Last Chance Charlene
Reeling from her brother’s suicide, a writer/actress tries to put her complicated life back together, salvage her marriage and break into the entertainment industry.
Interview with Writer/Director/Producer/Actor Tony Gapastione
Congratulations! Why did you make your film?
I wanted to give people a story about grief that compassionately elevated the human struggle of loss in a grounded yet also comedic way.
Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?
If you like drama and comedy this one is for you. If you've ever wanted a film to not beat you over the head with a message (on grief) this one's for you.
How do personal and universal themes work in your film?
Last Chance Charlene is extremely personal as I am very similar to the protagonist. Charlene is an actor turned screenwriter processing her grief by telling her story.
How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?
I started writing the film as a vehicle for my own acting career. I was going to be the lead and I called it LAST CHANCE CHARLIE, but I wanted to step back and give more opportunities to others so I changed it to LAST CHANCE CHARLENE and the actress who played the lead, Allison Ewing, was extremely collaborative in bringing the character of Charlene to life.
What type of feedback have you received so far?
We've received a lot of people telling us they feel seen and our film was an invitation to acknowledge their own pain and grief being reminded grief is a journey that doesn't always wrap up in a perfectly polished way.
Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?
It's been very encouraging.
What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?
More exposure for the film and audience building/awareness of our production company: BraverMaker.
Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?
Journalists
What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?
We'd love to see more group watches (high schools, colleges, faith communities and include a panel discussion and break-out groups for conversation.
What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?
How do we process when someone dies by suicide?
The way we talk about suicide is often taboo and many times can be shameful for those left behind in loss, who are mourning. We need to learn to engage in conversation carefully and sensitively with those in grief to suicide as it is a very traumatic and tragic time in their lives. How can we better discuss with compassion, the death of a loved one to suicide? We start first by NOT criminalizing the deceased. Our film seeks to normalize talking about suicide as we do any other death and remove the word "commit" when we do, as that word is associated with crime. People commit crimes. People who take their own lives are often hopeless, depressed, and lost but often they are talked about as selfish, manipulative, or crazy. These labels are not helpful. Also, NO ONE knows truly what happens when one dies---but some who come from religious communities have taken it upon themselves to determine people's afterlife destinies (why?!) and these conversations are never appropriate and can traumatize a grieving person even more.
Would you like to add anything else?
Happy to connect with people on Instagram at @tonygapastione or @bravemakerorg
What other projects are the key creatives developing or working on now?
I have another feature film about a family dealing with death called The Thorns We Live With and a sequel to Last Chance Charlene that follows the character of Dino and his raise to fame as an actor as he processes his past trauma due to high school bullying. It's called Eyes On Dino.
Interview: August 2023
We Are Moving Stories embraces new voices in drama, documentary, animation, TV, web series, music video, women's films, LGBTQIA+, POC, First Nations, scifi, supernatural, horror, world cinema. If you have just made a film - we'd love to hear from you. Or if you know a filmmaker - can you recommend us? More info: Carmela
Last Chance Charlene
Reeling from her brother’s suicide, a writer/actress tries to put her complicated life back together, salvage her marriage and break into the entertainment industry.
Length: 1:55:00
Director: Tony Gapastione
Producer: Tony Gapastione, Jessica Musgrave, Keren Southall
Writer: Tony Gapastione
About the writer, director and producer:
TONY GAPASTIONE directed this film inspired by his own journey of grief losing a loved one to suicide while also working as an actor and screenwriter. He is an actor turned filmmaker living in Northern California.
Key cast: Allison (Charlene), Cameron James Matthews (Dino), Alley Mills (Lorenna), Jeremy Ray Valdes (Raul), Tony Gapastione, Kayla Robinson (Ayla), (Dominick)
Looking for: journalists
Facebook: Tony Gapastione
Twitter: @tonygapastione
Instagram: @tonygapastione
Hashtags used: #LastChanceCharlene #BraveMaker
Website: bravemaker.com/last-chance-charlene
Other: IMDb
Made in association with: BraveMaker Media
Where can I watch it next and in the coming month?
All VOD locations like Apple, Amazon. Comcast, Vudu, Youtube, Xbox