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“The story is well filmed, and the cast is excellent. Kelly Warren is excellent as the strong-willed female attorney who will not submit meekly to her fate.” — Edward McNulty — Visual Parables: Film & Faith in Dialogue “The acting in this film is exceptional…Kelly Warren and Michael Manfred absolutely killed it.” — Always Late TV Film Awards Things to do:BUY the DVD here!Only $19.95 (+ tax, no shipping charge within the US)STREAM THE MOVIE for only 99¢ at VimeoLISTEN TO THE AUDIOBOOK at Spotify, B&N Nook, Walmart Kobo, Google Play, Libro.fm, StoryTel, and AudioBooks.comSIGN UP for the newsletter at the bottom of the page.WATCH the music video on Vimeo at https://vimeo.com/858677622LISTEN to the credits song Wayfaring Stranger on Spotify, Apple, etc. here.WRITE A REVIEW Contact us for free 3-day streaming access. Already a fan? — please get a free account on IMBD.com and give us a 10/10!
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Christine, a young attorney on the brink of death, finds herself at the gates of heaven and hell. Having summarily received a sentence to hell, she demands an appeal. This sets her on a path of spiritual discovery, shepherded by three strangely familiar characters.
It should be noted that this film is psychological and spiritual in focus, but definitely not a mainstream Christian film. The film does contain adult themes and some strong language.
Written & Directed by: Steven C. Shaffer
Based on the stage play Judgment (1995)
| Starring: Kelly Warren | Co-starring: Michael Manfred | Co-starring: Jesse DeLozier | Co-starring: Austin Greene |
| Director of Photography: Jason Bohn | Art director: Valerie Shaffer | Continuity / Script supervisor: Colleen Shaffer | Hair & makeup: Elizabeth Teaman |
| Audio Recordist: John Miller | Lighting gaffer: Patrick Adachi | AC/grip/PA (swing): Brett Andrews | Tech crew coordinator: Maryann Bohn |
Writer/Director’s statement:
This film follows the main character’s near-death experience as she goes through Kubler-Ross’s 5 stages of dying (aka 5 stages of grief), while also drawing together random memories from her life. The film represents the culmination of my decades-long attempt to bridge the gap between various world religions. I think it’s unfortunate that when people think about religion, they immediately jump into separate camps and refuse to engage in a meaningful way. For example, a die-hard atheist might refuse to watch a TV comedy such as “Good Omens” or “The Good Place” simply because they “don’t believe any of that bullsh*t.” Whereas a traditional fundamentalist Christian might turn off one of those shows if anything smacks of “heresy.”
Although the film contains some irreverent humor, the topic itself is as serious as it can be. I encourage you to suspend any preconceived notions that you have and watch the film for the message it actually sends. It’s a “comedy” in the way that Dante meant when he wrote The Divine Comedy (originally just The Comedy) — that is, it is written in colloquial style, starts out sad, but ends happy.
The film contains many cultural references, mostly from movies and TV. These references come from the main character’s subconscious during her near-death experience (which is also why the gates of heaven look like her old church). Here are many of those references: All That Jazz, The Sopranos, Pulp Fiction, Seinfeld, The Matrix, The Big Lebowski, Kung Fu (TV show), Steambath (play), The Wizard of Oz, When Harry Met Sally, Soap (TV show), Clash of the Titans, Dogma, Enter the Dragon, Monty Python and the Holy Grail, A Christmas Carol, Hamlet, Winnie The Pooh, Dark Shadows, and Blade Runner.
About the lead actress: Kelly Warren is a stage and film actor local to York, Pennsylvania. She is very excited to play the role of Christine in the short film, Appealing. The part reveals an intriguing perspective on a near death experience for the character. Kelly’s roots in acting started on the stage in high school. She has now appeared in several short films selected for national and international film festivals. She has also appeared in local, regional and national commercials.
About the writer/director: Steven C. Shaffer is on the faculty of Penn State University and has been researching and writing his entire life. His play Judgment had over thirty productions in the 1990s; this film is his updated and enhanced version of that play, brought to the screen in order to finally crystalize his vision of the story. This is Steve’s first foray into film directing, but he was lucky enough to be able to bring together an excellent cast and technical crew that brought their own magic to the production.