First Images of Julius Onah’s ‘The Girl Is In Trouble’

We started keeping tabs on The Girl Is In Trouble when we profiled indie producer Jen Gatien and subsequently when the film’s helmer Julius Onah was named to Filmmaker Magazine’s “25 New Faces” list, yesterday Shadowandact.com showed off a batch of new stills and a synopsis of the feature proving this may well be in the final stages of post-production and potentially ready for the first major film fest of the season. The film stars Columbus Short, Wilmer Valderrama, TV show House’s Jesse Spencer and Alicja Bachleda of Ondine fame. Adding to the hype is Spike Lee on as an exec producer and Chris Trujillo as production designer.

The Gist: The longer synopsis obtained by the site: NYC. Unemployed bartender and failed DJ August (Columbus Short) receives a 2 a.m. call from beautiful Swedish Signe played by Alicja Bachleda (see below). Their one-night-stand turns ugly when he discovers footage of a murder on her phone – a Caucasian man killing a young Latino. August knows these men. The dead guy’s Jesus Guzman, a dealer. The killer is Nicholas Feinman (Jesse Spencer), son of New York’s most powerful investment banker. Before August can question Signe, there’s a knock on the door – Angel (Valderrama), Jesus’ brother and the most feared drug enforcer on the Lower East Side.

Jesus is missing – maybe August knows where he is? August hides the girl, gets Angel out of his apartment, and searches desperately for a way out of this nightmare. Signe explains they both need money – for her to get out of the country and for him to get out of debt. They have to blackmail Nicholas. Yet neither they, nor Nicholas, anticipates that Angel Guzman will stop at nothing to find out what has happened to his brother.

Soon, all are caught in a deadly game of blackmail, double crosses, and escalating violence. When he learns that Signe may have been manipulating him all along, August has to choose – get the money, get the truth, or get out alive. THE GIRL IS IN TROUBLE – a thriller that fuses a 21st Century sensibility to the kinetic energy of the French New Wave and the grittiness of classic Americana noir.

Worth Noting: The Girl Is In Trouble is Onah’s thesis project as part of NYU’s Graduate Film Program. He has stated that “The film is told in 10 chapters — I liken it to a music album. Each chapter is a song, its own experience. We may leak one of our chapters [online as a promotion].”

Do We Care? Yes! We previously stated that ‘Trouble’ has Sundance potential after being rushed into production and are anxiously awaiting the first flurry of announcements.