Episode 1414: The Mental State
by Jason Godbey
On this episode, director James Camali and actors Alison Thornton and William R. Moses talk about The Mental State, the award winning film based on the acclaimed play of the same name by Josh Adell.
The film takes place in rural Kentucky where Andy (Jance Enslin), a high school senior and his family are coming to grips with the aftermath of a public shooting. Alison Thornton is Bethany, the object of Andy’s affection, and William Moses is the high school principal. Carly Pope plays Angela, Andy’s mother, a woman who is in recovery from alcoholism and trying to hold herself and her family together.
Enslin, who gives an extraordinary performance, is surrounded by an extremely strong ensemble cast. Among the standouts are Pope and Thornton-both of whom have some very difficult and highly emotional scenes.
Angela is struggling financially and desperately trying to hold on to her son, and Pope captures the essence of what it means to be a single mother. Bethany is a popular teenager who is thrust into the insanity of the shooting and its repercussions. Thornton runs the gauntlet of emotion with this character and shows she has real screen presence.
Camali is able to navigate through the heavy and poignant subject matter, often capturing the action with a hand-held camera and giving us the feeling that we’re right there with the characters living this experience. There are a number of plot twists that that will keep you guessing, and Camali keeps us engaged throughout.
The film deals with the issues of gun violence and mental illness. At one point, we see an active shooter drill in the high school, reminding us of the reality kids deal with every day. Without elaborate action sequences like car chases and explosions, The Mental State is a powerful and gripping tale that reminds us just how fragile life can be.
The Mental State was released this week on VOD via Gravitas Ventures and is now available.
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This is our last episode of 2023, but we’ll be back with more podcast episodes next year starting on January 17th. We’ll still have more content for you, so be sure to follow us here and subscribe on your favorite podcast app or on YouTube.
This episode is sponsored by Blackmagic Design and JMR Rentals.
Originally published at http://behindtherabbitproductions.wordpress.com on December 20, 2023.
