Tribeca 2019: Momster

Brianna Hildebrand as Angel in Momster. Photo by Ava Berkofsky.

Drew Denny’s Momster works as a proof-of-concept film while laying the groundwork for what may be the feature film that follows.

Angel (Brianna Hildebrand) works at Wild Ride, a drug dealing diner operated by Dallas (Josh Ennis).  Angel’s mother, the Momster (Amanda Plummer), had left her with Dallas so as to live a life free of the cops.  Unfortunately, Angel isn’t leaving an easy life with Dallas around.  While her mom comes back into the picture at the best possible moment, it’s not quite what she had in mind.

This film has a lot of potential for a feature-length version.  Obviously, I really like what I saw.  There’s quite a Western feel to the film, too.  I can definitely see this working with a longer running time.  The film is very well-directed by Drew Denny.  I can see a feature version expanding on the backstory–something that one can’t quite get away with by way of a short film.  Short films certainly make it tough to expand on the backstory because it’s a lot to pack into one film.  But for what we have at the moment, it’s a solid start while also managing to work well as a stand-alone short film.

DIRECTOR/SCREENWRITER:  Drew Denny
CAST:  Brianna Hildebrand, Amanda Plummer, John Ennis, Josh Fadem, Ryan Simpkins

Momster held its world premiere during the 2019 Tribeca Film Festival in the Shorts program.

Danielle Solzman

Danielle Solzman is native of Louisville, KY, and holds a BA in Public Relations from Northern Kentucky University and a MA in Media Communications from Webster University. She roots for her beloved Kentucky Wildcats, St. Louis Cardinals, Indianapolis Colts, and Boston Celtics. Living less than a mile away from Wrigley Field in Chicago, she is an active reader (sports/entertainment/history/biographies/select fiction) and involved with the Chicago improv scene. She also sees many movies and reviews them. She has previously written for Redbird Rants, Wildcat Blue Nation, and Hidden Remote/Flicksided. From April 2016 through May 2017, her film reviews can be found on Creators.