''The Things We've Seen'' is a 2017 American

low budget A low-budget film or low-budget movie is a motion picture shot with little to no funding from a major film studio or private investor. Many independent films are made on low budgets, but films made on the mainstream circuit with inexperienced or ...

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super-g ...

written and directed by

Tre Manchester Tre Manchester (born June 12, 1992) is an American real estate agent, film writer, director, and producer known for his debut feature film ''The Things We've Seen''. Early life Manchester was born in Springfield, Massachusetts, but grew up in ...

and produced by Don Bernacky, John Metzler, and

Roger Welp Roger is a given name, usually masculine, and a surname. The given name is derived from the Old French personal names ' and '. These names are of Germanic origin, derived from the elements ', ''χrōþi'' ("fame", "renown", "honour") and ', ' ...

. It tells the story of a boy who sets off to find his father after accusations of guilt turns the man into a fugitive. The film was shot on location around the

Crown Point, IN Crown Point is a city in and the county seat of Lake County, Indiana, United States. The population was 33,899 at the 2020 census. The city was incorporated in 1868. On October 31, 1834, Solon Robinson and his family became the first settlers to ...

area and premiered in

Lafayette, IN Lafayette ( , ) is a city in and the county seat of Tippecanoe County, Indiana, United States, located northwest of Indianapolis and southeast of Chicago. West Lafayette, Indiana, West Lafayette, on the other side of the Wabash River, is home t ...

in January 2017. In March of that year, it made its film festival debut at the 20th

George Lindsey George Smith Lindsey (December 17, 1928 – May 6, 2012) was an American actor and stand-up comedian, best known for his role as Goober Pyle on ''The Andy Griffith Show'', ''Mayberry R.F.D.'' and his subsequent tenure on '' Hee-Haw''. Life and ...

UNA Film Festival where it went on to win Best Feature Film.

Plot summary

There is a strike at the local mill. A stand off with the police gets a man killed with Ray and wounded Rick escaping. As a result the mill, which is the sole employer in the county, burns to the ground. The strike and the mill fire is a devastating loss to the rural community. The Sheriff goes to Ivory Joyce Boem and tells her not to assist her husband Ray in any way. She and her two teen sons Reagan and Neely should get out of town. Ray is a country singer and an absent father having left Ivory Joyce alone to raise her boys. Reagan goes to find his father and the mother is furious to find Ray and his shot brother in her home. Ray tries to help Reagan play the guitar and explain his absence. Rick dies and Ray and his two sons secretly bury him. Later that night the Sheriff arrests Ray. Ray tricks a deputy at the jail and escapes. He returns to the Boem residence. They all say their tearful goodbyes with Dad driving off alone. Ivory Joyce drives away down a dirt road with her sons.

Cast

Randy Ryan Randy Ryan is an American actor, known for his role in '' Public Enemies'', ''Salvation Boulevard'', ''Joshua'', '' The Forgotten'', ''20th Century Women'', and '' The Things We've Seen''. His television roles include ''Sex and the City'', '' Law ...

- Rayford Boem *

Jarrett Maier Jarrett Maier (born July 11, 1998) is an American actor known for playing Hugh Hefner as a teenager in the Amazon Studios series '' American Playboy: The Hugh Hefner Story''. Early life Maier was born in Chicago, Illinois, but grew up in the ci ...

- Reagan Boem * Shani Salyers Stiles - Ivory Joy Boem * Noah McCarty-Slaughter - Neely Boem * John D. Carver - Sheriff Pascal *

Jordon Hodges Jordon Hodges (born March 2, 1987) is an American actor, screenwriter and producer known for his role as Noah Daly in the 2014 drama film '' Sand Castles''. Early life Jordon Hodges was born in Goshen, Indiana and attended Northridge High Scho ...

- Rick Boem

Production

Filming began in summer of 2015. Production occupied many scenic locations that were also featured in

Michael Mann Michael Kenneth Mann (born February 5, 1943) is an American director, screenwriter, and producer of film and television who is best known for his distinctive style of crime drama. His most acclaimed works include the films ''Thief'' (1981), ' ...

drama Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance: a play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a genre of poetry in general, the dramatic mode has been ...

Public Enemies (2009 film) ''Public Enemies'' is a 2009 American biographical crime drama film directed by Michael Mann, who co-wrote the screenplay with Ronan Bennett and Ann Biderman. It is an adaptation of Bryan Burrough's 2004 non-fiction book ''Public Enemies: Americ ...

, including the downtown streets of

Crown Point, Indiana Crown Point is a city in and the county seat of Lake County, Indiana, United States. The population was 33,899 at the 2020 census. The city was incorporated in 1868. On October 31, 1834, Solon Robinson and his family became the first settlers to ...

. The first draft of the film's screenplay was completed on September 7, 2014. The final draft was completed on September 2, 2015 just weeks before the final phase of principal photography. Filming was split into two phases beginning in June 2015, lasting four days. The cast and crew resumed production in late September 2015.
With its dark tone and contrasting visuals, the film was dubbed an "American Gothic" by The Film Yap. Much of the film's look and visual style was influenced and modeled upon the work of painter

Edward Hopper Edward Hopper (July 22, 1882 – May 15, 1967) was an American realist painter and printmaker. While he is widely known for his oil paintings, he was equally proficient as a watercolorist and printmaker in etching. Hopper created subdued drama ...

Official film festival selections

* George Lindsey UNA Film Festival ,

Florence, Alabama Florence is a city in, and the county seat of, Lauderdale County, Alabama, United States, in the state's northwestern corner. It is situated along the Tennessee River and is home to the University of North Alabama, the oldest college in the st ...

* MayDay Film Festival

Evansville, Indiana Evansville is a city in, and the county seat of, Vanderburgh County, Indiana, United States. The population was 118,414 at the 2020 census, making it the state's third-most populous city after Indianapolis and Fort Wayne, the largest city in ...

* Julien Dubuque International Film Festival ,

Dubuque, Iowa Dubuque (, ) is the county seat of Dubuque County, Iowa, United States, located along the Mississippi River. At the time of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the population of Dubuque was 59,667. The city lies at the junction of Iowa, Il ...

* Hobnobben Film Festival ,

Fort Wayne, Indiana Fort Wayne is a city in and the county seat of Allen County, Indiana, United States. Located in northeastern Indiana, the city is west of the Ohio border and south of the Michigan border. The city's population was 263,886 as of the 2020 Censu ...

* Indy Film Festival ,

Indianapolis, Indiana Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the state capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the seat of Marion County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the consolidated population of Indianapolis and Mari ...

* Columbia Gorge International Film Festival ,

Big Bear Lake, California Big Bear Lake is a small city in San Bernardino County, California, located in the San Bernardino Mountains along the south shore of Big Bear Lake, and surrounded by the San Bernardino National Forest. The city is located about 25 miles (40&nb ...

* 50th Worldfest Houston International Film Festival ,

Houston, Texas Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...

* River Bend Film Festival ,

Goshen, Indiana Goshen ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Elkhart County, Indiana, United States. It is the smaller of the two principal cities of the Elkhart-Goshen Metropolitan Statistical Area, which in turn is part of the South Bend-Elkhart-Mishawaka ...

* Covellite Film Festival ,

Butte, Montana Butte ( ) is a consolidated city-county and the county seat of Silver Bow County, Montana, United States. In 1977, the city and county governments consolidated to form the sole entity of Butte-Silver Bow. The city covers , and, according to the ...

* Louisville International Festival of Film ,

Louisville, Kentucky Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border ...

Calcutta International Cult Film Festival Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , the official name until 2001) is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal, on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary business, commer ...

Kolkata Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , the official name until 2001) is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal, on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary business, comme ...

, India * Mediterranean Film Festival ,

Syracuse, Sicily Syracuse ( ; it, Siracusa ; scn, Sarausa ), ; grc-att, wikt:Συράκουσαι, Συράκουσαι, Syrákousai, ; grc-dor, wikt:Συράκοσαι, Συράκοσαι, Syrā́kosai, ; grc-x-medieval, Συρακοῦσαι, Syrakoûs ...

Nominations

* "Best Picture" , Houston Critic's Choice Society * "Best Actress" , Houston Critic's Choice Society * "Best Supporting Actor" , Houston Critic's Choice Society * "Best Young Performer" , Houston Critic's Choice Society

Awards

* "Best Original Screenplay" - ''The Things We've Seen'' , Columbia Gorge International Film Festival * "Best Feature" - ''The Things We've Seen'' , Mediterranean Film Festival * "Outstanding Achievement Award" - ''The Things We've Seen'' , Calcutta International Cult Film Festival * "Professional Narrative Feature" - ''The Things We've Seen'' ,

UNA Film Festival * "Best Feature" - ''The Things We've Seen'' , MayDay Film Festival * "Best Actor" - ''The Things We've Seen'' , MayDay Film Festival * "Best Actress" - ''The Things We've Seen'' , MayDay Film Festival * "Gold Remi Award" - ''The Things We've Seen'' , 50th Worldfest Houston International Film Festival

External links

*
Sound & Picture Magazine

Microfilmmaker Magazine

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Things We've Seen, The (2017 film) 2010s English-language films