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**News Flash** |
"A COLD BLOOD" receives RAVE reviews at the 3rd
Look at my Shorts Film Festival
"absolutely the stand out of the night ... masterfully crafted on every level - a wonderful film"
"The editing, lighting, sound, cinematography was all great. My favorite part was the acting. All the talent was good."
"...great job - I can SEE, HEAR and UNDERSTAND why you have won awards in short film making."
"...it's soo good that I have decided to squeeze it in for March 19's film showcase at IndieClub in Cleveland..."
"I really did love “A Cold Blood” ... The story was fantastic and I am a BIG fan of the ending."
"I thought it was pretty close to perfection"
Watch the trailer HERE!
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Home  Director's Notes
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When Truman Capote's masterpiece, "IN COLD BLOOD" was written it was a break through examination of what drives an individual to commit thoughtless and brutal crimes. Crimes of passion are by definition crimes that are not planned over time; they just happen on the spur of the moment. When we have time to think about choosing to do something out of anger or revenge, how hard is it to control our basic instincts and try to find a better way, especially when the injustice hits very close to home?
Personally, I am a believer in the wisdom by Steven Covey: "Between stimulus and response is a space. In this space lies our freedom to choose our response. In these choices lie our growth and our happiness."
But are we always capable of finding that space between stimulus and response? When emotion is overpowering, is that space smaller and harder to find? And even when given plenty of time to consider our response, how often do we choose to forgive, instead of react with vengeance?
Revenge is not always about the extremes of passion, like murder - it is often as simple as choosing not to forgive.
The question of Forgiveness or Revenge is one that affects all of our lives more often than we would like. I was faced with this choice in my own life recently, and it was what attracted me to Dan Kiely's beautifully written script, "A COLD BLOOD".
My wife and I split up a few years ago. Amongst other reasons, it happened because she got intimately reinvolved with an ex-boyfriend of hers. I discovered it, confronted the guy and told him to back off, and not become part of the reason that my young son would end up seeing me for half of his life instead of all the time. My concerns came too late, and were brushed off, and to cut a long story short, my son now shares visitation between me and his mother.
For three years, it was hard to face even talking to the guy, who from my perspective played a role in causing a great deal of emotional turmoil to me and my son. I quickly got back to constructive conversation with my ex-wife because it was the right thing to do for my son, but talking to her partner was not necessary. It would be insincere to pretend as if nothing was wrong, when in fact I felt that he at least owed me an apology. I never considered forgiving them as an option, because I couldn't see where the justice would be in that. If justice were to be done, I expected that he would have to assume some responsibility for his role in the events that transpired,and perhaps attempt to make amends. I wasn't going to make things easier for him and thereby excuse what had been done. So I ignored him - pretended he didn't exist - and he made no effort to communicate with me either.
Finally, as I worked on developing "A COLD BLOOD", I realized that I could no longer continue to live in a state of vengeance about the past. Ultimately I had to make the choice to extend a hand and forgive, or my son would lose out on the opportunity to have comfortable shared birthday and vacation experiences with all of his family together. In order to do so, I would have to put my faith in the idea that justice was not mine to administer. My task was to do all that was within my power and ability and knowledge, to overcome my flaws and be the kind of caring person I strive to be. And you can't move forward with that, when you are holding onto the hurt of the past.
In "A COLD BLOOD", Ben is struggling with finding out about a horrible injustice that was inflicted upon his sister. The stakes are high for him because of the severity of what has happened. He is in that 'space' that can lead one way or the other and the consequences of his choice will impact his life tremendously. Will he be able to navigate through the powerful emotional currents that threaten to pull him under? Will the space close in on him before he can find the clarity to really think it through? What will he decide to do and what will the consequences of his actions be?
Choose well...
Louie Cowan - Director "A Cold Blood" |
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