Sometimes the most telling parts of a conversation are the things one cannot find the courage to actually say. This is the intimate and revealing space that charges filmmaker Haroula Rose's newest short film, “Wedding Dress,” premiered on IndieWire on November 23rd.
The penetrating 12-minute film stars Abby Wathen as a newly married bride whose fate forever changes after a surprise visit by the brother-in-law she never knew she had (played by Joshua Leonard). What begins as a hesitant and guarded introduction seamlessly evolves into a candid and vulnerable all day exchange. Emotional walls come tumbling down thanks to the warm embrace of alcohol and infectious music (courtesy of the Allah-La’s and Zac Rae, Rose's friends who provided song and score), only to be disturbed by the late night homecoming of the ominous husband/brother (Dominc Bogart). Together the newfound bond proves strong with an emboldening feminist and liberating ending, with a visual tableau that harkens back to well-worn classics like “The Graduate.”
Winner of the Best Short award at the LA Arthouse and Atlanta ShortsFest Film festivals, as well as two Best Actress awards at the LA Indie Film Fest and Women’s Indie Fest, “Wedding Dress” adds more critically lauded fare to Rose's rapidly growing and impressive resumé. She's recently garnered industry attention with the announcement of her role as producer in the upcoming film “Permanent,” starring Patricia Arquette and Rainn Wilson. Behind the camera, Rose's schedule continues to be packed with projects. “Once Upon A River,” her screenplay adaptation of the beloved novel by Bonnie Jo Campbell, enters casting and pre-production at the year's end after wrapping up at the Nantucket Screenwriter's Colony. She's slated to direct “No Love Song,” a feature based on the short by the same name, which screened at more than 20 film festivals, including Cannes and Newport Beach, and a pilot she wrote and directed for Time Warner’s inaugural year of Project 150 is being shopped to networks.
“Wedding Dress” is part of a trio of films titled the “True Love Trilogy,” produced by Glass Bead Films and all written and directed by Rose. Centering around three disparate, ordinary people who suddenly find themselves plunged into extraordinary circumstances, the triumvirate also includes “Baby Crazy” (official selection of the LA Comedy Fest and Madrid International Film Festival among others) and one yet to be released installment.
Click here to view the full IndieWire premiere "Wedding Dress" here
“Wedding Dress" Credits
Cast: Joshua Leonard, Abby Wathen, Dominic Bogart
Script: Haroula Rose
Director: Haroula Rose
Producers: Melonie Diaz and Jeff Schroeder
Executive Producer: David Macias
Co-Executive Producer: Julian West
Director of Photography: Lowell A. Meyer
Editor: Brad Comfort
Production Designer: Elana Farley
Costume Designer: Jenny Reyes
Composer: Zac Rae
Hair & Makeup: Elana Farley
Sound: Tim Brown III
Colorist: T.F. Bundy
Supervising Sound Editor: Mike Tounian
First Assistant Camera: Nate Garcia
Digital Imaging Technician: Jared Black
Production Assistants: Michael Goldenberg and Saxon Richardson
Assistant Editor: Jeremy Edwards
Catering: Sara Lov
Fight Coordinator: Jesse V. Johnson
