GIRL ON THE EDGE
A Film by Jay Silverman
A Film by Jay Silverman
Screenplay by Joey Curtis
Directed by Jay Silverman
Starring: Taylor Spreitler, Gil Bellows, Peter Coyote, Elizabeth Peña, and Mackenzie Phillips
If you missed Taylor on today's show,
listen to our conversation here!
listen to our conversation here!
To view the trailer: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtsrYiZLChOh-wBE768P16Q
Website: http://www.girlontheedgethemovie.com/home/
Based on a true story, GIRL ON THE EDGE is a powerful drama from the writer of BLUE VALENTINE and the Executive Producer and Co-Creator of A&E’s THE CLEANER. It follows the journey of a young girl struggling with the aftermath of a horrific trauma, the toll that it takes on her family, and the last chance she has to overcome it in the most unlikely of places.
HANNAH GREEN--a seemingly normal teenager with a tragic past--is targeted and victimized by an online predator, triggering repressed memories and opening old wounds. In the aftermath of the heinous crime, Hannah struggles to cope with her trauma in unhealthy and self-destructive ways.
Unable to give Hannah the help she desperately needs, her father JAKE, and stepmother ANNE are forced to make one of the most difficult decisions a parent can make; they send Hannah to a Residential Treatment Center called Maheo Academy, which has an unconventional approach to recovery with the use of techniques like Equine & Horticulture Therapy to treat its troubled young students.
Still in denial and feeling betrayed by her parents, Hannah refuses to cooperate with the program. Though she lashes out at her peers and the staff alike, Hannah eventually finds a kindred spirit in the matriarchal ESTHER, the sage-like HANK, and especially a rescue horse with its own history of abuse named BETSY. Hannah starts to invest in her own recovery, yet her demons of the past threaten to reverse the progress she has made in this powerful rite of passage.
Developed with exhaustive field research at several real-life Residential Treatment Centers, GIRL ON THE EDGE furthers a global conversation about mental health, confronts social stigmas about therapy, and raises awareness of new challenges adolescents face today.
After the film was brought to the attention of the (NATSAP) National Association of Therapeutic Schools and Programs, Writer/Producer/Director Jay Silverman was invited to speak before congress in June of 2014 on the subject of making facilities like Maheo more accessible to the general public.
GIRL ON THE EDGE is a moving account of how we can find strength even when we’re at our most vulnerable, and that the only thing keeping us from our own happiness is our willpower to achieve it.
ABOUT TAYLOR SPREITLER
Taylor Spreitler is quickly turning heads as one of Young Hollywoodʼs favorite new faces. She can currently be seen starring on the hit ABC Family comedy series “Melissa & Joey” which premiered in August 2010. She stars in the series as Lennox Scanlon, the niece to
Melissa Burke (Melissa Joan Hart) who is under the care of ʻmannyʼ Joe Longo (Joey Lawrence).
On the big screen, Taylor recently completed an independent film “3 DAY TEST” with Director Corbin Bernsen. The film is about a father who challenges his family by locking them in their house during the holidays to see if they can survive without water, power and
electricity. Since then, she has starred opposite Danny Trejo in “The Contractor”, with Burt Reynolds in “Category 5”, and wrapped the latest installment of the Amityville Horror franchise “Amityville: The Awakening”, to be released by the Weinstein Company in early 2015. A native of Mississippi, Taylor first began working in print campaigns for major retailers such as Macyʼs, Sakʼs, Lands End and Avon. She soon transitioned into national commercials and promo spots for various networks and brands. Taylor first began acting with a role on “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit,” which launched her to a series
regular role on the popular NBC daytime series “Days of our Lives.” On this show she played the role of Mia McCormick, a troubled young teen seeking the right home for her baby. For her work on “Days of our Lives” Taylor was named one of the 2009 “Hottest Newcomers” by Soap Opera Digest.
When not on set, Taylor supports some of the causes closest to her heart including Much Love Animal Rescue, NOH8 Campaign, Love Out Loud, Revlon Run/Walk and more.
Taylor currently resides in Los Angeles, California
ABOUT FILMMAKER JAY SILVERMAN
Jay Co-Created and Executive Produced A&E’s “The Cleaner", starring Benjamin Bratt; an hour long drama based on a real life interventionist who uses unorthodox methods to save lives of those who battle addictions.
Other notable shows include “Roots 30 Year Anniversary Special” for TV One, “The Secret Things of God” for Fox, and “D’Jango Unchained”, a one hour special for Weinstein Company.
A graduate of Brooks Institute in Santa Barbara with a Master of Science Degree, Jay founded Jay Silverman Productions in 1979 in Hollywood California, and built a 40,000 square foot facility including 3 sound stages.
Jay currently lives in Santa Monica, California, with his wife and three wonderful daughters.
SCREENING TIMES
Monday, April 27th at 5PM
