“Unimaginable,” a new film by local writer-director Cedric Thomas Smith, explores the topic of domestic violence in a gay relationship. It will have it’s premier on July 31 at the Tobin Center for the Performing Arts as part of the SAFILM Festival.
The movie tells the story of Antonio, a nurse who struggles with domestic violence at the hands of his partner, Kirk. Antonio is no stranger to such abuse, having witnessed his mother being beaten by his father when he was a boy.
Antonio endures his abusive relationship but begins to reassess leaving Kirk after he treats a patient who has been beaten by her husband. The woman does not consider herself a victim but simply part of a couple that “loves hard and fights hard.”
The woman’s plight forces Antonio to confront his own situation and reevaluate his life with Kirk.
This is writer-director Smith’s second version of “Unimaginable,” which he produced as a short film in 2010. According to a press release for the movie, the “positive response and demand inspired Smith to expand the tragic look at same-sex domestic violence into his first full-length feature.”
The film features Texas actors Carlos Camacho, George Cisneros, and Maxine Greco.
In a posting on Facebook, Smith writes about his new feature. “Like most indie films, the production of ‘Unimaginable’ had a lot of blood, sweat, and tears along with its share of headaches and heartaches. Against every obstacle that came our way (and there were lots of them), our production team soldiered through. We are now proud to showcase this powerful film on domestic violence. We are even prouder to have it make its debut at the SAFILM Festival, which was the first major film festival to screen the short version of the film.”
Smith’s other films include, “She Waits,” “The Game of Life,” “Nana’s Brunch,” “The Symphony of Silence,” “The Interval,” and “Brackenridge Park: A Love Story.”
“Unimaginable” — a new film by Cedric Thomas Smith. World premiere at The Tobin Center for the Performing Arts on Friday, July 31, 2015 at 9 p.m. Tickets can be purchased at the door and on the Tobin Center website for $15.