Jodom in the News

'House' party: Movie by Franklin filmmaker premieres in Boston

        By Bob Tremblay / Metro West News - Sunday, June 20, 2004

BOSTON -- The house was clearly not divided at the world premiere of "A House Divided."

The film -- written, directed and co-produced by Mike Amato of Franklin -- received a rousing standing ovation after its screening at the Seaport World Trade Center in Boston last Sunday.

The center's amphitheater was packed, too. Almost too packed. Before the screening, Amato announced he had good news and bad news. The good news was 378 tickets were sold for the premiere. The bad news was the amphitheater only seats 374. Fortunately, there were a few no-shows so everyone got a seat, Amato said after the screening.

"A House Divided" marks the fourth independent feature movie in four years for Amato's film company, Jodom Pictures. The low-budget film was shot in Massachusetts, utilizing a number of MetroWest locations, and New Hampshire. It also features an all-New England cast, again with MetroWest connections.

The film tells the story of Laura King, a young woman with multiple personalities married to a Kennedy-esque senator who as a child witnessed a murder and now as an adult becomes embroiled in another homicide. The detective assigned to investigate the case is also trying to deal with his own wife's mental illness.

The film was particularly satisfying for Amato. He called the film's quality -- thanks to its dedicated and talented cast and crew -- the highest of all the Jodom movies.

Its subject matter of mental illness also touched close to home for the director, whose mother, Helena, has schizophrenia. The film is dedicated to his mother and late father, Alphonse.

"I don't believe she had the illness when he married her," Amato said. "But when that happened, he never left her side. They truly loved each other, and they stayed together until he died. I was always impressed by the fact that despite this debilitating disease, he stuck by her side and never wavered."

The film's portrayal of mental illness also impressed audience members.

"Quite a few people came up to me after the screening whose relatives have mental illness and said they really appreciated the sympathetic and understanding tone we took with mental illness," Amato said. "They liked the fact that we took a more positive attitude. We took the time to explain how this person with multiple personalities came to happen."

Before the screening, Amato asked the audience to refrain from applauding during the opening credits. "It's tough to get into a serious film when the audience is yelling, 'You go, girl,'" he said. So the audience saved its boisterous applause for the end.

When Andrea C. Ross, 13, of Franklin, who plays Laura as a young girl, received a particularly loud ovation, Amato deadpanned, "She was OK."

The director also praised the performance of Elizabeth Rose of Framingham, who played Laura as an adult. For the film, she played nine roles. You get to do that when your character has multiple personalities.

Interestingly, the original lead actress "didn't work out," according to Amato, "and she didn't work out three days before filming started." Yet despite the short notice, Rose was able to step into the demanding role -- or roles -- and still deliver a great performance, he said.

At the screening, Rose said, "This is the most professional independent film I've ever worked on." She was also proud of the movie and her performance. "I worked really hard on this," she said. Her 10-year-old daughter, Teagan, also appears in the film, playing one of Laura's personalities.

The cast and crew showed their appreciation for Amato by giving him a director's chair after the screening. They also registered a star in his name.

Asked if he was nervous before the screening, Amato said he did not have the time. ""We finished the film an hour ago," he said. And he wasn't joking after conducting some last-minute fine-tuning.

He said he reserved all his nervousness for the minute the projector started rolling. Only a brief audio glitch caused concern, and even that did not hinder the audience's enjoyment of the film, he said. "It was well received," said the filmmaker. "People seemed to be engrossed in it."

It engrossed the director, too, particularly the scene where the detective and his wife, Vicki, talk about whether to have a baby since schizophrenia is genetic. "That scene brought a tear to my eye even though I've seen it many times," he said.

Filming for "A House Divided" began last September and ended in November with one additional scene shot this year. Pre-production took three months and post-production seven months.

Shooting locations included Southwick's Zoo in Mendon, Cafe Espresso in Bellingham, Emerald Square Limousine in Plainville, Prescott Farm Audubon Center in Laconia, N.H., and the homes of Bob and Elaine Willis in Mendon and Kelley Cloonan in Framingham.

In addition to Rose and Ross, major roles belong to Anthony Villa of Bellingham, who plays the detective and owns the distinction of appearing in all of Amato's films; Peter Brown of Norwood, who plays Laura's husband, Sen. John Franklin King; Pamela McIntyre of Franklin, who plays Vicki; and Brian Hoffman of North Easton, who plays Dr. William Redmund, the psychiatrist treating Laura and Vicki.

For the record, Jodom Pictures is named after Amato's sons, Joseph, 10, and Domenic, 11, who collected tickets at the amphitheater garbed in tuxedos. Unfortunately, their scene in the film was cut. So much for nepotism.

After some more fine-tuning, Amato plans to take "A House Divided" on the festival circuit. It has already won the grand prize award at the 2003 New England Screenwriting Contest and received the second place award at the 2003 Chicago Indiefest Screenwriting Competition.

"We plan to hit in the neighborhood of five to 10 festivals," said Amato. "The idea is to win a couple awards, get attention and sell the film for theatrical or worldwide DVD distribution."

For now, Amato can revel in the enthusiastic response his film received.

Jodom Video Services      Jodom Legal Video     Jodom Medical Video

Jodom Duplication Services             Jodom Movies

Copyright © 2010 Jodom Pictures LLC
Motion Pictures & Films