A Light Beneath Their Feet
Come view a film directed and produced by fellow alum at the Phoenix Film Festival!
In the last few months of high school, college-bound Beth contends with the typical rites of passage—deciding on a school, finding a date to the prom, managing peer pressure from the mean girls, and questioning an uncertain future. As an intelligent and mature young woman, Beth longs for her independence, but is torn between the prospects of her dream school, UCLA, or sticking closer to home at Northwestern to care for her mother, Gloria (Taryn Manning of Orange is the New Black), who is struggling to stabilize her bipolar disorder. Set to a broody but wistful indie-rock soundtrack, this coming-of-age drama sets itself apart in its bold exploration of mental illness and its effect on the family as well as the afflicted. Director Valerie Weiss assuredly elicits strong performances from the entire cast, including the young lead, Madison Davenport, and Taryn Manning. whose performance firmly establishes her as one of the rising stars of her generation.
There will be three screenings at the festival, all at the Harkins Scottsdale 101: