| A Boy, A Girl And A Dead Cat |
GENRE: Coming of age comedy drama.
STATUS: Completed and in distribution. A Boy, A Girl, And A Dead Cat is available on YBS’ own online movie platform, Serenergy, and the Roku TV channel All Hawaii TV. In addition, it has also been uploaded to the online movie distribution company, Filmhub, where it has been picked up by the online movie platforms, Tubi, Popsy on Plex, Xumo, Amazon Prime Video, OTT Studio, Stash Movies on YouTube, Cineverse, Mometu, Future Today, as well as the Roku publishing company, Udu Digital, which owns the following Roku channels, Free Movie Channel, Free Movies Now, Free Grindhouse Flix Tonight, Free Movie Channel Docs!, Free Movie Channel Horror, Free Movie Channel Family, 24Hr Free Movies, and Free Movie Channel Retro. NOTE: A Boy, A Girl And A Dead Cat would not necessarily be on all of these Udu Digital channels, but on certain ones where the focused genre of the channel may be applicable to the movie. With respect to Amazon Prime Video, Filmhub has an agreement with Amazon which allows all movies accepted to be available to numerous countries. These countries appear below in a screen shot of Filmhub’s channels page.
While no longer on these platforms, Dead Cat was also previously on the Millennium TV (discontinued), Mometu (discontinued), and The Movie Studio (discontinued). A Boy, A Girl And A Dead Cat was also accepted to and screened in all 12 of the Lift-Off Global Network’s Online International Film Festivals. These were the 2022 London Lift-Off Global Network’s Online Film Festival, the 2023 Berlin Lift-Off Global Network Online Film Festival, the 2023 Manchester Lift-Off Global Network Online Film Festival, the 2023 Austin Lift-Off Global Network Online Film Festival, the 2023 Tokyo Lift-Off Global Network Online Film Festival, the 2023 Toronto Lift-Off Global Network Online Film Festival, the 2023 New York Lift-Off Global Network Online Film Festival, the 2023 Los Angeles Lift-Off Global Network Online Film Festival, the 2023 Paris Lift-Off Global Network Online Film Festival, the 2023 Amsterdam Lift-Off Global Network Online Film Festival, the 2023 Melbourne Lift-Off Global Network Online Film Festival, and the 2023 Sydney Lift-Off Global Network Online Film Festival.
LOGLINE: On the way to the prom, four students run over a cat and decide that they must bury the cat and give it a proper service first, and in so doing, a number of personal issues are resolved.
IMDb: A Boy, A Girl And A Dead Cat
This movie was based on an original story by David S. Baker, and a subsequent screenplay co-written by Baker and Jon Brekke. Jon also co-produced the movie along with Barry Nakasone and Michael Powell, and all three served as Executive Producers. With the majority of scenes filmed back in 1995 and subsequent scenes re-shot during portions of 1996-1998, A Boy, A Girl And A Dead Cat was a tremendously successful micro budget production considering that it was filmed at numerous locations around Honolulu, including Chaminade University, Kawaihao Church Cemetery, and many portions of Keawe Street. Dead Cat premiered at the Hawaii International Film Festival, and was later screened at the Santa Clarita Film Festival, the Santa Fe Film Festival, and the Angel City Film Festival. Of particular note, the movie’s soundtrack is filled with songs from some of Hawaii’s most popular music artists, including Henry Kapono, Na Leo Pilimehana, John Cruz, Forte, Nux Vomica, Snake, and Mundai. The following is from a review written in the Honolulu Star Bulletin on November 3rd, 1999:
A Boy, A Girl and A Dead Cat, directed by Jon Brekke, featuring a cast of actors from Hawaii, premiered at the 1999 Hawaii International Film Festival (a newspaper article that publicized the premiere follows below). The edgy “tween-age romantic comedy” is about the character Gordon, who is nearing the end of his high school days. Jeremy Pippen, at the time a 20-year-old student in journalism and theater at the University of Hawai’i, plays Gordon, who insists on being a Gloomy Gus even though he has a cherry convertible 1966 Plymouth Comet, his friends are funny and his blind date for the prom is a knockout. The ride to the prom takes a few twists and turns as Gordon and his friends wrestle with their fears and themselves. Other local actors include Deneb Catalan, Lena Kaneshiro, Kira Weber and Eric Nemoto, founder of The Actors’ Group. The Dead Cat soundtrack features cuts from local performers Henry Kapono, John Cruz, Forte, Nux Vomica and Na Leo Pilimehana. Brekke, a supporter and founder of Yellow Brick Studio, a small Kakaako theater group featuring original work, made his Hawaii film debut at the 1992 HIFF with Tis the Season — A Hawaiian Christmas Story. A Boy, A Girl and A Dead Cat has also been selected for the Angel City Film Festival, with screenings scheduled in Los Angeles and New Mexico.
Contrary to its curious title, Dead Cat is a wonderful coming-of-age youth tale that centers around Gordon, a high school student, and his heart wrenching back story. On the night of the big prom, Gordon has managed to secure the perfect convertible and date, beautiful Violet. But even with two “always up” friends, crazy Sid and funny Denise, who he’s also packing on a double date, he can’t seem to really enjoy the evening. Somehow, there’s a hidden gloom to Gordon, and his date can sense it.
While driving everyone to the prom Gordon runs over a cat and collectively the group decide that they cannot leave the dead animal a mere carcass on the road. Gordon in particular seems to harbor a labored guilt. Their decision means they must bury the dead cat and give it a proper service. So their night at the big dance must first detour to a store to buy a shovel, then to a shoe store to ask for an empty box (the cat’s coffin), after which they head to a local graveyard to bury the cat. While at the graveyard they spend some time reading the grave stones and realize that all life, including their lives which are in the bloom of spring, eventually ends up, like the seasons do with winter, dead and buried. Of all of them, Gordon is the most affected by the notion of inevitable death. As they return to the reason they are there, to bury the dead cat, they are shocked to find that the place they start digging is where a homeless man is sleeping. His awakening and screams scares the four young people out of their wits and they run back to the car and drive away. Of course, Gordon has dropped the shovel they had especially bought for the task, and so not only do they not have a burial site, they don’t have a tool to dig the grave.
The Trailer For A Boy, A Girl And A Dead Cat
Gordon then decides he’ll take everyone to the prom and they can finish burying the cat later. At the prom, Gordon is confronted by Rick (played by Brian Fowler), the quintessential bad boy who’s older and out of school and happens to date Gordon’s ex-girlfriend. Rick picks a fight with Gordon, causing him to leave with Violet, while Denise and Sid stay back at the prom concerned for him. Prompted by Violet, they “borrow” a shovel from the garage of a business. They go to a graveyard that Violet suggests and while there Gordon confesses that his mother is buried there. We learn that Gordon’s mom, while running out of the house to prevent the family dog from escaping, is hit by a passing car and is killed. It becomes clear now, to Violet, why Gordon is always so down. But her friendship with Gordon, who has now been able to cry over the great tragedy in his life, can now bury his grief along with the cat in his backyard. They return to the prom and Gordon is able to confront Rick, who is eventually tossed out of the prom for his behavior. In the end Gordon lets Sid drive the convertible and he and Denise let Gordon and Violet have their time alone back at Gordon’s house. There, Gordon and Violet recount the night and finally kiss, and when Denise and Sid return, they all drive off into the breaking dawn and the beginning of a brand new day.
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