After decades of watching films where all too often the hero of the story is embodied by a white adult male, a series of feature films and documentaries is finally emerging that seeks to examine an area often overlooked: youth.
This can be seen in the recent releases like Richard Linkletter's
Boyhood and the 2014 Sundance Film Festival's Grand Jury Prize: Documentary for the soul crushing and honest portrait of young adolescents in
Rich Hill.
The Mosaic Film Experience – a local organization committed to showcasing compelling stories told via film by area high school and college students of our region – is presenting the West Michigan premiere of
Hellion.
The film stars Aaron Paul -- fresh off his role as Jesse Pinkman on
Breaking Bad -- in the story about a family under the siege of a hard-drinking Texas single dad, Hollis (Paul).
A gripping portrait of the struggles and impact of this father's behavior plays out in the lives of his two sons. One son, Jacob, delivers a stunning breakthrough performance fueled by his rebellious spirit against the backdrop of the world of motorcross.
The film also stars Academy Award nominee Juliette Lewis, whose character takes the viewer on a road journey to its heart-stopping climax. And what rounds out the experience is the full-throttle heavy metal soundtrack.
Immediately after the film, Kat Candler, director of
Hellion, will join ArtPrize's Christian Gaines, formerly of IMDB and AFI Fest, to talk via Skype from the set of her new film being shot in Austin, TX to discuss the film and answer the audience's questions.
The Mosaic Film Festival will return on Nov. 7 & 8. Deadline for student filmmakers is August 31. See
website for submission details.
Admission: Members $4 / Non-members $8