The Edge With Us, is a film that follows the complex situation of Avery taking care of his sister Beth, who suffers from schizophrenia. After Beth’s failed suicide attempt, she wants to live with her best friend Avery. Avery is determined to look after her, but his lifestyle is destructive enough as is.
The story of these two siblings shows two sides of mental illness, those who can help themselves, and those who cannot. My personal dealing with anxiety and depression is what spawned these two characters. I have always been torn by those two competing sides. At the time I was not diagnosed with anything, and can’t imagine the trials and hardships of people who have conditions such as schizophrenia and bi-polar disorder. I still have the mental capabilities to take charge, which is something Avery has to realize. Beth on the other hand is something I have dealt with more recently, and is something much more terrifying. A true lack of control in some situations. This film has been my opportunity to face this head on, and understand myself in a deeper manner. The relationship of the two leads is based off the love for my family, and my twin sister. These are the people I would do anything for, as would Avery for Beth and vice versa.
The film focuses on intense material, and passionate acting to support it, but with that said; shooting the film was an experience of a lifetime. Behind the camera was a completely different mood, and instead was four straight days of fun and growth as filmmakers. A lot of personal investment was put into the project, and of course the help of a few generous supporters from our GoFundMe campaign. We even tried to push the hashtag: #FilmIsFun, with every post we made relevant to the film. With all the fun also came a lot of adapting. This was a ton of shooting and multiple locations being handled in less than a week. Multiple scenes had to be repurposed, actors swapped out, and entire concepts ditched to guarantee the completion of the film.
The two leads of the film stepped up to the plate ready to perform with the highest level of skill and passion. Cody Hively was not originally going to play Avery, because I was. I was so determined to put my thoughts to the lens, and I wasn’t sure if Cody was right for the job. One audition later, and I learned how wrong I was. He proved his versatility as an actor, and put in the same passion I knew was needed for the role. Beth was played by Oliva Loy, and I still feel bad for asking so much of her. Never will I forgot how she could arrive on set and fully embrace the character of Beth so brutally and honestly. She makes the film.
The cinematography by Mikey D’amico was the other key element to the tone and feel of this film. I asked Mikey to really break out of a comfort zone with this one, and that’s because I am a very dirty filmmaker, sometimes to a fault; but he proved his knowledge and confidence in any situation. Versatility at it’s finest. This whole process is nothing without the dedication of the crew. The assistant director Andrew Muller, the sound crew of Brianna Fierro, Wesley Ford, and Sam Thompson, and the performances of other key cast members including Tyler Geyer in one of his finest performances, and fellow Shoreline producer Vinny DePinto.
The film will be coming out on November 15th for anyone to see. Hopefully it finds success on the tail end of it’s festival run. This film is one of the flagship projects of Shoreline Films, and will be a huge step towards Shoreline’s most imperative goal: to make a feature film, under the banner of Shoreline Films.
Website: shorelineofficial.com
Want your film project featured on Local Films? Fill out this form!