Episode 092 - NIGHT VOICES Director/Co-Writer Bradley Hawkins

In every language, the words we say to ourselves and to others can either heal or harm. Yet when those words are uttered on the radio airwaves, even the most provocative of personalities can never comprehend what consequences can result from their rhetoric, or anticipate who might be listening, as you will see and hear for yourself in the award-winning psychological thriller Night Voices.  Directed by Bradley Hawkins, co-written by Hawkins and Peter Fenton, and made by Hawkins' acclaimed studio Dadley Productions, Night Voices co-stars Gorman Ruggiero (who co-starred as a beloved former rodeo cowboy and grandfather in Hawkins’ bittersweet multigenerational family drama Calf Rope) in another unforgettable performance - this time as the aggravated late night talk show host Jude Wilcox.  Angered by his life’s downward turn and the nightly abuse he takes from his callers, Jude is hellbent on destroying himself until a distraught youngster named Hunter (played by incredible newcomer Jack Packer) reaches out to the desperate shock jock. Hunter calmly opens up to Jude about both his family’s problems and his own struggles, and in so doing, shows Jude that some new beginnings come in the nick of time. Dadley Productions’ previous films, such as Calf Rope, Rollercoaster, Filling In and Winter, were made for family-friendly audiences. Yet as you’ll hear from Hawkins on this week’s podcast, Night Voices is a remarkably mature story that pulls no punches in examining such hard topics as depression, mental illness, suicide and personal faith.  Though at first it’s a very difficult film to watch, the performances of Ruggiero and Packer, the strength of Hawkins and Fenton’s screenplay, the attention to detail in its production, Hawkins’ expert direction, and the hope it offers viewers who may be dealing with their own crises, makes Night Voices as much of a lifeline to those in despair as it is a cinematic masterwork.   Night Voices’ trailer and additional info on the film can be found on Dadley Productions’ official web site: https://www.dadleyproductions.com/nightvoicesmovie  Follow The Viewfinder Podcast on Twitter @ViewfinderPod On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theviewfinderpodcast  Music by Audionautix.com