By MICHAEL GINGOLD
The psychological chiller is set to shoot this summer.
Los Angeles filmmaker Natalie Rodriguez is gearing up to direct INNER CHILD from her own script, based on her novella (published by Stray Books) and previous short screenplay (which placed in the top 20 of the Hollyshorts film festival). She has launched an Indiegogo campaign to help finance it; you can see it here. The feature version, according to the official synopsis, “will follow a college freshman named Cassie and the aftermath of cutting ties with her toxic family. Cassie has been battling with a lot of self-doubts with her choices; however, it is this same reoccurring nightmare every morning that keeps her on edge. When this particular nightmare becomes too real, taking over her physically, she reaches out to her therapist, Dr. Reid. Cassie hopes to find some answers and put an end to her night terrors.
“Only, it is Cassie who must confront the truth herself when she comes to terms with reality. Cassie realizes that her reoccurring nightmare is, in fact, body memories from a traumatic event from her past. Reopening unresolved wounds, Cassie only reflects upon her one-time toxic environment, involving a mother who refuses to address the elephant in the room and her drug-addict relatives. Cassie fears that she will become a stigma of her dysfunctional family and repeat the cycle of abuse, addiction, and violence. But her greatest fear is to permanently become the terrified little girl that she once was by confronting a particular relative–her perpetrator.”
“We are in current talks with Scout Taylor-Compton and Felissa Rose for some co-lead roles,” Rodriguez says. Check out the poster and visual concept video below.