Genre
Synopsis
Driving the rolling hills of rural Tennessee, law student Maria Hernandez swerves to avoid lumber in the road, launching her car into a marsh. A bloody Maria stumbles into the yard of Kathy Morrison who offers care and lemonade.
Kathy’s husband, Pastor Lyle, arrives home and quickly realizes that Maria crashed because of lumber that slid out of his truck. The local doctor on a house call tells them Maria is fine, then quietly lets on that Maria is traveling to seek an abortion.
Lyle tells Kathy that God is testing them. They cannot allow her to get an abortion. She mustn’t leave.
Southern hospitality turns terrifying when Maria realizes Lyle’s plan. After a chase and a struggle, Lyle captures Maria and throws her in the cellar.
Maria's impassioned pleas and logical arguments persuade Kathy to go behind her husband’s back, but Kathy’s plan to help Maria break free goes horribly wrong. The Pastor keeps the women separated, but they find themselves united in a race against time to save Maria from the man whose righteousness threatens her life.
Bio
Julie Herlocker began directing with the dramatic comedy short "Peter's Ashes". Two years later, while a Producer on NBC's Grimm, she made her episodic directing debut in the show's final season. Over the course of 123 episodes, Herlocker was the only crew member to earn the opportunity to direct. Discovering a passion for building tension in non-linear storytelling, she then wrote, produced and directed the short thrillers "7AM Wednesday" (2020) and "A Close Call" (2021).
In 2021, Herlocker graduated from the DGA's highly selective DDI Mentorship Program for episodic television directors. She is one of five directors selected for the 2022 ViacomCBS Directing Initiative, and will be receiving a directing assignment on a CBS show.
Prior to directing, Herlocker was a Post Producer in episodic television, were she enjoyed working closely with showrunners on high-profile series including Grimm, Trauma, In Justice, Steven Spielberg presents TAKEN for Sci-Fi, The West Wing and Millennium. In total, she supervised the finish of over 300 episodes of television, including more than 2400 hours directing performances on the ADR Stage.
Recently expanding into development, Herlocker has multiple projects on her slate with her production company, Shadow Art Entertainment. She joined the DGA in 2006 as a 2nd Unit/ Insert Director on NBC's Las Vegas.
Awards History
Paris Screenplay Awards 2024 - Finalist
New York International Film Awards 2024 - Best Thriller Script Winner
Los Angeles International Screenplay Awards 2024 - Quarter Finalist
Credits
Producer - Mary Lou Belli
Writer - Cecile Callan
