By: T. Felder
Los Angeles, CA (The Hollywood Times) 1/25/22 – This inspirational film centered around an 11-year-old orphan named Harper who loses her father, leading her to live with her trauma-stricken alcoholic aunt on their dilapidated family farm. Thrown into farm life, Harper is forced into doing loads of chores with no friends except her dog Max. Feeling isolated and unloved, Harper runs away from the farm only to discover that she is still lonely and even more isolated. Upon returning, she decides to embrace life and get to know her Aunt Etta. After a violent encounter with Harper, Aunt Etta is forced into rehab, leaving Harper responsible for the farm’s upkeep. As Aunt Etta works hard for her sobriety, Harper’s estranged mother, Isabella, enters the picture, demanding custody be given to her. Aunt Etta refuses but eventually loses the battle leaving Harper no choice but to go and live with Isabella. Entering a life where she cannot make her own choices, Harper falls into a deep depression and refuses to communicate with her mother. Refusing to give up, Aunt Ella comes to Harper’s rescue, saving her from Isabella.
The film is unique in that the main character Harper played by Kayla Bohan, is the real-life daughter of the film director Kate Bohan. During the pandemic, she was inspired to write a film drawing inspiration from her childhood and the overall life story and who better to play the main character than her daughter Kayla, who is now an Oscar contender.
In the director’s statement about the movie, Kate says: “The themes of “Harper” are very real to me as I drew inspiration from my own childhood and life story, letting my private experiences and memories help me breathe life into the film.
This is a touching story with tears in laughter and laughter in tears, positing that above all else, love is the strongest armor, that the most difficult times will eventually end, and hope will carry you through. Without our past experiences, we would be simple clay with no meaning, but when our experiences are taken with our memories, they forge us into a future worth stepping into.
I plunged into writing this story with all my heart during the pandemic in early 2020. For me, it is a story that stirs my soul and shakes me to the core. I hope that it does the same for you.
Every project that I work on is like planting a seed, with the hope that one day it will bear fruit. What will it become?
The one who loves you will wait for you always no matter how time and the world change.”
Harper was released Wednesday, December 15, 2021 (Oscar Run) and will continue to Saturday, January 29, 2022 (limited) Indican Pictures.
Harper Website – https://www.harpermovie.com/
TRAILER: https://vimeo.com/647134331
Kayla Bohan:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kayla.bohan/ (83.2k followers)
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_4gOvOF9EWtMhvweX_BC6g (17.4K subscribers)
