All in the Family

Readers,

Have you ever been haunted by a dead relative? Yeah, me, too. How about this: has a complicated late relative ever haunted everyone in your family except for you?

That’s the premise of D(e)ad, a funny and moving new movie directed by

Claudia Lonow

, written by her daughter Isabella Roland.

It’s about a young woman named Tillie (Roland) who’s estranged from her difficult, alcoholic father, Daniel (Craig Bierko) when he dies suddenly. As she and her family sit shiva, some of them are shocked to discover Daniel keeps returning from the dead, showing up in their mirrors to argue with them. Only Tillie can’t see or hear him, further complicating her grief, making it difficult for her to find closure.

Making the movie was a family affair, involving three generations of working comic actors. In addition to Roland, the movie stars Lonow; Lonow’s partner, Jonathan Schmock; her mother, JoAnne Astrow; and her stepfather, Mark Lonow.

The production was all-hands-on-deck—a low-budget shoot over 15 days in Lonow’s L.A. apartment, financed in part through a Kickstarter campaign.

I got to talk with Lonow over Zoom about the movie, how it came about, what it was like to collaborate with her daughter, and how various family members pitched in. It’s a fun conversation. Find it up above. ⬆️

D(e)ad happens to be premiering online this Saturday, November 29th at 9pm ET. If you’re looking for something both moving and funny to watch over the holiday weekend, get yourself a ticket here for $9.99 (or $14.99 if you want to watch the video Q&A afterward) and log on.

Here’s the trailer:

I got to screen the movie ahead of time, and I really enjoyed it. It’s charming, poignant, and great fun.

Soon it will be released on DVD, too. Visit deadthefilm.com to stay up-to-date on all things D(e)ad, and to get a ticket to stream it. - Sari Botton

---

Claudia Lonow: “I grew up in Greenwich Village as an extreme latchkey kid. My mother and stepfather met in acting class at HB Studios. They also did improv in NYC comedy clubs, so I’ve been calling out suggestions for occupations since I was 6. We moved to LA when I was in high school, and I talked them into letting me audition for stuff, leading me to get a part on the nighttime soap opera, Knots Landing. (I played, Diana, the chubby, loud-mouthed teen daughter of the star of the show). The chubbiness became a problem until I found the perfect way to stay at my goal weight: cocaine. I got sober, started teaching myself how to write, got married, had a baby, left the marriage, moved in with my parents, declared bankruptcy and then somehow finally got my first writing job by creating a TV show called, Rude Awakening, about a former night time soap opera actress who gets sober. It ran 55 episodes on Showtime. I’ve been writing TV ever since and created three other shows.”

Previously she took the Sober Oldster Q&A.

P.S. Typos happen. Please forgive me if you find any!