Sister Cities (film)

Sister Cities
Promotional poster
GenreDrama
Based onSister Cities
by Colette Freedman
Written byColette Freedman
Directed bySean Hanish
Starring
ComposerJames T. Sale
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
Production
Executive producers
Producers
  • Sean Hanish
  • Paul Jaconi-Biery
  • Eleonore Dailly[1]
CinematographyKeith Dunkerley
EditorCecily Rhett
Running time86 minutes
Production companyCannonball Productions
Original release
NetworkLifetime
ReleaseSeptember 17, 2016 (2016-09-17)

Sister Cities is a 2016 American drama television film directed by Sean Hanish, based on the 2006 play of the same name by Colette Freedman. The film stars Stana Katic, Jess Weixler, Michelle Trachtenberg, and Troian Bellisario as the four sisters along with Jacki Weaver, Alfred Molina, Amy Smart, and Tom Everett Scott filling out the rest of the cast. It premiered on Lifetime on September 17, 2016.

Plot

After Mary Baxter appears to drown herself in her bathtub, Austin, her second oldest daughter who has been taking care of her, calls home her three half-sisters, Carolina, Dallas and Baltimore. There, the four deal not only with their mother's death but unresolved issues they had with her and each other.

Cast

  • Jacki Weaver as Mary Baxter, 71, the mother of the four women.
  • Jess Weixler as Austin Baxter, 29, a writer who moved back home to take care of Mary. Her father is Mort, who is also Mary's best friend. She is a lesbian with a girlfriend named Sarah.
  • Stana Katic as Carolina "Carol" Baxter Shaw, 37, a lawyer who is on track to being a judge, she is the daughter of Mary and Roger. She is also an alcoholic.
    • Kaia Gerber as 13- to 16-year-old Carolina
    • Roxie Hanish as 7-year-old Carolina
  • Michelle Trachtenberg as Dallas Baxter, 27, a perfectionist, married to Peter, in the process of a divorce. Her father was Sully, who died in a car accident.
    • Kayla Levine as 6-year-old Dallas
  • Troian Bellisario as Baltimore Baxter, 21, the youngest sister. She is an eccentric college student. Her father was a piano player at a jazz club.
    • Serendipity Lilliana as Young Baltimore
  • Alfred Molina as Mort Stone, 62, Austin's father and best friend of Mary Baxter.
    • Fidel Gomez as Young Mort
  • Tom Everett Scott as Chief Barton Brady, 39, Carolina's ex-love interest. He is also chief of police.
  • Aimee Garcia as Sarah, 31, Austin's girlfriend
  • Kathy Baker as Janis, a publisher
  • Peter Jason as Dr. Timmins
  • Patrick Davis as Carlos
  • Colette Freedman as Brontë

Production

Casting

On July 16, 2015, Kaia Gerber was cast as a young Carolina.[2] On July 20, 2015, it was confirmed that Troian Bellisario, Stana Katic, Jess Weixler, and Michelle Trachtenberg had signed on to play the four sisters, Baltimore, Carolina, Austin, and Dallas, respectively.[3] The following day, it was confirmed Jacki Weaver and Amy Smart was cast as a Mary and young Mary, respectively along with Alfred Molina.[4] Aimee Garcia joined the cast as Sarah, a girlfriend of one of the sisters.[5]

Filming

Principal photography began on July 10, 2015, in Los Angeles when, after "only about 3 shots into filming" a grenade was found on set and production was stopped for two hours.[6]

References

  1. ^ "CANNONBALL PRODUCTIONS STARTS PRINCIPAL PHOTOGRAPHY ON INDEPENDENT FILM SISTER CITIES IN LOS ANGELES" (PDF). sistercitiesthemovie.com. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 24, 2015. Retrieved August 3, 2015.
  2. ^ "Cindy Crawford's Daughter Kaia Gerber Invades Fashion World, Joins 'Sister Cities' Cast". jobsnhire.com. July 16, 2015. Retrieved October 14, 2015.
  3. ^ "'Pretty Little Liars' Actress Troian Bellisario, Stana Katic to Star in Indie 'Sister Cities'". Variety. July 20, 2015. Retrieved October 14, 2015.
  4. ^ Will Robinson (July 21, 2015). "Casting Net: Amy Smart co-headlines indie Sister Cities". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved October 14, 2015.
  5. ^ Beatrice Verhoeven and Matt Donnelly (August 4, 2015). "Aimee Garcia Joins Jacki Weaver, Alfred Molina in Indie Drama 'Sister Cities' (Exclusive)". TheWrap. Retrieved October 14, 2015.
  6. ^ "AMY SMART MOVIE Shut it Down ... WE FOUND A GRENADE!!". TMZ. July 10, 2015. Retrieved October 14, 2015.