Directed by James O'Brien Cinematography Brian Zarin | Written by James O'Brien | |
Produced by Gary Kohn, Seth Clark, James O'Brien Starring Louie Sabatasso, Gary Douglas Kohn, Arroyn Ambrose Music by Jordan Shapiro and Michael Brook | ||
Wish You Were Here is a 2013 American indie road movie written and directed by James O'Brien. Set on a cross country trip from Venice Beach to Coney Island, it details the journey of Dean, who emerges from rehab and must find redemption on the road with his concert promoter brother and a mysterious girl on the run.
Contents
Plot
Dean (Louie Sabatasso) starts the film fresh out of rehab on Venice Beach with no real answer of who to be or where to go except a strange affinity for Coney Island. The one last person he wanted to call or expect help from was his estranged and somewhat successful older brother, Neal (Gary Kohn). Prepared to leave Dean in Downtown, Los Angeles to fend for himself and probably overdose in a drug dealer’s loft, Neal reluctantly takes Dean with him on a road trip to Nebraska. Along the way, the brothers encounter Phoenix (Arroyn Ambrose) in a Las Vegas diner who is desperately trying to get away from an armed ex-con and hitches a ride under duress in Neal’s 1974 Bronco. Phoenix allows the brothers to feign tolerance of one another for a while as Neal consistently chides Dean for his troubled junkie past. Neal’s one goal is to get to Nebraska to save his job as a concert promoter. Phoenix provides Dean with a reprieve from his addictive personality while simultaneously having to do that which is most difficult for her, trust another. Neal and Dean must reconcile their differences to care for this complicated girl.
Cast
Release
The first cut of the film premiered at the 2011 Columbia Gorge International Film Festival. From there it was taken under the wing of Brian McNelis, Senior Vice President of Music and Soundtracks at Lakeshore Entertainment. McNelis brought in composer Jordan Shapiro and a new cut and soundtrack were fashioned. The finished product was taken to the 2013 Cannes Film Festival by Beverly Hills based media company Buffalo 8, where Nelson Madison Films acquired the film for international rights. Wish You Were Here was released worldwide in 2013.
Soundtrack
PR Buzz described the film as "driven by a dynamic soundtrack, featuring an Americana score by Jordan Shapiro and the soulful songs of singer songwriter Dustin Louis Blank-- as well as a vibrant mix of up-and-coming indie songwriters and bands, culled by music supervisor Pirmin Marti."
Reception
Jonathan Freeman-Anderson of LA Film and Music Magazine called the film "a timeless story of love and humanity" and an "entertaining soul searching ride of comical and sobering proportions" that "seamlessly moves the point of interest from Dean to Neal to Phoenix while continuously surprising the audience as to the depth of their character and charm." PR Buzz called it a "must watch for fans of the genre."