Midwest Movie Maker

Director Eric Swinderman (left) and cinematographer Sage O'Bryant on location in Lakewood, Ohio, with Breckin Meyer and Emily Kinney The Enormity of Life , from Cleveland filmmaker Eric Swinderman , will debut April 6 on AppleTV, Google Play, FandangoNOW and Vimeo on Demand. The indie dark comedy stars Emily Kinney , Breckin Meyer and Giselle Eisenberg . The film tells the tale of Casey (Meyer), who meets struggling single mom Jess (Kinney) and her eccentric daughter (Eisenberg) after receiving a substantial inheritance from a long-lost relative. Past struggles make him question whether money and love make life worth living.  “This was a very powerful and challenging project from script to screen,” says Meyer. “It’s always a risk when you’re dealing with such polarizing subjects but hopefully this film can help encourage communication in regards to mental illness and seeking help.” Meyer is best known for his roles in Clueless and Road Trip . Audiences will know Kinney from her he...

Filmmaker Eric Swinderman We’re more than five long months into (ugh, do I say it?) our post-COVID-19 new normal (there, I did it), and, for the most part, we are all still in quarantine.  While it’s true we’re all getting out a bit more and taking on versions of normal things, things certainly aren’t normal. Everything requires a little more thought and thoughtfulness, along with whole bunch of new skills. So while we’re not stuck at home, we are staying at home. And we’re still talking to filmmakers about what they’re doing during the pandemic. Today we chat with Eric Swinderman, best known for his films Made in Cleveland and The Enormity of Life . MMM: How would you describe being a filmmaker locked down at home without a crew? Eric Swinderman (ES): As someone who considers myself a writer first, the change hasn’t been that drastic as I was working on an episodic series for streaming. So while I probably haven’t been writing as much during the lockdown as I could be, due to th...

Emily Kinney joins 'Anhedonia' Emily Kinney, perhaps best known for her role as Beth Greene on AMC’s The Walking Dead , is joining Anhedonia , the new indie feature from Cleveland’s Eric Swinderman and Carmen DeFranco. Kinney got her start on stage, with roles in Spring Awakening and August: Osage County , before transitioning to guest roles on television and a star turn as Emily on Showtime’s The Big C . Her breakout role would come as Beth Greene, Maggie Greene’s little sister, on The Walking Dead . Kinney became a fan favorite during a series of dramatic episodes in the series’ fourth season when Kinney’s Greene bonded with fellow survivor Daryl Dixon, played by Norman Reedus. Anhedonia co-stars Breckin Meyer and Giselle Eisenberg. "To have the opportunity to work with such an amazing actress like Emily is beyond exciting,” says Swinderman. “It's also very exciting for the city and people of northeast Ohio to have three huge TV stars coming to town to ...