Keith Wells knew that he wanted to do a film on children for his master's degree thesis in broadcast/cinema at Art Center College of Design in Pasadena. As he mulled over ideas, the Pasadena resident remembered reading an article two years earlier about a child in Texas who had been abused and was having trouble acclimating to her new adoptive family. Eventually, the parents returned her to the Russian orphanage.
"It came out that the parents were pretty vain in their approach on how they chose the child," Wells said. "They chose Russian in particular because they thought that if they got a blond child it would fit better in their family structure because they were both blond. That sparked the fuel for this film."
Wells wanted to use his movie to further his point of view that when people "force" a child into their family, whether through adoption, in vitro fertilization or even giving birth to a child against physician's advice, it tends to end badly.
Wells spent six months narrowing his subject to adoption and three more months went by before he wrote the first draft for the script. He wrote it all in one day.
"I find a subject that I want to talk about and latch onto ... and then I think about it and think about it and then it comes to a point where it all comes out at one time," Wells said.
The result is "Falling Snow," a film that relates the story of a couple who can't have children of their own, so they adopt a child from
another country. Unbeknownst to them, the girl had been severely abused by her biological mother and, as the family members get to know each other, various issues emerge. Because the couple is unaware of the girl's background, this leads to stress and the breakdown of the family."It's a story that's happened over and over, but there really hasn't been a lot about this subject," Wells said. "I know there have been a few films, but none of them point to the adoptive family as having the issue. I'm pointing out that it is the adults who should be the ones who are grown up and not lay blame on the child."
The 40-minute film, completed in early April, stars San Pedro resident Shyloh Oostwald as the adopted child, Lili. Oostwald has lines both in English and Romanian and conquered the foreign tongue in one week with a perfect accent. The rest of the cast includes Jen Brown of Pasadena, David Militello of Burbank, Isabella Mancini of Studio City and Meredith Thomas and Irina Costa of Los Angeles.
Wells directed and produced "Falling Snow" with the help of Upland producer Michelle Yuen, editor Fernando Viquez of Hollywood, Glendale composer Kelly Salloum and former Art Center students director of photography Chris Saul and production designer Brandon McLain.
"Falling Snow" was shot at the Art Center, a private residence in La Canada Flintridge and the Los Angeles County Arboretum and Botanical Gardens in Arcadia.
Watching "Falling Snow," you notice that there are many peacocks, and not only during the scenes at the Arboretum. Lili wears a peacock necklace.
Wells, who worked for Tokyo Disney and Disney California Adventure in Anaheim, said that symbols, such as Mickey Mouse ears, are hidden in the parks for people to find. He employs this approach in his works.
"The peacock is this beautiful animal that displays its feathers in a very different way," Wells said. "So the girl is kind a peacock who is closed off (from the world) until she emerges near the end of the film.
Wells is gearing up to work on his next film, "Mania, A Chemical Romance" written by Honey Lauren.
"It's about bipolar people who are highly medicated," he said. "Everybody around them is medicated through legal pharmaceuticals, and they're all trying to stay in this state of mania, which is a component of the bipolar disorder."
"Falling Snow" is being submitted to film festivals around the globe. Wells is also planning a screening at Art Center. If you would like to get on the mailing list for the showing, e-mail keith@keithwells.tv. For more information and to see clips of "Falling Snow," visit http://fallingsnow.
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