Carving a Life

Carving a Life is a 2017 American romance drama film directed by Terry Ross and written by Lisa Bruhn. The film stars Tyler Bruhn and Karenssa LeGear.

Carving a Life
Poster
Directed by	Terry Ross
Written by	Lisa Bruhn
Produced by	Evette Betancourt
Starring	Tyler Bruhn Karenssa LeGear Aaron Landon Bornstein Lisa Winans Sandi Todorovic Jay Jee Laura Bohlin Navid Negahban Tiffany Espensen
Cinematography	Oscar Velázquez
Edited by	Janna Reznik
Music by	Edna Alejandra Longoria
Production company	Life In Reels Productions
Distributed by	Indie Rights
Release date	October 13, 2017 (2017-10-13)
Running time	83 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English

Plot

Mitch (Tyler Bruhn), a woodworker struggling with alcoholism after the death of his mother, begins a relationship with Lauren (Karenssa LeGear), a local elementary schoolteacher. His past trauma and difficult relationship with his father strains his romantic relationship with Lauren.

Cast

• Tyler Bruhn as Mitch
• Karenssa LeGear as Lauren
• Aaron Landon Bornstein as Stephen
• Lisa Winans as Rebecca
• Sandi Todorovic as Eric
• Jay Jee as Dr. Johnson
• Laura Bohlin as Mary
• Navid Negahban as Dr. Kasem
• Tiffany Espensen as Veronica
• Lindsay Kaye Sainato as Lyndsey
• Marla Bingham as Rehab Psychologist
• Kathleen Holt as Nurse Mary
• Max Baroudi as Young Mitch
• Samuel James Pfoser as Young Eric
• Kellen Rose as Kid at beach
• Mark Benjamin as Ethan
• Frank Papia as Gordon
• Lizet Benrey as Rehab Counselor

Production

It was the debut film of director Terry Ross.^[1] Principal photography took place in North County of San Diego, Anaheim and Julian, California.^[2]

Release

The film was presented at the American Film Market.^[3] The film had a screening in San Diego,^[4] a limited theatrical release in Los Angeles and was distributed by Indie Rights.^[5][6]

Reception

The film received mixed to negative reviews from critics. Katie Walsh at Los Angeles Times described it as well-intentioned but amateurish, calling it "the kind of DIY indie film that tries very, very hard but completely misses the mark."^[1] Adam Keller at Film Threat scored it 1 out of 5 stating it was "stream-of-consciousness mush."^[7] Chris Olson at UK Film Review scored it 4 stars calling it "genuinely moving [...] tender and engaging."^[8] Occhi Magazine rated the film 3 stars and said it would've been better with an "expanded plot and more focus on the characters."^[9]

References

1. Walsh, Katie (2017-10-13). "Review: Indie drama 'Carving a Life,' about addiction, means well but is ineptly made". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 2017-10-13. Retrieved 2022-06-13.
2. Sherman, Lola (2015-12-03). "Films coming back to county". San Diego Union-Tribune. Archived from the original on 2018-09-16. Retrieved 2022-06-13.
3. Cole, Ann Reilly (2015-12-03). "One Step Back, Two Steps Forward: Catching Up with 'Carving A Life'". Ramona Journal. Archived from the original on 2022-06-13. Retrieved 2022-06-13.
4. "'Carving a Life' premiere screening happening Tuesday -". KUSI. 2018-01-07. Archived from the original on 2018-07-22. Retrieved 2022-06-13.
5. Shepherd, Wendy (2017-10-13). "Life in Reels Productions Releases Award-Winning Film : Carving A Life | Movie Vine". Movie Vine. Archived from the original on 2017-11-09. Retrieved 2022-06-13.
6. "Carving a Life (2017) - Financial Information". The Numbers. 2017-11-12. Archived from the original on 2017-11-20. Retrieved 2022-06-13.
7. Keller, Adam (2018-05-09). "Carving A Life | Film Threat". Film Threat. Archived from the original on 2018-05-10. Retrieved 2022-06-13.
8. Olson, Chris (2017-12-12). "Carving a Life indie film". UK Film Review. Archived from the original on 2020-09-27. Retrieved 2022-06-13.
9. "Review: 'Carving a Life' is an Enjoyable Film Written by Lisa Bruhn". Occhi Magazine. 2017-12-05. Archived from the original on 2022-06-13. Retrieved 2022-06-13.

External links

• Carving a Life at IMDb 
• Carving a Life at Rotten Tomatoes
• Carving a Life at Letterboxd