COTTAGE GROVE Short Film: Writer/Director George Ellzey, Jr & Actor/Producer TJ Harris Discuss their Compelling Film of Reconciliation

Ladies and gentlemen, I see hundreds of short films per year and there are those that stand out for various reasons. COTTAGE GROVE is one of those films that stand out because of the brilliant writing and acting that matches the writing.

George Ellzey, Jr solidified himself as a filmmaker who is one to watch in the world of cinema. COTTAGE GROVE follows Emmanuel, a mild-mannered, rule-following paralegal (and a ticking time bomb of anger, who finds peace in his daydreams), and his estranged father, Senior, has had a stroke. He only can say five words and moves with a limp.

The film is set in the south side of Chicago during the Summer. Father and son, or I should say son and father try to find common ground in a grocery store parking lot.

The closed space of the front seat of a car mimics a boiling pot with the lid on it, and sometimes that’s a good thing, because eventually it all has to come out. Healing only begins when what’s inside festering has to come to the surface so the sins can be forgiven and the wounds of those hurt can begin to heal.

The cinematography matches the brilliance of the writing and acting. If I saw this in a theater, I would expect them to turn off the AC so you can feel what the characters are feeling.

COTTAGE GROVE could actually be a feature film that could rival Nickel Boys or Sing Sing. It has everything, emotion, tension, insecurity, blame, forgiveness, love and ultimately healing.

COTTAGE GROVE is available now on AMC+ and I encourage you to watch it. When you see it, you’ll feel what I feel and know that the story will resonate with you, and that cinema is in great hands with the likes of George Ellzey, Jr and TJ Harris.

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