''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 o ...

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. The drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular ...

written and directed by

Tre Manchester Tre Manchester (born June 12, 1992) is an American real estate agent, author, 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 Crown ...

and produced by Don Bernacky, John Metzler, and Roger Welp. 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 area and premiered in

Lafayette, IN Lafayette ( ) is a city in and is the county seat of Tippecanoe County, Indiana, United States, located northwest of Indianapolis and southeast of Chicago. According to the 2020 census, the population of Lafayette was 70,783. West Lafayett ...

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 a ...

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, brother Ray and Rick, who is wounded, escaping. As a result of the strike, the mill, which is the sole employer in the county, burns to the ground. The strike and the fire are devastating losses to the rural community. The Sheriff goes to Ivory Joyce Boem and tells her not to assist Ray, her husband, in any way, and that 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. Ivory Joyce is furious to find Ray and Rick in her home. Ray tries to help Reagan play the guitar and explain his absence. Rick dies of his injury, 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, returning to the Boem residence. They all say their tearful goodbyes. While Ray drives off alone, Ivory Joyce drives away down a dirt road with her sons.

Cast

* Randy Ryan - Rayford Boem * Jarrett Maier - Reagan Boem * Shani Salyers Stiles - Ivory Joy Boem * Noah McCarty-Slaughter - Neely Boem * John D. Carver - Sheriff Pascal * Jordon Hodges - Rick Boem

Production

Filming began in the 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 film director, screenwriter, author and producer, best known for his stylized crime dramas. He has received a BAFTA Award and two Primetime Emmy Awards as well as nominations for four ...

drama Drama is the specific Mode (literature), mode of fiction Mimesis, represented in performance: a Play (theatre), play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on Radio drama, radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a g ...

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: Am ...

, 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 34,884 per the 2023 American Community Survey. The city was incorporated in 1868. On October 31, 1834, Solon Robinson and his family became ...

. 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 realism painter and printmaker. He is one of America's most renowned artists and known for his skill in depicting modern American life and landscapes. Born in Nyack, New York, to a ...

Official film festival selections

* George Lindsey UNA Film Festival ,

Florence, Alabama Florence is a city in, and the county seat of, Lauderdale County, Alabama, Lauderdale County, Alabama, United States, in the state's northwestern corner, and had a population of 40,184 in the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Florence is l ...

* MayDay Film Festival

Evansville, Indiana Evansville is a city in Vanderburgh County, Indiana, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 118,414 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is Indiana's List of cities in Indiana, third-most populous city after India ...

* Julien Dubuque International Film Festival ,

Dubuque, Iowa Dubuque (, ) is a city in Dubuque County, Iowa, United States, and its county seat. The population was 59,667 at the 2020 United States census. The city lies along the Mississippi River at the junction of Iowa, Illinois, and Wisconsin, a region ...

* Hobnobben Film Festival ,

Fort Wayne, Indiana Fort Wayne is a city in Allen County, Indiana, United States, and its county seat. 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 at the 2020 census ...

* Indy Film Festival ,

Indianapolis, Indiana Indianapolis ( ), colloquially known as Indy, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Indiana, most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana, Marion ...

* Columbia Gorge International Film Festival ,

Big Bear Lake, California Big Bear Lake is a 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 about northeast of the city of San ...

* 50th Worldfest Houston International Film Festival ,

Houston, Texas Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...

* 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–Mish ...

* 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 2 ...

* Louisville International Festival of Film ,

Louisville, Kentucky Louisville is the List of cities in Kentucky, most populous city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, sixth-most populous city in the Southeastern United States, Southeast, and the list of United States cities by population, 27th-most-populous city ...

* Calcutta International Cult Film Festival ,

Kolkata Kolkata, also known as Calcutta ( its official name until 2001), is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of West Bengal. It lies on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River, west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary ...

, India * Mediterranean Film Festival ,

Syracuse, Sicily Syracuse ( ; ; ) is a historic city on the Italian island of Sicily, the capital of the Italian province of Syracuse. The city is notable for its rich Greek and Roman history, culture, amphitheatres, architecture, and as the birthplace ...

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