''Easter'' is an independent film based on the play by the same name by

Will Scheffer Will Scheffer is an American playwright, and was co-creator and executive producer of the television series ''Big Love'' and the American remake of Getting On with longtime life partner Mark V. Olsen. He is President and CEO of Anima Sola ...

. It is directed by Richard Caliban who also wrote the screenplay with

, and stars

Jodie Markell Jodie Markell (born April 13, 1959) is an American actress and film director. Career Jodie Markell attended Northwestern University and studied at New York's Circle in the Square Theatre. As an actress, she has worked with theater directors suc ...

Barry Del Sherman Barry Del Sherman (born November 10, 1962) is an American stage, film, and television actor. Career Sherman is known for roles in such films as Clive Barker's ''Lord of Illusions''; Brad Dupree, the executive who fires Lester Burnham (Kevin Spa ...

, Sean Runnette, and

Max Wright George Edward Maxwell Wright (August 2, 1943 – June 26, 2019) was an American actor, known for his role as Willie Tanner on the sitcom '' ALF'' (1986–1990). Early life Wright was born August 2, 1943, in Detroit, Michigan. He moved to th ...

in his final film role before his death in June 2019. Retrieved 2016-10-21

Plot

Wilma (

) and Matthew (

) Ransom are a married couple trying to escape their past, but it always catches up with them. Wilma struggles with indulging in her fantasies, causing her to see Herman Warm Sean Runnette. She drives into town and stops at a local church where she buys a used wedding dress. Next she buys candles and religious supplies from an old shopkeeper named Zaddock Pratt

. Around this time, Matthew drives by the church to notice it's on fire due to arson. He quickly realizes that his wife is back to her old tricks of burning churches. Matthew confronts Wilma about the burning church, and she tells him the reason why she burns churches. She blames him for the death of their child that she miscarried, telling him she hates him.

Production

Filmed during the summer of 2000, the filmmakers had the assistance and supervision from the

Hastings Hastings () is a large seaside town and borough in East Sussex on the south coast of England, east to the county town of Lewes and south east of London. The town gives its name to the Battle of Hastings, which took place to the north-west ...

Fire Department in the burning of an actual farmhouse. The burning of the church was accomplished using visual effects.

Filming locations

''Easter'' takes place in and around the fictional town of Prattsville, but was shot in

and

Harvard Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

Nebraska Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the southwe ...

. The football game flashback was filmed at Hastings High School.

Reception

In his review of ''Easter'' for

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

on April 23, 2003, Todd McCarthy noted that the film had been "Transferred from the 1997 Off Broadway stage production with playwright Will Scheffer, director Richard Caliban and leading lady Jodie Markell all remaining on board" and concluded that he"Sub-Tennessee Williams portrait of a troubled woman losing her moorings to reality doesn’t make a true emotional connection for a moment."

Awards

* Telluride Indiefest 2003 - Best Feature * Empire State Film Festival 2003 - Silver Torch and Best Actress awards

References

External links

* American independent films Films shot in Nebraska Films scored by Jeff Danna 2000s English-language films 2000s American films {{indie-film-stub