A Dead Cat and a Possible Romance

Bruce Von Stiers

Clara is not having a good day. She's driving down the street, listening to a meditation and calming program. But potholes, and her thoughts, keep making her agitated. This agitation is very present as she attends a party celebrating her friend Jerry's birthday.

That is the beginning of a short film titled 9 Lives. The film is a mixture of drama, comedy and romance.

After giving a somewhat confrontational birthday toast, Clara has a panic attack and hides in the bathroom. There she bonds with June over a dead cat.

The rest of the film is about the further bonding, and attraction, between the two women. There are some comedic moments with a police officer and a few dramatic ones with an older man.

Millie Rose Evans is Clara. She has worked as a stand-in on shows such as Sweet Magnolias and Stranger Things and films such as Venom and Spiderman: Homecoming. She also appeared in The In Between and an episode of The Rejects: Origins.

Lauren “Ren” Muccino is June. She co-starred in Deadly Secrets of a Cam Girl and stars in the film I Married as the Replacement Bride.

Ryan King is Officer Dansberry, the police officer the women interact with. He's appeared in shows such as Young Rock and Will Trent and co-starred in the comedy short film Melody Skylark and the Cosmic Soup.

Rick Andosca plays June's grandfather, the older man I mentioned earlier. He played a ghost in Haunted Mansion and a landlord in the second Shazam film.

Jerry is played by Matthew Thompson. Other actors in the film included John Angel, Rachel Paige and Jessie Kuehne. And there was Casey Breen, Joe Bradley and Ronin Molaskiii as other people at the party.

Mille Rose Evans also wrote the screenplay for the film and directed it.

It was produced by Aaron Strand. He has appeared in films such as Irresistable and has written and directed a couple of short films.

Daniel Stearns was the cinematographer. His previous work includes short films such as One Without From Without and Face Your Fears.

The film featured the song 9 Lives by alt folk artist Odie Leigh.

9 Lives is a poignant film about feeling overwhelmed and making that just right connection with someone else. The bonding and attraction between the two women that happened because of a dead cat is a bit different. But Evans and Muccino make their characters seem very real, with a lot of raw emotion from Evans. And the empathy that June has for Clara, even though her cat had just died.

9 Lives has been an official selection at the Venice Shorts Film Awards, was an award winner at the Indie Short Fest, an official selection at the Love Wins Film Festival and received an Honorable Mention at the 2024 LA Underground Film Forum. And the film is an official selection at the upcoming Out On Film: Atlanta's LGBTQ Film Festival. The film has also been submitted to the Santa Clarita International Film Festival for possible inclusion in this year's upcoming festival.

9 Lives has an Instagram page at https://www.instagram.com/9livesthefilm/ There you can find photos from the film and other information, including a link to the film's trailer.

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© 2024 Bruce E Von Stiers