The Things We Carry (2009)

When her drug-addict mother dies, Emmie returns home, traveling through the underbelly of suburbia looking for a package her mother has left behind, reconnecting with her estranged sister, Eve, along the way.

Director:

Ian McCrudden

Writer:

Alyssa Lobit

Stars:

Alyssa Lobit, Catherine Kresge, Alexis Rhee

7 wins & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Alyssa Lobit	...	Emmie
Catherine Kresge	...	Eve
Alexis Rhee	...	Sunny
Daniel Zacapa	...	Leslie
Ilene Graff	...	Kim
Rob Moran	...	Steven
Jennifer Blanc-Biehn	...	Beth (as Jennifer Blanc)
Frank Merino	...	Jose
Marshall Manesh	...	Manager
Johnny Whitworth	...	Jeremiah
Tonya Kay	...	Samara
Austin Basis	...	Jake
Josh Pence	...	Lance (as Joshua Pence)
Tria Xiong	...	Ma Lee
Angela Oh	...	Dr. Park

Storyline

When her drug-addict mother dies, Emmie returns home, traveling through the underbelly of suburbia looking for a package her mother has left behind, reconnecting with her estranged sister, Eve, along the way.

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Plot Keywords:

sister sister relationship | san fernando valley california | eurasian | independent film | 

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Taglines:

the key to moving forward lies in the past

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Did You Know?

Trivia

This movie is inspired by a personal story. Writer and Actress Alyssa Lobit chose the name "Emmie" for the lead character she played as a tongue-in-cheek way of revealing this: Spoken aloud, "Emmie" is M-E, or "me".

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Soundtracks

Are You Sure
Written by Josh Rifkin
Performed by Josh Rifkin

User Reviews

Supporting cast saves it

It's hard to watch a movie when you don't care much for the main character. I believe she is portrayed much too unreachable, like she's passed the "point of no return". Though I appreciate the journey written for her, the character shows not even subtle signs of a desire to grow or change. So in a sense, the film then becomes quite static and unattractive, and predictable even.

What saves the movie for me are the two main supporting characters. Catherine Kresge does an amazing job in this film. Very real, very believable performance. Her character feels human, not robotic like her sister (which unfortunately leads to a non-believable relationship between them). She will most likely be moving on to bigger and better things. Alexis Rhee gives a very dramatic performance, filled with much needed intense moments helping to "stir the soup".

I think this film would have been much better as a short. Too much "looping" going on, with no real movement of the main arc until the very end.

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

21 September 2009 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Lobit Sisters Productions, The Things We Carry

Technical Specs

Runtime:

77 min

Color:

Color