What happens when three competing Okie actresses get a mysterious new roommate, and things start to get a little weird and unhinged in the house?
Maybe really weird.
Writer/director/actor Cate Jones explores this in her new feature, Chicken House, an Oklahoma-made feature premiering at deadCenter Film Festival this year.
Charlie (Ashley Mandanas), April (Kassie Gann), Willa (Kaylene Snarsky), and Beth (Jessi Kyle) are four very different roommates, all acting, often competing for the same roles. When Willa decides to make the big move to Los Angeles, they sublet to a new housemate—Cat (Jones), whose cool-girl vibes, drug use, and worldly views immediately shake up the stuffy place.
And she quickly reveals she’s felt some strange sensations in one of the rooms…
How a script evolves
This was a project I got to see move from the page to the screen, which is always a unique experience. I had my own version of the Chicken House set, which for some reason was two-story and a bit more rundown.
But Jones’ writing is such that you get a very good idea of how it will all look in the edit. You also can sense the overall tone of the finished product in every draft of the script, and that’s a true skill both as a writer and director. It’s been so awesome to see Jones evolve and strengthen as a filmmaker not only throughout this project but also since her previous film, She’s the Eldest.
I also know this was shot very quickly for very little money—no big surprise for an indie movie, but viewers don’t need to make allowances for that. Chicken House is, technically, a very strong project.
Although no DP is credited on the film’s IMDb, there’s some extremely capable cinematography in the movie, with creative and lively blocking for scenes that could, in less experienced hands, be stagnant and boring. There are grainy, Hi8-style flashbacks to character backstories, aspect ratio changes, color segments filmed as interviews—there’s no shortage of imagination in the film’s visual style.
However, the predominantly black and white storytelling is a strong choice that also makes sense. Editing is also sharp, keeping the pace quick. (One thing filmmakers often forget about is the need for coverage, especially during talky scenes. Bless you, Cate Jones, for knowing what you were doing here.)
Giving a story life
There are some really great performances here. Jones is, as always, compelling and magnetic here as Cat. Ashley Mandanas is earnest and moving as Charlie. Kassie Gann is another standout as April, particularly during a difficult and funny audition scene.
Overall, the plot really pushes the characters to their breaking points, even though they’re all basically stuck in a house the whole time enduring what seems like small, personal troubles. Meltdowns are fun to watch, and these filmmakers know it.
Even contained, things don’t get stale. The film smartly injects some interlopers in the form of a couple of bumbling LDS missionaries to shake things up in amusing ways. (Alex Sanchez’s Daniel is one of the movie’s funniest players as a Mormon having a crisis of faith.)
Overall, it’s a tight, compact, character-driven little narrative, weird but accessible, and a real showcase for some exciting Oklahoma talent we should all be eager to support.
Chicken House plays at deadCenter on Saturday, June 11, and Sunday, June 12. It will also be available on VOD starting June 13. For more insights about the film, check out our exclusive podcast interview with Cate Jones and producer Kassie Gann.
