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2.18.2014

Patrick Wang to direct 'The Grief of Others'

Family drama starring Rachel Dratch, Wendy Moniz and Trevor St. John


This just jumped to the top of my list of most-anticipated movies. Filmmaker Patrick Wang, who directed, wrote, produced and starred in the critically-acclaimed debut feature In the Family, will direct Rachel Dratch, Wendy Moniz and Trevor St. John in the upcoming drama The Grief of Others.

Rachel Dratch, Wendy Moniz, Trevor St. John in 'Grief of Others'

The Grief of Others is about a grieving family's struggle to return to normalcy after the heartbreaking loss of an infant son. The screenplay, written by Wang, is based on the novel by Leah Hager Cohen.

Rachel Dratch ("Saturday Night Live"), Wendy Moniz and Trevor St. John ("One Life to Live") have joined the cast of upcoming drama "The Grief of Others," set to begin shooting in April in Nyack, N.Y.

Producers are Jim Cummings, Erich Lochner, Matt Miller and Ben Wiessner with Patrick Wang directed from his own screenplay.

The story is based on the novel by Leah Hager Cohen in which a couple’s baby dies 57 hours after his birth and the parents try to return to their previous lives and struggle to regain a semblance of normalcy for themselves and their two children. St. John and Moniz portray the parents.

Other cast members include Oona Laurence, who won a Tony Award for her role "Matilda the Musical," Jeremy Shinder, Sonya Harum and Mike Faist.
In the Family was a relatively unheralded indie that sort of came out of nowhere and quietly kicked some major critical butt, earning a nomination for the 2012 Independent Spirit Award for Best First Feature and winning fans among the likes of Roger Ebert. I loved it. It's an extraordinary film, and I have no doubt that Patrick can handle heavy family drama, and can do it again on The Grief of Others.

The film is set to begin shooting in April. Patrick Wang and David Chien have created an interactive, multimedia iBook, Post Script: The Making of the Film, The Grief of Others, which will chronicle the making of the film and will be updated and expanded as production progresses. Patrick is an incredibly thoughtful filmmaker, so this should be an insightful companion to the project. Can't wait to see how it all comes together.