Director: Stephanie Hensley, Bryan Jolliffe
Writer: Stephanie Hensley (Screenplay)
Starring: Frankie McKay, Linda Schrader, James Liberty, JoAnna Lloyd, Brandon Saylor, Brittany Santiago
Plot: Dane Granger returns to her hometown for a funeral of a friend. While there she must face the demons of the past. There is madness, love, and loss as we journey with Dane to figure out what kind of person she truly is.
There may be spoilers the rest of the review
Verdict: Dark Romantic Thriller
Story: Dane Granger starts with the stylish old school shot opening sequence that fills in why Dane Granger (McKay) is as damaged as she is. We move forward to the grown up Dane dealing with the loss of a close friend Matty Harper who the whole town in looking to mourn. Dane has to face the sister of Matty, Grace (Schrader) the girl she has been dreaming of being with.
With Grace approaching her wedding day she keeps trying to lead Dane on, as Dane now is dealing with her own faceless man following her around whenever she does anything questionable and pushing Grace away. We follow Dane as she tries to make up what to make out of her life while battling her desires, demons and alcohol.
Dane Granger brings us into one woman’s destructive life and what causes it, what makes it better and what makes it worse. We watch how she comes to learn which decisions are the right one and discover how the people in her life see her. This follows the outsider feeling many people have in life giving us a chance to see how other people deal with it and just because a tragic event has happened in your life your friends will stand by you through this moment.
Actor Review
Frankie McKay: Dane Granger is our leading lady, she is full of demons due to a tragic event in her childhood. She sees the whole world against her as she drinks her problems away after her close friend commits suicide. These brings the girl that Dane has always desired back into her life Grace which puts Dane’s car crash of a life in a bigger spiral than before but getting through this could change her life for the better. Frankie is good in this leading role standing out from the rest of the cast with her image.
Linda Schrader: Grace Harper is the woman that has always had the power to control Dane, they have always been sexual tension between the two and when Grace finally comes onto Dane she causes the spiral that Dane goes. Linda is good in this role being the opposite to the Dane character.
Support Cast: Dane Granger has a supporting cast that is friends and flings for Dane, they each help to where the film goes with the final outcome of Dane’s story.
Director Review: Stephanie Hensley, Bryan Jolliffe – The pair gives us a romantic thriller with very effective shots used to unfold the story.
Romance: Dane Granger shows us just how destructive relationships can be to both sides involved.
Settings: Dane Granger puts us into a small town America to show how one even can put a stigma over a certain person.
Suggestion: Dane Granger is one that is worth watching if you are looking for a romantic drama thriller. (Watch)
Best Part: Frankie McKay is great in this debut role.
Worst Part: Certain scenes have difficult to hear sound but can be overlooked.
Believability: This could be like a real relationship.
Chances of Tears: No
Chances of Sequel: No
Post Credits Scene: No
Oscar Chances: No
Budget: $14,000
Runtime: 1 Hour 42 Minutes
Tagline: The emotions are real, everything else is questionable.
Overall: Strong relationship based film showing the deconstruction of the one woman involved.
Rating
