Lovely Molly, Graphically Shocking and Deeply Resonating, from Director Eduardo Sanchez

LOVELY MOLLY, the newest film from Blair Witch Project Director Eduardo Sanchez brings to the screen a troubling, albeit realistic, portrayal of the deep devastations of childhood traumas surfacing in adult lives.

LOVELY MOLLY’s producing team includes Executive Producer Andy Jenkins and producers Robin Crowie, Gregg Hale, Jane Fleming and former New Line Cinema Producer Mark Ordesky who was responsible for the development of the wildly successful THE LORD OF THE RINGS trilogy. LOVELY MOLLY stars Johnny Lewis as Tim, Alexandra Holden as Hannah and a stand out and OSCAR worthy nod for newcomer Gretchen Lodge as Molly.

LOVELY MOLLY renders a graphic depiction of lives lost and futures muted by the damages of childhood sexual and physical assaults. Although the trauma is not shown and left up to the viewer to discern the degree, the deep emotional injury and anesthetizing substance abuse used to keep those emotions and repressed memories from surfacing are very present.

LOVELY MOLLY, crosses what seems like all universal boundaries as it delves deep into an annihilated human psyche as a young victim, embodied by Gretchen Lodge, sinks into a void of hopelessness, despair and into the prison that childhood violence can create.  Gretchen  Lodge portrayed, with brutal honesty a theatrical arch, as did all who portrayed those closest to her, beginning with blissful wedding day happiness to deeply disturbed psychotic killer.

Meeting LOVELY MOLLY lead Gretchen Lodge, by accident, in the Los Angeles office of PMK BNC, we had a few minutes to sit and chat before the official start time of our afternoon interview. She is unpretentious, down to earth, personable and funny with deep roots in classical training as well as long time theatrical study and working on London’s West End in the long running hit musical CHICAGO.  Our reception area conversation allowed some additional time to gather a few tidbits from someone who was easy to talk with and would soon become a Facebook friend. Below is an excerpt of our interview. She generously complimented the entire cast, especially Johnny Lewis and Alexandra Holden and Eduardo Sanchez.

Janet Walker: So we were talking a bit in the lobby and I was just about to tell you what I thought of the film and I wanted to start off with that. Seeing it, I’ve seen people with deep addictions and I wanted to tell you I felt your portrayal was spot on and so accurate that it was something that I felt I had to bring up in an interview with you. And I hadn’t planned on participating in the interview but after I saw the movie I wanted to participate and ask you some questions about that.

So with that, we’ve talked a little about your background and there doesn’t seem to be any of that type of fuel that you were able to portray with such intensity and such accuracy a role like that. So tell me a little about that and where did you gather the source for that role?

Gretchen Lodge: For the particular research that I did I was in New York and I was talking with Ed [Eduardo Sanchez] and we were talking through the script. And he was like, ‘we’ll wait to you get here and we’ll workshop it and we’ll define what we’re thinking as far as the different avenues to take.’  During my time in NY, which I think was a month, I was able to do my research there. And going to different facilities, I talked to a couple of different people but what really interested me was just observing. The observing of people in those situations who didn’t know I was observing them.  The behavior that was going on was not for an audience or for anyone. It was going on within them. Seeing that type of behavior really interested me. Because I feel sometimes it gets overlooked because sometimes with that going on people assume it’s for something or because they need something.  

I wanted to portray, Molly in way that was as real as possible. There was layer upon layer, and if these people took the time to get to the real problem instead of giving blanket statement of diagnosis than there would be the possibility of recovery.

Janet Walker: There were some many aspects of the film that I took notice of and I may jump around a little because we have a few minutes. I noticed in the script that your character Molly is very violent. In the scene where you are injuring Tim, you’re biting your husband to the point of deep pain and he is not violent, in fact none of the other characters react violently to the clear violence and I wondered did you take notice of that and why was that?

Gretchen Lodge: Ed was incredible in giving us the time before hand to rehearse; I really, really appreciated that. When Johnny [Lewis] and I began working our scenes were both individually finding the common thread that binds us together and how far can it stretch.  How close can we come and how far would it stretch. And through that he made his own choices as to what he would do and while I can’t speak for him as to the decisions he made I feel, I guess it sort of goes back to knowing people. He sees her changing and doing these things that are out of character for the Molly he knows. He sees the person he loved and the person he married and sometimes it’s very hard especially when you see someone that you love and someone who is very close to you committing these strange and bizarre acts. I think he had a lot of problems with the rose colored glasses as he hadn’t experienced the behavior as Hannah had in the past.

LOVELY MOLLY, provided a platform to advocate on behalf of all victims in as the cycle of abuse for the vast majority is two-fold, the onset, and then again when the memories surface. The memories are as shattering as the violence and can cause seemingly successful, normal, adjusted individuals to suddenly spiral out of control into an abyss. Suicide rates for those with traceable sexual assaults in their lives are five thousand per state per year, totaling 250K individuals who commit suicide every year with a traceable childhood sexual assault in their lives.

The Centers for Diseases Control, the CDC, classifies violence as a disease at epidemic levels without a vaccine, cure or high profile interest the plague of disturbing violence that rips apart families and mutes lives and potential will only escalate.

LOVELY MOLLY is rated R for deep graphic violence, nudity, substance abuse, language and the portrayal of a child murder, and while the murder scene is not graphic and can be understood as a through line for the central character, it does cross the line and truly, with everything else that’s going on is not necessary.

LOVELY MOLLY, a troubling, suspenseful , striking and resonating film and must see for the performances alone and who knows although awards season is a long way off, LOVELY MOLLY may resurface for the brilliant portrayal of a troubled, silenced life.

LOVELY MOLLY is playing in select cities. Check your local listings.

 

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