Winner, 2002 George Foster Peabody Award
Emmy Award nomination - Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or Movie, Don Cheadle
Now available on DVD

Echo Lake Productions produced and financed writer-director Allison Anders’ latest feature, THINGS BEHIND THE SUN, which was selected to have its world premiere at the 2001 Sundance Film Festival. Anders’ previous feature, Sugar Town, was the centerpiece premiere at the 1999 Sundance Film Festival and was distributed by USA Films. Sundance also hosted the U.S. premiere of Anders’ critically acclaimed 1992 film Gas Food Lodging. Anders’ other credits include Mi Vida Loca (Sony Pictures Classics) and Grace of My Heart (Gramercy). THINGS BEHIND THE SUN, which was shot on location in Cocoa Beach, Florida, is Anders’ most personal drama yet.

THINGS BEHIND THE SUN was acquired by Showtime and aired as a Showtime Original Picture. Don Cheadle was nominated for an Emmy Award (Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Movie or Miniseries) for his portrayal of Chuck. In addition, THINGS BEHIND THE SUN won the prestigious George Foster Peabody Award for its exploration of the consequences of rape. The film was also nominated for three IFP/West Independent Spirit Awards, including Best Feature.

Click here to purchase a copy of the film on DVD.


Here's what some critics have had to say about THINGS BEHIND THE SUN:

“ Two thumbs up.”
EBERT & ROEPER AND THE MOVIES

“There’s raw honesty here, bared nerves and resolution that is not
soppy or sappy but elevates to a kind of poetry of reconciliation.”
Roger Ebert, CHICAGO SUN-TIMES

" An absorbing drama... balance[s] unvarnished reality with poetic grace."
Daryl H. Miller, LOS ANGELES TIMES

“ Intensely emotional, but not sentimental.”
Emanuel Levy, SCREEN INTERNATIONAL

“ Slow-burning drama steadily accelerates a sense of indignation and horror...
The raw treatment and controlled intensity here set it apart.”
David Rooney, VARIETY

“ In addition to Anders’ gritty, empathetic direction, what
makes this downsided story so embracing is largely the work
of the charismatic, sympathetic lead players, [Kim] Dickens and [Gabriel] Mann.”
Duane Byrge, THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER

“ Exceptional at virtually every turn... Phenomenal.”
Ed Bark, THE DALLAS MORNING NEWS

“ Arresting.”
Wesley Morris, SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE

“ A spectacular performance by Kim Dickens.”
Elvis Mitchell, THE NEW YORK TIMES

“ The acting is spectacular, especially by the
destined-for-glory [Kim] Dickens.”
Bruce Fretts, ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY

“ Mann’s sensitive performance as the tortured Owen is a testament to
Anders’ determination to get beyond stereotypes.”
Barbara D. Phillips, THE WALL STREET JOURNAL

“ Kim Dickens is sensational.”
B. Ruby Rich, THE NATION

“ One of the best indie films ever made.”
Sarah Jacobson, INDIEWIRE

“ The strongest films that I saw [at Sundance], without question, were DONNIE DARKO and THINGS BEHIND THE SUN... Extremely powerful.”
Jean Oppenheimer, National Public Radio’s FILM WEEK


DIRECTOR
Allison Anders

PRODUCERS
Dan Hassid, Doug Mankoff, Robin Alper

EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS
Gary Barkin, Marla Grossman, Peter Wetherell

CAST

Kim Dickens
(Deadwood, The Gift, Mercury Rising)

Gabriel Mann
(The Life of David Gale, The Bourne Identity, High Art)

Don Cheadle
(Hotel Rwanda, Ocean's Eleven, Out of Sight)

Eric Stoltz
(Pulp Fiction, The House of Mirth)

Rosanna Arquette
(Sugar Town, Pulp Fiction, Crash)

Elizabeth Peña
(Resurrection Blvd., Seven Girlfriends, Rush Hour, Lone Star)

C.C.H. Pounder
(End of Days, Face/Off, If These Walls Could Talk)

Joshua Leonard
(The Blair Witch Project, Men of Honor)


THINGS BEHIND THE SUN - synopsis

Sherry McGrale is an up-and-coming Florida musician whose troubled past constantly sabotages her life and her efforts for success. Despite her drunken binges, a new song she has written, "Never Knew Your Names," is getting airplay on college radio stations across the country and attention for the band. The song is about a horrific gang rape Sherry suffered as a teenager, a traumatic event which has left her scarred and affected those closest to her, especially her band and her long-suffering manager/boyfriend Chuck.

Through a twist of fate, L.A. music journalist Owen Richardson learns about Sherry’s song. Owen too shares a part of Sherry's dark past. They went to high school together and had crushes on each other. But before their romance could blossom, Sherry was raped by Owen’s thuggish older brother Dan and his friends. Sherry had come to bring Owen a music tape she had made when she was pulled into Dan's lair. Owen was not only present when the crime happened; Dan forced Owen to participate. Sherry was but one girl in a long line of Dan’s rape victims; Dan intimidated Owen into silence about all of them. Like Sherry, Owen remains damaged by the crime, unable to sustain an intimate relationship.

Unaware of the nature of the connection, Owen’s magazine sends him to Florida to interview Sherry. It is there, together in Florida, that Owen and Sherry relive that rape and make the first steps towards healing. Sherry, who has repressed many details about the rape, at first does not even recognize Owen. As she begins to fill in the pieces, including Owen’s involvement, her rage turns to an understanding of who she is, and creates a chance for her to move forward. Owen, in turn, comes to realize that he was not a helpless victim and that he indeed has the power to stand up to Dan and do the right thing. Following a combustible weekend together, Sherry and Owen find new hope and move closer towards letting go of their pasts