Synopsis

Doll, a homebody with a stash of pulp comics, is thrown into the world of her favorite stories when she sees a gun hidden in the waistband of her charming new tenant.

Unbeknownst to her apathetic fiancé, Doll debates confronting the man and joining him in a life of adventure.

As the tenant’s mystery is exposed, Doll is forced to realize that she alone has the ability to turn her fantasies into a reality.

About the Film

Dime Crimes #34 is a neo-noir short film written by John Michael Wagner, and Directed by Ed Hellman. The film was shot in New York in September 2014 and completed in May, 2015.

Brought to life by Executive Producers Bob Giraldi (Michael Jackson’s BEAT IT music video), and Tony-winning, Emmy-nominated John Benjamin Hickey, Dime Crimes #34 is a darkly funny joyride set to original music by Baltimore’s soul sensation, Bosley.

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Director Statement

The first thing that attracted me to John Michael Wagner’s script for Dime Crimes #34 was the character of Doll. She’s timid, thoughtful, an avid reader. When she eyes a gun hidden on her new tenant, her reaction is quietly measured. There is fear but even more so, curiosity, to the extent that she hides the discovery from her fiancé. The tenant knows she saw something, but this isn’t a script about a scary man intimidating a woman into keeping his secret. From the gun’s discovery onward, Doll dictates the trajectory of the story.

Doll has been withdrawn from the world and sees the stranger as a means of escape. The gun awakens a side of Doll that she didn’t know existed, and she finds herself taking control of her life for the first time. Most movies would end with her riding off into the sunset with her dangerous and charming new fella, or with her reigniting a spark in her relationship with her fiancé to bring adventure into the life they’ve built. I won’t say what happens, but what I love about this movie is that it keeps Doll in the driver’s seat.

We go to movies not to be simply entertained but to fix our problems. We want to see how the hero handles things. People can relate to Doll’s frustration and desire to break out of her routine. Sometimes, we find someone who we think is the answer to our problems,who can sweep us off our feet and bypass all the hardship that surrounds us.Inevitably, it is our own abilities and nature that can bring change to our lives—true transformation comes from within. – Ed Hellman, 2014

Technical Details

Country: America / Year of Production: 2015 / Premiere Date: TBA / Length: 18 min 11 sec / Format: Digital / Color: Color / Aspect Ratio: 2.39:1 / Camera: RED Scarlet-X, Cooke Panchro S2 / Language: English / Screening Format: DVD, Blu-Ray, DCP