Thursday, March 7, 2013

Blake Berris' 'Meth Head' Premieres at DC Independent Film Festival

DAYS OF OUR LIVES actor Blake Berris will be in Washington tonight at the DCIFF (DC Independent Film Festival) for the premiere of his movie Meth Head.

The film, written and directed by Hollywood writer-director Jane Clark, depicts a young man, in love and with a promising career ahead of him, whose world spirals wildly out of control due to addiction to methamphetamine--a drug that has ravaged

Meth Head is inspired by the real-life experiences of Jane Clark and producer-actor John W. McLaughlin--who also plays a character in the movie. “Most movies, documentaries, and news programs only illustrate meth addicts who are poor and uneducated—or celebrities,” says Clark. “But methamphetamine is an equal opportunity destroyer. The addicts I knew and know are from good families, had careers, lovers, owned homes, and lived middle class lives. And that is a story that has gone untold until now.”

“I don’t see Meth Head as simply a drug film. I see it as a film about family – the one that we are born into, the ones that we create – and how they impact the addiction and how the addiction impacts them. In simple terms, it’s about the human beings,” says Clark. “These are the fathers, sons, mothers, lovers, friends, aunts, neighbors that we all know. They are just like us, filled with dreams, desires, fears and insecurities. The only difference is the chemical changes that impact their behavior and their choices because of the drug.”

The powerful drama stars Lukas Haas (Lincoln), who plays Kyle Peoples, a man who is stuck in a dead end job, with a more successful partner (Wilson Cruz - part of the Indie Soap Award-winning cast of HUSTLING) and a family who doesn't understand him. When an innocent night of partying leads to a new family of friends, Kyle sees an escape--but friendships with drug buddies Maia (Necar Zadegan) and Dusty (Berris) and their love of meth costs Kyle his job, lover, family, and home. Kyle's escape and the “party” ultimately becomes his trap, and the drug is slowly killing him, physically and psychologically. Hitting bottom, Kyle faces one choice - life or meth. The movie also stars Tom Sizemore, Scott Patterson and Theo Rossi. The film’s score was composed by Curt Smith and Charlton Pettus. Smith is co-founder of the multi-platinum British music group "Tears For Fears," with which he continues to tour worldwide, and is also an acclaimed solo musician. METH HEAD is his first feature-length score.

Berris stars as Nick Fallon on NBC’s DAYS, a role that earned him an Emmy nomination in 2009. After briefly leaving the show, Berris quickly lined up strong roles in a series of high profile independent films, including Minkow opposite James Caan and Ving Rhames, the crime drama Mafiosa, and Girlfriend by director Justin Lerner, which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival.

For more on the DCIFF, visit dciff-indie.org. You can find out more about Meth Head at themethheadmovie.com.

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