them funds for occasional deliveries of supplies but they prove surprisingly popular, which also yields something unexpected: visitors who wan to join them in the “Eden” the columns describe. First to show up is another German, Heinz Wittmer (Daniel Bruhl) along with his wife Margret (Sydney Sweeney) and ailing young son, who plan to establish a back-to-land farm on this marginal island. Next comes the Baroness (Ana de Armas), a self-styled aristocrat, international celebrity and wild hedonist, with two lovers in tow (Felix Kammerer and Toby Wallace) and plans to build a grand hotel for all the tourists who will soon arrive. Friedrich’s and Dora’s dream of solitude and freedom are now shattered, as the world they sought to escape follows them to their island Eden.

It never occurred to Dr. Ritter that essays he was writing would draw people who want to emulate his back-to-the-land life but he seemed to omit that this Eden was an unforgiving place. An unforgiving it is: water is scant, soil is thin, and everything, from the wildlife to the plants to the weather, is trying to kill you.

There is, of course, a note of dark, ironic humor in this situation, but director Ron Howard’s crime drama has little humor in it, and the real story the film is based is pretty grim. At first, the doctor-turned-reclusive author tries to re-direct his earnest admirers, who have arrived to emulate his life, to another part of the island, one with the only other source of water but with less land suitable to farm. He hopes they will become discouraged by the harsh life but instead, Daniel Bruhl’s back-to-the-land idealist and Sydney Sweeney as his stoic, hard-working wife proves industrious. They do not leave.

Friedrich and Dora maybe could have lived with that, but when Ana de Armas’ the Baroness and her entourage show up it introduces a lot more chaos. At first tensions between the three groups are dealt with largely by ignoring each other, but soon things escalate, alliances are formed and broken, and all descends into total madness. Late in the unfolding events, another visitor arrives, Allan Hancock (Richard Roxburgh), one of Dr. Ritter’s financial supporters. Allan brings some welcome supplies, as he periodically does, and a bit of break in the building toxic events. But ultimately don’t stop things from going down on their deadly path.

It should be noted that the film opens with some misleading text, suggesting that 1929 was a time of hardship. Actually, that was only true in Germany, whose broken post-WWI economy was saddled with paying war reparations and out-of-control inflation, while the rest of the world enjoyed the Roaring 1920s, a time of prosperity, technological and artistic innovation and wild exuberance. All that came to an end with the October 1929 stock market crash that launched the Great Depression of the 1930s, after the events the movie sets in spring, summer and fall of 1929.

Curiously, the true story the film is based on actually didn’t take place until the 1930s, but setting it at the end of the 1920s makes sense, as it lets the film tap into the decadence and irrational exuberance of the 1920s in setting the tone of the film. Ron Howard cleverly sets this story in 1929 specifically, the waning days to the optimistic 1920s and just before it all came crashing to a halt with the stock market crash of October 1929. Howard then breaks the narrative into sections labeled Spring, Summer and finally, Fall, so we are aware of the ticking time clock counting down to the crash and depression, a disaster the plotting characters are unaware is looming.

The conflict between the Ritters, the island’s original couple, and Whittmers, the new intruders, starts out with just resentment and snubs but that quickly escalates, going from just rude to nasty to sabotage and murder, once the chaotic Baroness arrives. With little in the way of comic relief, the sleight ride of settling scores and toxic competition is a fast, chilling ride. A recap at the film’s end, of what became of the actual people, is chilling as well.

The strength of EDEN is it’s fine cast, all of whom do well. Standouts are Jude Law, very good as the writer who abandoned his medical practice to live a life of freedom to write and little else, and Vanessa Kirby, who perhaps outshines him as the doctor/writer’s fiery, unconventional and idealist lover Dora, who pointedly asserts she is not his wife when anyone dares to assume that, and insists on their vegetarian diet, with produce from the garden she tills tirelessly, with the help of her beloved donkey and despite her periodic bouts of weakness from multiple sclerosis.

Unfortunately, the film is plot heavy, with one bad turn relentlessly sparking another. We don’t really get a deep sense of any of the individual characters. There isn’t really anyone we feel like we can cheer for, as bad behavior abounds, although much worse from some than others. Perhaps Daniel Bruhl’s idealist farmer and his dutiful wife come closest to sympathetic characters, although Sydney Sweeney’s nearly-stoic performance does not help much.

This is one of those true-story tales that you would not believe if it had not actually happened. Director Ron Howard makes the most of this fine cast and this wild, dark story, to create a historical thriller that really grabs you by the throat, but this is a pretty grim story. The Baroness is the major agent of chaos but soon she is matched by the good doctor. Howard gives the actors plenty of space to work as they lie and betray their way into craziness, but the emphasis on plot hardly gives us a moment. Periodically, scenes of the harsh natural world remind us that this unforgiving land has its own threats to survival, with rocky soil, poisonous plants, venomous wildlife and a hot, dry climate.

EDEN opens in theaters on Friday, Aug. 22, 2025.

RATING: 2.5 out of 4 stars

MADAME WEB – Review

Hey “True Believers”, is it time for another trip into the Marvel Universe so early in the new year? Well, since the last adventure of the Ant-Man and the Wasp hit the multiplex almost on the same date last year, then it’s “Avengers Assemble” once more. But with a couple of big exceptions. You see, this isn’t a Marvel Studios production, rather it’s Sony “in association with Marvel” (small print on the poster, almost Scott Lang-sized). So, this is another effort by them to “spin-off” Spidey and bring another secondary character from the comics into their very own feature film. Oh, and the others were the “rouges gallery” AKA the bad guys. First, it was VENOM, who got a sequel followed by the disastrous MORBIUS, with KRAVEN “waiting in the wings” (probably sharpening his claws, too). Ah, but this time it’s another hero so Sony hopes that moviegoers will get tangled up in the strands spun by MADAME WEB.


Much like that vampire villain, this “origin story” starts in an exotic foreign land, far from NYC. In the rainforests of Peru circa 1973, a very pregnant Constance Webb (Kerry Bishe)is trying to find a rare strain of spider that can supposedly pass on miraculous powers and healing abilities. But when she’s successful her exploring partner Ezekel Simms (Tahar Rahim) steals it after shooting the whole research party and leaving Constance clinging to life. Luckily, the “spider-enhanced” local tribe retrieves her and delivers the baby before she passes away. Spring ahead to 2003 in the Big Apple as paramedics Cassie Webb (Dakota Johnson) and her partner Ben Parker (Adam Scott) respond to a traffic accident over a river. Cassie is trapped in a car that plummets into the water. Before she passes out she has a strange vision of light strands, and “ghost images”. Cassie awakens after Ben revives her. But the visions haunt her, and they happen again on a call as she sees a foreshadowed tragedy. Meanwhile millionaire Ekekel has nightmares of his own death at the hands of three costumed young women. He harnesses the powers of the rare spider to track down the trio, all high school-aged women. And somehow they all converge at Grand Central Station, just as Cassie is buying a ticket. On the train she sees a black-clad assassin kill them. But suddenly she snaps back and realizes these are images of what can happen. So Cassie goes into action to save Julia (Sydney Sweeney), Anya (Isabela Merced), and Mattie (Celeste O’Connor). Later the quartet is on the run from the arachid-like crawling killer, with Cassie as their “den mother”. Can she keep them safe? And what is her connection to their super-human hunter?

In between the big “evade and escape” action “set pieces” the cast does their best with their unevenly written roles. At the forefront is Ms. Johnson as the constantly evolving Cassie. We see her disconnect from humanity in the opening scenes (scoffing at a kid’s “thank you” crayon art), only bonding with her ambulance “side” man. Johnson shows her confusion as the “awakening” of her destiny forces her to become “engaged”. Ultimately she veers from nurturing “mama bear” to snarky “iron fist” as she gets her “gals” in line. Still, she doesn’t quite have the dynamism to convey the heroic leader mantle. Her “flock” are mainly teen flick cliches, though the actresses try to put a fresh “spin” on them. Sweeney upends her TV (and recent rom-com) persona as the timid, hesitant Julia, who begins to blossom around her new “sisters”. O’Connor is all sassy attitude as the pop tune-loving, skateboarder rich kid Mattie. As the dark, brooding but brilliant Anya, Merced brings a bit of soul to the often undefined neighbor of Cassie (Queens isn’t that small). Rahim gives good physical energy to the snarling, growling Ezekel who mainly barks threats when not suppressing his nightmare visions, and walking barefoot through the subway. Scott provides some much-needed humor as the confused but concerned “work buddy” Ben. Two terrific young actresses aren’t given much to work with in near-cameo roles. Emma Roberts is Ben’s expectant sister-in-law Mary who figures into the big finale, while Zosia Mamet is stuck at the computer monitors (yes, a spin on “the guy in the chair”) as Ekekel’s tech “tracker” Amaria.

In her feature film debut, TV director S.J. Clarkson works hard to get the pace taut while delving into the personality of Cassie Webb, but the sophomoric script derails her efforts. It all plays out as a superhero spin on the Terminator series, with Ezekel as the nearly indestructible seeker springing up to “jump-start” the sluggish plot and distract from the limp dialogue. He’s almost a spider-stalker, although he’s not spinning or swinging on web strands like our pal Petey making him look like a big silly black rubber frog as he jumps from buildings to the hoods of cars. Speaking of that, what kind of car can plow through the front of a building and drive off with merely a buckled hood? And that’s just one of the oddball story turns that rival the “skating on oil” ARGYLLE scenes. It’s tough to compellingly convey Cassie’s “power” as it’s really a barrage of “fake outs” to set up the big stunts, which become somewhat tedious, as does the bickering between the quartet. Oh, the tension is broken up so that Cassie can “dump” her charges on Ben in order to fly off for an absurd cave pool “therapy session”. I’m not spoiling things, but I should warn them about the “bait and switch” from the movie marketing team because these heroes only “suit up” for a minute or so of the nearly two hours. Ah, but there’s plenty of time for “in your face” product placement for that “other cola”. Plus, there are no bonus credit scenes, though the ending almost pleads for a follow-up franchise. There’s little chance of that since this initial entry should effectively squash the “spider sisterhood” led by MADAME WEB.


1.5 Out of 4


MADAME WEB is now playing in theatres everywhere

Watch The Eerie Trailer For IMMACULATE Starring Sydney Sweeney, Simona Tabasco And Álvaro Morte

NEON has dropped the trailer for IMMACULATE.

Sydney Sweeney (Anyone But You, Euphoria, The White Lotus) stars as Cecilia, an American nun of devout faith, embarking on a new journey in a remote convent in the picturesque Italian countryside. Cecilia’s warm welcome quickly devolves into a nightmare as it becomes clear her new home harbors a sinister secret and unspeakable horrors.

Will Bates (Another Earth, I Origins, Dumb Money) is the film’s composer.

From director Michael Mohan (co-creator of the Netflix series “Everything Sucks!”), the film hits theaters on March 22.

MADAME WEB First Trailer Drops And Stars Dakota Johnson

MADAME WEB opens in theaters on February 14, 2024.

“Meanwhile, in another universe…” In a switch from the typical genre, Madame Web tells the standalone origin story of one of Marvel publishing’s most enigmatic heroines. The suspense-driven thriller stars Dakota Johnson as Cassandra Webb, a paramedic in Manhattan who may have clairvoyant abilities. Forced to confront revelations about her past, she forges a relationship with three young women destined for powerful futures…if they can all survive a deadly present.

Directed by SJ Clarkson, watch the first trailer now.

MADAME WEB stars Dakota Johnson, Sydney Sweeney, Celeste O’Connor, Isabela Merced, Tahar Rahim, Mike Epps, Emma Roberts, Adam Scott

Listen to Dakota Johnson talk about the film below.

Cassandra Webb (Dakota Johnson) in Columbia Pictures’ MADAME WEB.

SLIFF 2019 Interview: Lara Gallagher – Director and Writer of CLEMENTINE

CLEMENTINE will screen at The Tivoli Theater (6350 Delmar) Saturday, Nov 16 at 5:00pm as part of this year’s St. Louis International Film Festival. Writer/Director Lara Gallagher will be in attendance. Ticket information can be found HERE

In a desperate plea for attention, unhinged and heartbroken Karen — who’s unable to let go of her failing relationship with an older and more successful woman — steals away to her estranged lover’s lakehouse in a remote and beautiful Pacific Northwest forest. While there, she becomes entangled with Lana, a provocative young girl hell-bent on moving to California and cultivating an identity that lives up to her expectations of the world outside of her small town. As Karen grapples with her difficulties in the past and expectations for the future, her relationship with Lana oscillates wildly. Is Karen serving as a surrogate mother to Lana? Is she the watcher or the watched? Are they friends, sisters, or lovers? Equal parts psychological drama and sexual coming-of-age story, CLEMENTINE is a tense rumination on who to love and how to let go.

Writer/Director Lara Gallagher took the time to talk to We Are Movie Geeks about her film CLEMENTINE.

Interview conducted by Tom Stockman November 8th, 2019

Tom Stockman: Your movie CLEMENTINE plays at the St. Louis International Film Festival next Saturday night. Will you be here for the screening?

Lara Gallagher: Yes, I’m excited.

TS: Have you ever been to St. Louis before? 

LG: I was there many years ago on a family cross-country road trip, but not since. I’m looking forward to it. 

TS: I enjoyed CLEMENTINE quite a bit. Tell me, was this a personal story? 

LG: Yes, it’s something I wrote as well as directed, and it was inspired by feelings that I had coming out of my own really rough break-up with an older and more successful woman. 

TS: That’s kind of the film’s theme, the crazy things that can happen in the heat of a break-up.

LG: Yes, I haven’t seen a lot of movies that are about that point after a break-up when your friends are tired of hearing about it but you are still not over it. You can see yourself going in multiple ways in that situation. Do you let it take over to your life? Do you do something drastic or crazy?  Or are you going to somehow get over it?  That was the kind of moment I wanted to tap into, when you have to decide how to move on. 

TS: I found the film relatable. I think everyone’s had their heart broken. 

LG: Yes it’s part of adulthood and setting yourself up for better relationships.

TS: Where was CLEMENTINE filmed?

LG: It was all shot in Oregon.  Primarily all in a town called Florence, Oregon, about three hours south of Portland. 

TS: I found your film quite suspenseful.  You direct suspense well. You introduce a gun early, and there are threats, and veiled talk about harm and suicide. You don’t know where it’s going to go and I was on the edge of my seat. I think the music helped in that aspect as well. 

LG: That was definitely my intention. I wanted to dip my toe into the thriller genre. The main character could really do all of those things. I think when your life becomes dismantled, you have to recognize that you do have choices and those choices can be definitely the wrong choices. Burning the house down is an option but you have to make those decisions for yourself, because you’re the only one that can do it. That was the inspiration, to try and get in her head and make it as psychological as possible. 

TS: The main character’s name is Karen and she is played by Otmara Marrero.  Did you audition a lot of actresses for that role, and what was it about Ms. Marrero’s audition that spoke to you and made you want to cast her? 

LG: Yes, we looked at quite a few women for that role. Otmara had a quality that I didn’t know that I was looking for, but when I saw her tape, it just kind of clicked.  She’s very casual and she’s very calm.  She was OK with silences, she wasn’t rushing to do something. I felt a very compelling stillness with her in her audition, which I think is a really hard thing for actors. They are usually trying to get the part and wanting to show their excitement. Otmara just came with this kind of stillness and wait that was really important for this character of Karen.  On the other hand, when I watched her previous work in a show on Crackle called a Start Up, where she’s basically an action star, I’m so glad for the different skills that she brought to CLEMENTINE. It’s my first film. You can write things like somebody jumping through a window or rowing a boat, that you think that somebody will just do, but Otmara was just incredibly tough.  We had padded her stomach for the scene where she climbs through the broken window and were being conscientious about her safety, but she just flew through that window like it was no big deal.  Her being able to do that physical stuff was something I was so thankful for. 

TS: Also Sydney Sweeney was good as Lana. She was also one of the Manson girls in ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD.  Did she act in your film before or after the Tarantino film? 

LG: Before. She’s had a really big a couple of years. We finished filming CLEMENTINE in the fall of 2017, just exactly two years ago, and since then she has gone on to do The Handmaid’s Tale and Sharp Objects and ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD. And she’s in Euphoria, which has been one of the big hits of the summer. We were lucky to catch her on the upswing. It’s really been awesome to see what she’s been able to do and that people are recognizing her incredible talent. She really brought it, and she really brought Lana alive and always gave us something extra, an extra look, and a real depth and understanding of that character.

TS: What were some of the unexpected challenges in making your first feature film? 

LG: The time certainly. We were shooting six day weeks, which meant no breaks and always feeling behind. I’m a real planner but having a never done a shoot for this duration, so it was kind of hard to know from the get go exactly what you need to do and always feeling behind, always feeling that clock and that pressure. Knowing that this was our one chance to do this, I think was the greatest challenge.

TS: Did the cast stick to your script closely or was there some improvisation that went on? 

LG: They pretty much kept to the script.  My favorite scene though was the scene with the pot-smoking, their first kind of real coming-together moment and that was an improvised scene, Karen teaching Lana how to smoke. That kind of casual ease with them getting to know each other  was improvised and it had a lot to do with them really liking each other and becoming friends during  the course of the shoot. 

TS: There are some interesting songs in your film. Tell me about choosing those songs? 

  LG: Lightning Dust is a band that I have loved for years and years. They are from Vancouver. That album was one that I was listening to a lot during my break-up, so it was something that I really went back to when I was writing the script. It helped me to remember those feelings. Music can be a powerful way to transport yourself to other times and moments in your past. That band was always written into the script and we got their permission to use their music. It’s actually the album that she puts on and the first song that plays is the first song on the album. Later in the hair-braiding scene, it’s another song from that same album. For me, it was nice to think that this was music that was important to the character of Karen seducing Lana too. Music is important to relationships, especially when you’re dating somebody older. 

TS: Did you grow up as a movie buff? 

LG: Yes, I’d say so, but I would say even more television than the movies. I grew up in rural Pennsylvania. There were not a lot of movie theaters around but we did have a video store that I frequented often. I was constantly watching television and reading. I was always a real lover of stories. 

TS: Have you taken CLEMENTINE to a lot of film festivals? 

LG: We premiered at Tribeca in April where it was really exciting to be on such a big stage in New York. Since then we’ve been traveling all around the country and have been to some interesting places. Recently, in the same weekend, we screened in La Grande Oregon at the Eastern Oregon Film Festival and at the LA Downtown Film Festival. That was very exciting. We have been to Wichita,  Bend Oregon, kind of all over. 

Lara Gallagher with stars Otmara Marrero and Sydney Sweeney

TS: Have either of your lead actresses been able to attend any of these fests with you? 

LG: Yes they both came to Tribeca  and we did some press together and some photo shoots. It was really fun and kind of glamorous.  Otmara was able to come to the LA Downtown Film Festival where she won a Breakthrough Performance award which was really exciting.

TS: She deserved it. What are your distribution plans for CLEMENTINE? 

LG: We just secured domestic distribution, so it will be coming to theaters in 2020, which we are just thrilled about. Hopefully we can keep the momentum going and figure out an international festival strategy and international distribution as well. 

TS: What is your next project? Do you have something in the works? 

LG: I’m working on a script right now. It’s another coming of age story about a girl who gets her period for the first time while she is traveling with her dad at a remote Oregon convention center. There, she comes to discover there is a coven of maids who are harvesting her virgin blood.  It will be my first foray into the horror genre. I’m excited to strip back my personal stories that have driven my work up to this point and do something different.

TS: Oh, that sounds terrific! Keep me updated on that project.  I raised two daughters so I can relate to part of that, but not the part about the coven! Best of luck with CLEMENTINE and all of your future projects.

LG: Thank you. See you in St. Louis!