Click the video to play the film’s trailer
SYNOPSIS EIGHT A dramatic short, based on true events. Richard “Tony” Mason is a blue-collar worker (a welder), who is unhappy with how his life has turned out so far. Only when applying for his marriage certificate does he find out that he was adopted. Enter a young man’s fractured mind. Excessive drinking turns his modest Long Island home into a house of fear and violent neglect. When his wife leaves with their two young children and threatens divorce, Tony agrees to quit drinking and join the police force. After three years as a respected, sober, officer of the law, a routine arrest goes horribly wrong, and Officer Mason feels he, himself, will face jail time. Feeding off self-imposed fear and anxiety, he is unable to hear a superior officer’s comforting and suggestive guidance on the proper way to handle the situation, and so the demon reclaims his nest… Tony spirals quickly out of control, returning to the one comforting vice he once knew. The alcohol doesn’t take long to poison the man, and his self-afflicted mind settles on a seemingly natural progressive thought… There is no way out. He tells his wife that he wants to end his own life. Upon learning his intention, she immediately takes his service revolver and orders him to church and a psychiatrist during his mandatory vacation from the job. When the psychiatrist gives a clean bill of mental health, Tony tells his wife he has decided to return to work. His wife of 14 years decides to give her husband back his gun, and that his return to work is in-line with the doctor’s diagnosis. Neither the doctor nor his wife’s actions could be further askew. Tony is asked to handle a family chore before his return to work, of taking his 12-year-old daughter to deliver her Sunday paper route. Narrowly escaping his wife’s request will ensure there is no one else in the family home when he puts his final plan into action. We gather from all we have seen that Tony has well thought out his plan. The only questions the movie leaves us to ponder is, could Tony have possibly known that it would be his youngest child, eight-year-old Steven, that would discover his lifeless body lying on the master bedroom floor only moments after the smoke from the fired .38-caliber cleared the room, and how would this discovery affect such a young, impressionable mind? … Some endings are just the beginning.
Please feel free to read what some celebrities have had to say about the quality of both the film and the way it was made.
…I think it’s beautifully shot, nicely directed and with great performances. It’s also extremely poignant, almost unbearably so. Congratulations. I found the writing, like your acting to be deceptively simple and unadorned and quietly, incredibly effective. -Dominic West (Actor, The Wire/The Affair/Rockstar)
…Nice storytelling instinct and skills. Themes of struggle with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and substance abuse and the effect in the family was evident and one of importance. It certainly shines a light onto the very serious, sad and unfortunate theme. Enjoyed the film very much, and congratulations! -Ralph Macchio (Actor, The Karate Kid/ Cobra Kai)
…Wow!!!! What an excellent job. It’s palpable!!! I could actually feel the emotion behind it when I was watching it. I liked everything about it. Great acting and powerful storytelling. But most importantly is how personal it feels. That’s the most important part of filmmaking. CONGRATULATIONS! -Kevin Connolly (Actor, Entourage. Director of “Gotti” Starring John Travolta)
…Really strong work all around. Nice shots. Good performances. Difficult subject. I think the story is solid, as was the casting. -Victor Williams (Actor, King of Queens/ Happy Together)
… A beautiful and emotionally powerful movie. In both the narrative and your deeply truthful performance, I could really feel a profound commitment and devotion in telling this story with compassion and honesty. I was moved by Tony’s struggle and the movie’s conclusion was heartbreaking. Thank you for your courage in facing this tale. Congratulations on this important work. – David Henry Hwang (Hall of Fame Playwright, M. Butterfly)