Role: Writer / Director
“Pain is the breaking of the shell that encloses your understanding” —K. Gibran
Physical pain, while difficult to bear, is tangible. This makes it possible for the mind to parse the information. In the case of psychological pain, the information is not always easily processed. We create vices, fetishes, addictions, or other deviations to distract and to deal with the “problem” at hand. The pain may be as trivial as facing the ennui of daily living or as great as confronting one’s own death. Just as our legs are used to transport us from one place to another, the muscles shrink and become weak if we don’t use them. The brain too is a biological organ with a specific function. Its main purpose is to create meaning by processing data. For example, identifying the color yellow creates a visual cue for identifying a banana, specifically a ripe banana. When our psychological pains are too great to bear, we fabricate scenarios to process them. These handles for the brain are called “concepts.” One of those concepts is called the ego. Watch Abby Lombard struggle to justify her ego or be destroyed by it.
Trailer:
REBECCA LARSEN (Abby Lombard)
Rebecca Larsen was raised in Murray, Utah and attended Weber State University as a pre-medicine student before transferring into the nationally recognized Actor Training Program at the University of Utah. Since relocating to Los Angeles In 2004, she has worked on Veronica Mars, House MD, and several short films; most notably playing Soviet Georgian refugee Elsa in director Rob Connolly’s Our Neck of the Woods, which premiered at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival. In 2007, Rebecca won her first starring role in a feature film playing the coy and deadly Sophia in director Kiff Scholl’s hilarious 60’s spy spoof Scream of the Bikini, set to make its festival debut at the International Thrill Spy Festival this October in Washington DC.
JARET SACREY (Tommy Cohen)
Jaret grew up as a concession stand gypsy, living in tents with his family of three generations at North America’s great cultural events. Jaret has thrown himself on the stage since the age of five and attended the Claude Watson Jaret later studied at The American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York City, where he was the proud recipient of the Hume Cronyn Scholarship Award. Now based in Los Angeles, he has appeared in commercials, independent films, television, and theatre. In 2005 Jaret starred in the West coast premiere of Tracy Letts’ Killer Joe, which earned him an Ovation Award.
HEATHER LEMIRE (Victoria)
A veteran in the bondage community, Heather Lemire, moonlights as a professional dominatrix in the underground world of Los Angeles. With a successful modeling background, Heather naturally transitioned into the acting world. After moving to Los Angeles, she found her footing in the theater arts, performing numbers of shows throughout Los Angeles. Additionally, Heather has starred in several horror films such as Vampire Centerfolds and Sorority House Vampires. Heather was able to contribute a tremendous amount to her character in Justify from her real life experiences.
ELIZABETH WEISBAUM (Faith Somersby)
With passions in photography, visual art, and the human condition, Elizabeth dropped out of high school and then snuck into psychology classes at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, where she grew up. After spending time in Montreal, New York, and Singapore she settled in Los Angeles where she began acting courses, thinking performance was the ultimate in self-expression. She’s starred and co-starred in dozens of plays, TV shows, Indie features, and commercials throughout the years. After taking a short break, years and experience later, she’s come back to a fascination with the entire process of creation and the desire to be a part of it all.
GARRETT NICHOLS (Wayne Harcourt)
Garrett came to acting late in life. Originally a singer-guitarist with no aspirations of acting, but feeling the need to strengthen his stage presence between songs, Garrett looked in on an acting class at HB Studios (Herbert Berghof-Uta Hagen) in New York and was hooked! Upon finding that he was working frequently in the off-Broadway scene there, he decided to come out to the West Coast to try his hand at film and TV work. Locally, he has appeared as Bradley in The Cocktail Hour and Henry (the Old Actor) in The Fantasticks. Recently, he has become involved in a number of Webisode projects. You can look for him in The Hustler on C-Spot and Hulu, and in Dominos. Justify marks his entry into the feature film arena.
BRENT WENDELL WILLIAMS (Robert Lombard)
At the age of 13 Brent was the youngest diver to thrill audiences off 3-meter high boards in the hotels of Miami Beach! He became the All State H.S. Champ and won a scholarship to Southern Illinois University in gymnastics/trampoline, where he won 6 individual medals. After traveling the USA, performing over 600 shows, Brent packed up the family & headed to Hollywood to pursue an Acting Career! Brent has studied with Milton Katselas, Jeff Corey, Lee Strasberg, and Stella Adler! He is a founding member of the unique Actor’s Film Company. Brent’s high energy, special skills & subtle charisma have brought life & excitement to a variety of television/film roles including over 300 National Commercials including 15 Clio winners! He co-starred this year as the famous Chess Master Robert Byrnes with Damiam Chapa in the Bobby Fisher Live movie for HBO.
JUDY WALLER (Dr. Chang)
Relatively new to the craft of acting, Judy Waller brings a lifetime of experience to the roles she plays. Judy is also an artist, wife and mother of two sons. She is Canadian by birth, and while she has lived and worked in New York and San Francisco, Judy loves living in Los Angeles. Having had a lot of theatre experience when she was younger, she truly loves the art of acting for film and continues to educate herself as much as possible.
INSUNG HWANG (Writer/Director)
Born in South Korea, Insung Hwang grew up in Los Angeles. His father worked as a Tailor then later became a garment contractor in the fashion industry. Before receiving his MFA in Film Production from Chapman University he has studied at the Tisch School of the Arts at New York University. Part of Ovation TV’s 2010 lineup, his short Donnie’s Tree was awarded Panavision’s New Filmmaker Grant, Eastman Kodak product grant and was a finalist at the Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival and Kansas City Filmmaker’s Jubilee. Before turning his love of art towards film, Insung worked as a graphic designer in the entertainment industry with clients such as Sony Pictures and Walt Disney. Justify represents his debut for a feature length film.
MICHELLE ORITZ (Producer)
Having graduated with a BFA in film production, Michelle has produced dozens of short films and documentaries that have circulated film festivals, winning awards and acclaim. She went on to study at the American Film Institute. Michelle was the recipient of Chapman University’s Location Film-making grant, Eastman Kodak Women in Film scholarship, and Panavision’s Filmmaker’s Grant. She also had the honor to study under directors John Badham Saturday Night Fever) and Mark Rydell (On Golden Pond) as a Marion Knott Scholar. Michelle moved throughout her childhood. Her diverse background draws her to producing unique projects.
WILLY WALTZ (Director of Photography)
WILLY has graduated from the prestigious cinematography program at the American Film Institute. He was the recipient of the Corwin Scholarship for Outstanding Achievement and is the Director of Photography on nine feature films. His most recent film, White on Rice, has been nationally released and is receiving awards and acclaim. Other features under his belt include, Mulberry Park, Big Dreams Little Tokyo, and Road to Red. While he is not shooting, he enjoys listening to music on his extensive vinyl collection and an occasional soft rock hit by Christopher Cross (on cd of course). Willy Waltz resides and works in the Los Angeles area.
BRAD KAGENO (First Assistant Director)
Brad Kageno earned a BFA in film production at Chapman University. In 2003, he directed Boyz’ Day, a musical short prominently featured at the San Diego Asian Film Festival and other showcases. Brad studied filmmaking under the guidance of directors William Friedkin (The Exorcist) and John Badham (Saturday Night Fever). He has also assisted in the productions of The Death and Life of Bobby Z and other projects for Millennium Films. Endlessly fascinated by the nature of relationships, Brad continues to write and develop projects that explore the intricacies and absurdities of human behavior.
SERGE DJANG (Post Production Sound Supervisor/Sound Designer)
Serge Djang is an artist, composer and internationally acclaimed bass player. Born in Cameroon and raised in Paris, France, Serge’s natural ability for music was discovered at a very young age and nurtured from thereon. Having played several instruments such as the flute, piano and the violin, he discovered the bass at age 16 after listening to a Level42 album and fell in love. Influenced by such luminaries as Mark King, Jaco Pastorious, Stanley Clarke and El Hadj Toure, he immediately began studying bass. Starting in small bars and concert halls in Paris and various European cities, he has played internationally between Europe and Los Angeles. He subsequently began working as a session bass player in the Los Angeles area, playing for multiple commercial productions and becoming the key bass player for Red Cola Records in 2003. Serge is currently composing and producing music with various LA and New York artists as well as composing for TV and theatrical productions.
CAST | |
Abby Lombard | Rebecca Larsen |
Tommy Cohen | Jaret Sacrey |
Victoria | Heather Lemire |
Faith Somersby | Elizabeth Weisbaum |
Wayne Harcourt | Garrett Nichols |
Robert Lombard | Brent Wendell Williams |
Dr. Chang | Judy Waller |
J-Dove | Pierre Adeli |
Bodyguard | Will Brown |
Detective Harrington | Willie Mack Daniels |
Seiko | Kelly Crean |
Officer Hatcher | Kelly Roberts |
Officer Perelli | Danyelle King |
X | Serge Djang |
Young Victoria | Lorrena Magaña |
Young X | Stacy Dickerson |
Young Abby | Gabriella Roberts |
Senator Murphy | Thaine H. Allison, Jr. |
News Anchor | Tina Anderson |
Fred Nielsen (Reporter) | Brandon Krajewski |
Woman on Train | Alyssa Preston |
Woman in Elevator | Tricia Trippett |
Man in Elevator | William Boschelli |
CREW | |
Writer/Director | Insung Hwang |
Director of Photography | Willy Waltz |
First Assistant Director | Brad Kageno |
Key Makeup Artist | Cat Elrod |
Special Effects Makeup Artist | Cat Elrod |
Artist (Tommy’s Paintings) | Tahir Fatah |
Boom Operator | Janna R. Lopez Räven |
Sound Mixer | Janna R. Lopez Räven |
Assistant Camera | David Applebee |
Camera Operator: 2nd Unit | Hiroki Sugiyama |
Gaffer | Hiroki Sugiyama |
Casting Associates | Aimee Holguin Lazuka Dyana Liu |
Casting Assistant | Jennie Yee |
News Anchor | Tina Anderson |
Fred Nielsen (Reporter) | Brandon Krajewski |
Woman on Train | Alyssa Preston |
Woman in Elevator | Tricia Trippett |
Man in Elevator | William Boschelli |
POST PRODUCTION | |
Editor | Lane Vélo |
Post Production Sound Supervisor | Serge Djang |
Visual Effects Supervisor | Dongwook Cho |
Visual Effects Artist | Shon Kim |
Music Composer | Olajide Paris |
Assistant Editor | Lindsay Lesh |
Music Supervisor | Serge Djang |
Sound Designer | Serge Djang |
Foley Recordists | Liz Crisci Edgar Linares Serge Djang |
Musicians | Rafael Bustamante Haroula Rose KC & Dan SKP Fred Card CarbonGarden Michael Linder Kevin Polzer Tristan Calder Matt Robb Kim Kassof |
Sound Editors | Serge Djang Dana Ferandelli Edgar Linares |
Foley Artists | Edgar Linares Liza Crisci Serge Djang Insung Hwang |
THANK YOU | |
Thanks | Karina Achapa |
Special Thanks | Jaime Dyer Cozier |
Special Thanks | Daniel R. Fogg |
Special Thanks | Aimee Holguin Lazuka |
Thanks | Zach Horton |
Special Thanks | Claudia Jakab |
Thanks | John & Kate Kim |
Special Thanks | Megan Katherine |
Thanks | October Moore |
Thanks | Lynne Kuemmel |
Thanks | Delka Nenkova |
Thanks | Paul & Donna Mendoza |
Thanks | Joanne Wu |
PRODUCERS | |
Executive Producers | Chinsook Kim Moore GLM American Judy Waller Ted Waller |
Producers | Michelle Oritz Insung Hwang |
PUBLICATION | ARTICLE |
The Fetishistas | “Justify: Revenge in this movie is a dish best tasted cold.” Pervs who are movie buffs seem to like movies that incorporate fetish and/or BDSM elements into their storylines in a credible, naturalistic, non-sensationalist way…[more] |
RogueCinema.com | Abby Lombard is a lonely, introverted young lady. She is unsure of herself, doesn’t have much luck with men, and seems content to live in an apartment above one of her late father’s laundry mats which she inherited after his death. When she isn’t hanging with her one friend, Faith, or working in the laundry mat, she spends a great deal of time grieving over her life. [more] |