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Passing Through
TYPE: Narrative Feature
GENRE: Drama
STATUS: Post-Production
LOGLINE
Isolated in his apartment, a gay man embarks on a road trip across the US to deliver a friend’s ashes, but he finds that his journey takes him further than he could have ever imagined, forcing him to face his own mortality.
SYNOPSIS
After months of witnessing devastating loss, Mike finds he hasn't the strength to leave his apartment nor the will to face another day of sickness and death. As a frontline healthcare worker, he has been stretched to his limit, and he can no longer bear the pain. Mike holes up in his apartment, stuck, deeply depressed, not knowing how he will emerge intact. As a pandemic rages outside his door, he slowly finds the strength to carry on and break free, and decides to embark on a journey across the country to rediscover himself and what he has lost over these past several grueling months. Mike orders some camping gear and tests it in his apartment. Everything seems like it is going to work out for him on this new adventure. But something is not quite right. Once on the road and isolated in the great expanse of America, Mike begins to encounter strange things. He wonders if he's losing his mind or something more nefarious is at play. In the idyll of the open road, Mike confronts his past and breaks free of the bonds that have held him captive, only to discover that everything is not at all what he thought it was. Ultimately, Mike is released, but his catharsis retains a hint of mystery - was Mike the agent of change or a victim of his circumstances? Either way, he has passed through to something beautiful and new.
ARTISTIC STATEMENT
“Passing Through” is the story of a man, Michael, who finds himself alone and isolated in his NY apartment before he makes a big decision: to get out. Shot entirely on the iPhone XS, across 18 American states by actor/writer/director Mike Doyle (Director “Almost Love”, actor in Karyn Kusama’s The Invitation, Jersey Boys, and dozens of memorable TV roles), this compact but epic story is about letting go of your life and moving beyond into another. The micro-buget indie feature is being produced by filmmaker and actor Mark Blane (Cubby - Alumnus of IFP Narrative Lab 2017, and actor from J.J. Abrams’ Little Voice on AppleTV+.) The cast also includes Academy Award nominated actress, Amy Ryan, and Kevin Daniels. The Score is by Dabney Morris and Editing by Max Ethan Miller and Tricia Holmes, the editing duo, behind Peter Hedges' Telluride 2021 feature "The Same Storm".
KEY CREW
Mike Doyle - Director/Writer/Producer/Actor
Mike's short film, SHINER, premiered at The Tribeca Film Festival. Starring Amy Ryan, it traveled the festival circuit. ALMOST LOVE is Mike's first feature film. Known for his work as an actor, Mike Doyle currently stars on NBC's NEW AMSTERDAM and Showtime's CITY ON A HILL. He was last seen in Matt Weiner's THE ROMANOFFS for Amazon and season 4 of the hit Netflix show NARCOS. Feature credits include JERSEY BOYS, directed by Clint Eastwood, Greg Berlanti's GREEN LANTERN directed by Martin Campbell, and THE INVITATION, directed by Karyn Kusama. He is well known for his seven-year run on LAW & ORDER: SVU as Ryan O'Halloran. Mike's long list of credits include recurring roles on THE BLACKLIST (NBC), ELEMENTARY (CBS), BLINDSPOT (NBC), LUCIFER (FOX), A GIFTED MAN (CBS), THE WHOLE TRUTH (USA), and Showtime's SHAMELESS. Other feature credits include THE RABBIT HOLE, directed by John Cameron Mitchell, GAYBY directed by Jonathan Lisecki, and PS I LOVE YOU, directed by Richard LaGravenese. He has appeared as the guest lead on numerous series including THE MENTALIST, THE GOOD WIFE, CRIMINAL MINDS, CSI: MIAMI, and IN PLAIN SIGHT, to name a few. Mike was last seen on stage in Lincoln Center's production of Paul Rudnick's play The New Century. Mike trained at The Juilliard School.
Mark Blane - Producer/Actor
Mark Blane is an actor, screenwriter, and director based in Brooklyn. He is known for writing/directing, and starring in the breakout indie, 'Cubby' which toured globally after a world premiere in competition at Torino International LGBTQ Festival 2019. Cubby won the prestigious “Buried Treasure” award at the 2020 Chlotrudis Awards alongside winners Parasite and Honeyland. Cubby was the New York Centerpiece at Newfest, after showing at Outfest, Frameline43, Mostra Fire Barcelona, and Inside Out Toronto (Innovation Award Nominee), amongst 15 other international festivals. Blane has been lauded by LA Times, IndieWire, Out.com, Film Threat, and The Irish Times. He has appeared on AOL Build, SiriusXM Michelle Collins & Larry Flick. His forthcoming film, Ghost Bike, written and directed by Blane, stars Tony and Obie winner Tamara Tunie and Mike Doyle was shot in January 2020 and will be released in 2021. Mark makes his television acting debut this year as “Zack” in the Apple TV+ series “Little Voice'' produced by JJ Abrams and Sara Bareilles. He plays a neuro-diverse character in 6 episodes of the new series which is now streaming.
Dabney Morris - Composer
Dabney Morris is an American composer, arranger, orchestrator and multi-instrumentalist living in Los Angeles, CA. His chamber works have been performed by the Alias Chamber Ensemble and Lockeland Strings. He composed original music for the feature film, Sell By, the short film, Compression Diary and provided additional music for the feature film, The Dead Center. He arranged and orchestrated Keegan DeWitt’s score for the upcoming film, All The Bright Places. He has arranged for artists such as Louis Prince, Skyway Man, and Alexander Wren. As a producer, Morris has worked on records by Wild Cub, MYZICA, Ezra Carey, Bryan Cates, and others. Dabney is co-founder of Chamber House, a series of modern chamber music concerts hosted in intimate venues in Los Angeles. He holds a Bachelors Degree in Music from Appalachian State University’s Hayes School of Music. www.dabneymorris.com
Kevin Daniels - Actor
Kevin Daniels is a Black queer American actor who started his career with a supporting role in the 1998 film Twelfth Night, or What You Will by director Nicholas Hytner. He has appeared in the film Hollywood Homicide, as well as the TV series Law & Order, Frasier, Chuck, House and Modern Family, the latter in the recurring role of Longinus in the episodes "Dance Dance Revelation", "Boys' Night", "Go Bullfrogs!" & "Snip". He has since participated in more than 20 productions. He is best known for playing Don Miller, a firefighter/EMT for the Baltimore city fire department in the movie Ladder 49 and the USA show Sirens where he played Hank St. Clare, a Chicago EMT. His most recent credits include New Amsterdam, AJ & The Queen, and Why Women Kill. Daniels attended the Juilliard School as a member of the Drama Division's Group 27 (1994–1998).
Tricia Holmes - Editor
Max Ethan Miller - Editor
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