With Love and a Major Organ
Directed by Kim Albright
Hosted by Director Kim Albright, Writer Julia Lederer, Cast Anna Maguire and Donna Benedicto.
Official selection
SXSW 2023
Indy Film Festival 2023
Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival 2023
Director
Kim Albright
Executive Producer
Lori Lozinski, Carol Whiteman
Producer
Madeleine Davis
Writer
Julia Lederer
Cast
Donna Benedicto, Hamza Haq, Anna Maguire, Veena Sood
Cinematographer
Leonardo Harim
Sound Designer
Matt Drake
Composer
Jeremy Wallace Maclean
Editor
Tony Zhou
Special Effects
Sebastian Munoz Silva
contact
Common Knowledge Films
Official website
“So fantastic, sad, beautiful, and unusual that you’ll almost want to rip your own heart out”– Sharai Bohannon, DREAD CENTRAL
"A dashingly original fantasy/romance dramedy about a future where people literally trade hearts”– Christopher Lloyd, THE FILM YAP
"A creative and vibrant approach to storytelling that bursts with originality”– Kristy Strouse, THE FILM INQUIRY
Welcome to a dystopian society in the near future where people are ruled by LifeZapp, an app controlling every detail: eating, sleeping, and whom they interact with, all except for their emotional well-being. But that’s okay since this is also a world where our hearts are removable objects that reflect our personalities, things we can dig out of our chests to make life less emotional.
Insurance worker Anabel (Anna Maguire) refuses to be at the whim of technology. Messy, awkward and authentic, she doesn’t fit in, creates art, and seeks out happiness. She’s lonely but dismisses her bestie Casey’s (Donna Benedicto) prodding to use the omniscient app for a date. As luck would have it, she has a chance meeting with George (Hamza Haq), a deadpan and direct man. Anabel can’t get him out of her mind, and when she’s rejected by him and devastated by some terrible news, she removes her heart and impetuously gives it to the unfeeling George to avoid further heartache. Shocked by the act, George escapes his overbearing mother, Mona (Veena Sood) and goes on an emotional odyssey with Anabel’s heart, but will her missing heart really be the cure for her tumultuous life?
Director Kim Albright’s debut feature brings writer and playwright Julia Lederer’s acclaimed play and audio drama to the big screen. Charming and darkly funny, they explore the literal act of wearing our hearts on our sleeves — or outside of the chest cavity — through magic realism. This surreal universe goes beyond that of Yorgos Lanthimos as Anabel and George navigate embracing their emotions in high-tech times, bringing a truly unique voice that Haq and Maguire capture beautifully. Far from a cliché, WITH LOVE AND A MAJOR ORGAN uses comedy and heartbreak to explore societal pressures through a most unique meet-cute fairy tale. – Carolyn Mauricette
Showings
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