Pleadings (2009) ~ Deleted Scene (Diane and Wyatt in the Kitchen)

In this deleted scene from the Anamnesia Productions, L.L.C. film "Pleadings," Diane Nordstrom (Shondra Marie) confesses her suspicions of her husband Jason's infidelity to her old friend, Thomas Wyatt (Ben Pronsky). The scene occurs late at night as the Nordstroms' anniversary party (which is also a costume party) winds down. Wyatt, an attorney, has just made a fool of himself in a putative "mock deposition" with Jason Nordstrom (referred to herein as "Nordstrom" and played by Jim Prindle) and Moira Farris (Katie Stuckey), Wyatt's former girlfriend and the object of Diane's budding suspicions. Special thanks to actor and friend of the film Howard Block (who plays Casey Goodman, one of Wyatt's clients) for allowing the production company to shoot these scenes at his home.

Commentary from director Alistair Isaac:

"Thomas Wyatt is the central character in 'Pleadings,' but the emotional entanglements which make his story interesting involve a number of characters with parallel problems. Initially, [writer] Jim [Dedman] and I had tried to flesh out as many of these characters as possible. After screening an earlier 2 hour cut of the film, however, we realized that the fleshing out of these characters was distracting from the central momentum of the movie, which centers on the Wyatt / Moira relationship.

"So, in order to allow this momentum to build, and maintain audience interest, we had to lose some of these scenes. The character that was by far hardest hit, however, was Diane Nordstrom. This was especially unfortunate because Shondra really succeeded in imbuing Diane with a nice power and subtlety. Unfortunately, while the story of Diane's troubles with her husband's infidelity was compelling (and originally featured its own bittersweet resolution scenes), it was simply overshadowed by the Wyatt / Moira drama in the last act.

"This scene is a good example. There are some great moments here on both sides, and we learn not just about Diane's suspicions, but about Wyatt's own preconceptions of his friends. Nevertheless, in the original cut, this scene was preceded by the mock deposition scene and followed by the fireworks scene, in which Wyatt apologizes to Nordstrom for his behavior to Moira. All the key facts the viewer needs to know, then, about the Wyatt / Moira relationship at this stage, are revealed in the other two scenes. Once we decided not to show the ultimate resolution of the Diane / Nordstrom plotline, this scene became extraneous, despite the good performances by both Pronsky and Marie."

"Pleadings" is an independent film presented by Anamnesia Productions, L.L.C. and starring Ben Pronsky, Katie Stuckey, Heather Durham, Shondra Marie, and Jim Prindle. The film was written by Jim Dedman and directed by Alistair Isaac. It was shot in Beaumont, Houston, and Waco, Texas.

For more information on the film, please see pleadingsmovie.com or facebook.com/pleadings.

Category:

Film & Animation

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• houston
• texas
• ben pronsky
• shondra marie
• howard block