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 Cain has become well acquainted with the Lincoln and Logan County
Area, recently filming two episodes of a new television series
“Wrath & Rituals” in Lincoln. With a goal of expanding her
production company into Logan County on a permanent basis, she chose
to showcase her work in Lincoln through the premier of her new
movie.
Catherine Cain and
Allison Mullaney
Prior to the movie premier on Saturday, a casual reception was held
at the Lincoln Arts Institute. Guests were able to stop in and visit
with Cain and two members of the cast, Allison Mullaney and
Catherine Cain.
Allison Mullaney,
Senator Sally Turner, Catherine Cain
Among those on hand for the pre-movie event was Illinois Senator
Sally Turner, who hosted Cain and her cast during the filming of the
television show in early November.
Cain said that the television show is gaining interest and she is
excited about the future of the series. She has three more episodes
in the works, and plans to film all three in Lincoln, if she can get
the funding.
The hot chocolate and cookie reception at the Arts Institute was a
family oriented event that lasted from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Then the
party moved to the Johnston Center for Performing Arts where about
50 to 75 people attended the premier.
After the movie there was an after-party hosted at the Idle Hour in
downtown Lincoln.
A Holiday Homecoming – the movie
The leading male role in the movie is Jessie McNeil, played by Jon
Hacker. Jessie is a beyond college age young man living at home with
and working for his father. The father is recently widowed, and the
two men share a large home in the small community of Hope, New York.
The leading female role is that of Abigail, played by Mullaney.
Abigail is 14 with a 10-year-old brother named David, played by
Robert Levey II. The two children lost their parents three years
ago, and have been in the foster care system and eligible for
adoption since then.
The movie opens with a scene in the local small town church. Jessie
is in attendance with his girlfriend Maggie, played by his real-life
wife Taryn Hacker.
The pastor shares that the local orphanage has burned over night,
and there are a large number of children who have been displaced. He
encourages the congregation to consider taking in some of these
children at least temporarily.
Christmas is just a few days away, and the pastor says it would be
good to give the children a home for Christmas, and perhaps some
families would even consider providing such a home until the
orphanage can be rebuilt.
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After the service, Maggie encourages Jessie to take in at least one child for
Christmas, but also suggests that with the large home he lives in, the two men
could take in siblings. Jessie is adamant that he doesn’t like children and does
not want kids living in his home. This is an admission that Maggie finds
disturbing for more than a few reasons. She finally convinces him to at least
think about it.
When Jessie arrives home, he discovers that his father has already pulled the
trigger and taken in two children, Abigail and David.
Abigail is an extremely bitter young girl. She knows that the chances that she
and her brother will ever be adopted are slim to none and she is suspicious of
the two men who have taken the children into their home. On multiple occasions
her little brother encourages her to try and be nice, but for Abigail, the
attempts to do so are temporary and she reverts back to the young girl who is
bitter and angry at her circumstances.
Of course, every good movie needs conflict, and that conflict comes in the form
of Jessie’s former girlfriend Lucy, who suddenly returns to town. She is not a
welcome visitor in Jessie’s mind and his father agrees wholeheartedly.
Thinking they are alone, the two men talk about Lucy and how terrible she is.
They wish she would leave and never come back.
Unbeknownst to Jessie and his father, Abigail overhears a portion of the
conversation and thinks the men are talking about her. From what she overhears
Abigail also draws the conclusion that the men are very fond of her brother
David. She decides that it would be best for all if she ran away. But she also
determines that she will leave her little brother with the McNeill’s.
The balance of the storyline involves Abigail as well as Jessie coming to some
surprising revelations that will in the end lead to ‘A Holiday Homecoming.’
Appearing in a small part of the movie is Cain’s daughter, Catherine. Catherine
plays the role of Martha, the sister of Jessie’s girlfriend Maggie. Catherine
has only a few short lines in the movie, but is dominate in a shopping scene
when Jessie discovers that the kids lost all their clothing in the fire, not
that they had all that much to start with. He, Maggie and Martha, take Abigail
and David on a shopping spree with Jessie paying the bill.
While the movie is light and entertaining, it also touches on some of the harsh
realities of the foster care system and the plight of children up for adoption
in this country.
The movies slides in the fact that there are more than 500,000 children in the
system, and that the older a child gets, the less likely it is that child will
be adopted. While infants are in demand, would-be parents will rarely consider
adopting teenagers or siblings.
There is also a slight commentary about those who use ‘the system” for the sake
of money. When Abigail and David are told they will go shopping, she suspects
that Jessie and his father will hit the orphanage up for money, and that it is
the only reason they would even take the kids into their home.
The movie also reflects a spiritual aspect from its start to end.
At the end of the film on Saturday evening, the guests agreed that it was a well
done movie, light and sweet, and a good message.
The movie is currently available for viewing on PureFlix.com
[Nila Smith] |
