CLEVELAND — Editor's note: The video in the player above is from a story published on April 1, 2021.
Filmed in Cleveland, "The Enormity of Life" is ready to take the spotlight.
On Wednesday it was announced that the film, written and directed by Cleveland native Eric Swinderman, will headline the Paris Arts and Movie Awards (PAMA) Film Festival in September.
According to officials with Anhedonia Pictures, the studio that produced the film, Swinderman and the film's star, Breckin Meyer ("Clueless," "Garfield: The Movie," "Road Trip") will present "The Enormity of Life" for its European premiere. The men will also be accompanied by Stiges Award winner Alex Proyas ("I Robot") and his new film "Strange Nostalgia."
In April, Meyer sat down with 3News' Dave "Dino" DeNatale to discuss the film and why he thinks it's especially important in a time like this.
"This movie is a very different film, especially now with sensitivity and cancel culture and people not knowing where exactly to stick their neck out," Meyer said. "It is a polarizing film, and I mean that in a good way, because hopefully it does leads to conversation and lead to investigation about this type of ailment. But it's a tough movie to watch in some ways. 'The Enormity of Life' is a big subject!"
Meyer stars as Casey, an emotionally despondent man who unexpectedly receives a $250,000 inheritance check and meets a quirky single mother (played by Emily Kinney) and her eccentric young daughter (played by Giselle Eisenberg), whose lives could forever be changed by the money.
"I've had friends and family who have suffered through various mental health issues, but in Casey's case, he has anhedonia, the inability to feel pleasure in anything," Meyer said. "I researched that and read a lot about people who suffer from it. It's a different form of depression. They're trying to feel and it was interesting to try to find those levels."
Of the film's heartfelt nature, PAMA Festival Programmer Matt Beurois said, "The movie is a polaroid of life with human characters, a movie obviously made with lots of heart by its cast and crew."
"The Enormity of Life" is currently streaming on Apple TV, Amazon Prime, iTunes and FandangoNOW. You can watch a trailer for the movie in the player below.