Home Arts & Entertainment This Is Where We Live: "Adopt a Family"
This Is Where We Live: "Adopt a Family"
Filmmaker Marc Menchaca, along with creative collaborator and Co-Director Josh Barrett, exposes a personal passion project for all to see in the film This Is Where We Live. After seeing the movie, your going to think about family, maybe your family or one of the extended families that reached out and helped you along the way.
What's it about?: At first, you are under the impression that the handyman, Noah, played by Menchaca, is the saving grace to a very troubled and hard shipped family. A family that has a father, Bob, with Alzheimer's; a daughter, Lainey, who is angry with everyone and everything; a mother, Diane, coming apart at the seams trying to keep everything together; and to top it off, a 25 year old son, August, with cerebral palsy that needs constant care. It turns out that Noah is broken inside as well, which makes him a more fitting addition to the Sutton Family. The real saving grace comes from August, while without speaking a word, defines the real meaning of family.
Who's the Man? Marc Menchaca (Homeland, he plays disabled Vet Lauder Wakefield), wrote, co-directed and starred in this essential personal film. Outside the theater of the first screening at the Florida Film Festival, many were complimenting the choice to use an actual person with cerebral palsy to play August. There is only one problem with what everyone was saying, Tobias Segal, is an actor who does not have cerebral palsy. Someone throw this man an award, any award, immediately. The real "man" of this film may be the man who influenced the August character and the creation of this film, Menchaca's friend, Thomas Mitchem.
Who's that Girl? Only a mother can express love in so many ways, and CK McFarland does that as Diane. The filmmakers did there best to give Lainey, played by Frankie Shaw, a tired look but were unsuccessful, and even Noah had to mention that she was good looking reluctantly. Shaw's portrayal capture's every cranky sister in the history of the world.
Why Should I Go? Tobias Segal's performance as August is worth the trip alone.
Is it any good?: Yes, anyone with a special bond to an adopted family will own this movie. While working almost three years on this project Menchaca had this on his mind, "Learning to accept people for who they are, no matter what their circumstances and the importance of families we adopt as we go through life." Those adopted families, no matter how dysfunctional, are so crucial to a lot of people and this film embraces those families.
This Is Where We Live Score: 8.5
The Florida Film Festival is presenting an individual filmmaker's screening of this film, Tuesday, April 9th, 6:30 pm at Regal Winter Park Stadium, Marc Menchaca will be on hand.
Visit: Florida Film Festival For Ticket Information
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Tobias Segal
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