SYNOPSIS.
Greg is a sixteen-year-old metalhead on a mission to see the concert of a lifetime: Ozzy/Metallica. But his failing grades, disappointed parents, excessive partying, and an angry senior could derail that plan. The solution? A quick stint in rehab: dodge the senior, get his parents off his back and get out in time for the show. What could go wrong with that plan?
DIRECTOR’S STATEMENT.
As a writer/director, all of my films come from a personal place. Yet Greg's Going to Rehab is a more personal, almost confessional film. It would be dishonest to say the film is autobiographical or was inspired by true events, however, nothing I've written before is based in a world I know better than struggles of drug addiction, teenage ennui, 80's culture and subsequent recovery. As a recovering alcoholic with 36 years of sobriety, I have an intense understanding of the world and journey of Greg. Coupled with decades of experience as a filmmaker and writer I've been able to craft a coming of age story that I think will be entertaining, engaging and appealing to many audiences.
The film is set in the 80s, but like the wonderful teen films of that decade, the themes and characters are timeless. As a period film it is natural to look to other films of this genre
and time period for inspiration, such as Breakfast Club, Say Anything, and Sixteen Candles. As I studied those films, they have reaffirmed my creative choice to root this film in the aesthetic of realism. The style will be the narrative, the true to life characters, and a classic cinematic approach to storytelling, very similar to the John Hughes films that have come to represent cinema of the 80's.
A benefit to an addictive personality is an obsessive dedication to what I've set my mind and heart to. This was proved with the production of my latest feature Penitentia. I wore numerous hats (writer, director, producer, director of photography, editor along with other roles) and drove that project from script to screen through sheer force of will and dedication to my craft. I was able to produce that film for $125,000 and bring it to the screen in under two years from
concept to execution. Now that the film is in the middle of a successful festival run, including winning an audience award at the Tallgrass Film Festival, I am ready to dedicate myself in the same way to Greg. I believe my experience with Greg will be even stronger. One of the things I'm most excited about this film is the bridging of comedy and drama. I think the story does a good job of being socially relevant - struggles with mental health and drug abuse is as relevant today as it was 40 years ago. Yet the film does not get stuck in the heaviness and melodrama of these issues.
So turn the volume to 11, be prepared to bang your head, and join me on the journey to making Greg's Going to Rehab.