Synopsis

White Knuckles (2008) William and Julie

Julie, a sweet, subdued career housewife seems perfectly content in her life with her record player, houseplants, cooking despite her irritable husband of 40 years whose hobbies are sleeping and/or watching tv on the couch. Provoked into a sudden state of fear – Julie’s once innocent eyes now become watchful and suspicious, and her perception of reality makes a dark shift. Her husband William is both the unsuspecting victim faced with his mortality; and the self-loathing villain guilty of bad decisions and haunting karma. Between them is an escalating WAR - a self-destructive cloud threatening to ignite the forest with even the slightest friction. If the cycle is to break, both must be awakened to the raw reality of a true life or death choice…

“Right from the shockwave at the beginning of the film… Ashworth and Strauss take us on a… fearless roller coaster ride until the absolute last breath…”

- Shrina Anya, film critic noend press

The writer/director/producer Kevin K. Shah and producer Zak Forsman, along with associate producer Jamie Cobb and their team of artist-filmmakers, engage in a radical creative collaboration with an incredibly talented cast of actors that gave themselves fearlessly to this film. Through guided improvisational scenarios crafted to capture deeper truths as they emerged – the bold process was designed to abandon the script entirely before the end of production to make for an honest resolution that could never have been staged. What ultimately unfolds on screen is a compelling human drama that is terrifying and meaningful, darkly funny and suspenseful. White Knuckles take us on a courageous journey to redemption.

What is White Knuckles? What was the process?

White Knuckles results from a deep collaboration between the filmmakers and a cast willing to take risks without feeling judged or vulnerable. Where Larry and Martie take the hearts and minds of their characters is incredibly courageous and often feels uncomfortably real. Their gritty depictions resonate with the kind of heartfelt honesty that is rare on screen, and their acting is the farthest thing from rehearsed ‘performance’. Basically, the idea was to create, seek out and discover moments of deeper understanding between Julie and William that could not have been pre-determined. We took the scripts back before the end of production and opted to capture the remarkable conclusion of Julie and William exactly as it happened.