Fans who are looking to support an independent film and have something interesting to watch should check out The Mourning Hour, a short on Reel Women's Network that stars actor Brandon Barash (Jake Lambert/Stefan DiMera, Days of our Lives; ex-Johnny Zacchara, General Hospital).
Written and produced by Shevaun Kastl, the tense project is set in 1950s America and stars Kastl as Virginia Bakely, who embarks on an emotional and psychological journey of reawakening upon learning of the death of her husband (Barash).
Reads the official synopsis: "In the wake of news that her husband has been tragically killed in a train accident, Virginia Bakely, a 1950's suburban housewife and mother afflicted with a heart condition, unwittingly embarks on an emotional and psychological journey of reawakening. She finds herself traveling through two distinct spaces of time: one in her typical 1950's home with oven timers, bicycles, and rubber gloves, and the other in the F.W. Walker Music Auditorium when she was a 19 year-old cellist in the student orchestra. One might say that her experiences in the theatre lie somewhere between dream and delusion, speckled with fragments of memory. Still they are very real and lead Virginia to a buried truth and a resurrected love. As she struggles to reconcile predictable feelings of loss and grief with newfound independence, Virginia finds herself at a crossroads where she alone must answer the question, 'What sustains the human heart?'"
Barash, who is also a producer on the film, shares that he took part in the project because he loves supporting independent films.
"You really get to get in there and explore these characters and these relationships from all sides," he says, adding, "Shevaun wrote a great script. The story that came out of her soul was beautifully poignant. Our director, Susan Cohen, was beyond brilliant, and I got to meet and work with one of my favorite character actors: Robert Knepper. So, it was a lot of fun."
The script for The Mourning Hour received early acclaim. It was named the winner of the Slugline International Short Screen Writing Competition, where it was hailed as a shining example of how a short screenplay can be as compelling and moving as any feature-length script.
Reel Women's Network is a new subscription-based streaming service that showcases films, shows, web series, documentaries, and digital content created by women and women-identified filmmakers and content creators. The network was a joint venture between Crystal Chappell (ex-Carly Manning, DAYS; ex-Olivia Spencer, Guiding Light), President of Open Book Productions, and Jessica and Linda Hill of Bella Productions.
For more information and to watch The Mourning Hour, click here.
Barash joined DAYS as Stefan DiMera in March of 2019 and immediately became a fan favorite, especially after the character was paired with Camila Banus' Gabi Hernandez. Prior to his DAYS role, Barash played General Hospital's Johnny Zacchara. His other credits include Good Trouble, Major Crimes, 24, and Gilmore Girls.
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