In order to escape her overprotective drug-dealing stepfather, a young introvert flees to NYC with her pet flying squirrel.
After successfully reinventing herself with the help of some “found family,” she realizes she must return home and confront her dark past, to truly be free.
Isaac Hirotsu Woofter
Isaac Hirotsu Woofter is a NYC based actor and filmmaker. He wrote the screenplay for Steven Seagal’s action movie, THE BUSHIDO BUTCHER, for Shadow Box Pictures and Aldamisa Entertainment. His crime drama/thriller BOUND is running the festival circuit and will drop on streamers late Spring/early Summer.
His work has been selected in dozens of Festivals, received countless nominations, and won 11 awards.
Best Film (x3), Best Ensemble (x2), Best Actress (x2), Best Screenplay (x2), Best Director, Audience Choice.
As a director, Isaac’s written, produced, and directed book trailers for multiple New York Times Best Selling Authors.
As an actor, Isaac’s played numerous lead and title roles, including the Tony award-winning Broadway show WAR HORSE. In 2008, he was nominated alongside Patrick Stewart, for Best Supporting Actor in a Shakespeare Play.
Isaac received his BA from UCDavis, his MFA from Columbia University, and studies at the Jacob Krueger Studio.
Director Statement
This universal and easily relatable story of endurance, survival, and starting over doesn’t only belong to Bella Patterson; it belongs to anyone who desires to live in peace but is met with resistance. One’s age, gender, or race can not save or protect you because pain does not discriminate.
When boys struggle, we are told to be strong, to squash our emotions, to figure things out on our own. Girls are now told the same. It’s bullshit. All of it. We should be allowed to feel, to fear, and to fail.
I wrote BOUND to remind people that no matter what level of adversity we face, it’s OK to cry, to admit defeat, to ask for help; because we are not alone and with the right kind of support things can and will get better.
Director:
Isaac Hirotsu Woofter
Writer:
Isaac Hirotsu Woofter
Producer:
Isaac Hirotsu Woofter, Ramin Karimloo
Talent:
Jessica Pimentel, "Marta" (Orange is the New Black) -
Ramin Karimloo, "Owais" (The Phantom of the Opera) -
Alexandra Faye Sadeghian, "Bella" (Guns of Eden) -
Bryant Carroll, "Gordy" (A Man Called Otto) -
Pooya Mohseni, " Yeva" (Madam Secretary) -
Alok Tewari, "Shoaib" (House of Cards) -
Josh Alscher, "Donnie" (Cadillac Records)
Review of Bound: Rejoice watching a crime-infested family spawn an unlikely heroine
With Bound, viewers are in for an effective crime drama which also boasts an engaging character study. This is an intense story, bordering on being a thriller, while avoiding sensational and mindless violence. Though a tad contrived at times, the characters seem relatable while emitting heavy doses of genuine human emotion. The premise – how far can one get away from a morbid past before it starts catching up with you through unexpected avenues. Also, to what extent can one control life’s circumstances and how accountable are we for our actions? Click to read more…
Bound is set in a dysfunctional world filled with dysfunctional people. It touches the heart and makes the audience think. It also entertains. Isaac Hirotsu Woofter is offering up his debut feature film on the Festival Circuit.
Woofter serves as writer and director for this one. Cinematography is credited to Maximilian Lewin and Jake Simpson. Bound is powerful and compelling. It follows the emotional pain of several characters. Bella, played magnificently by Alexandra Faye Sadeghian, escapes her familial prison. She heads to nearby New York City, a presence of its own in this tale, to be an artist.
Bella is sheltered and angry. Her overprotective step father Gordy (Bryant Carroll) has been a poor influence on his stepdaughter. At the start of her journey, Gordy is a villain. Later, we learn more about the man she hates.
All the characters and their lives share one thing. They are all flawed, just like the rural area they inhabit and the big city nearby. Woofter chooses to show us the intricacies of each character. He also places Bella in the underbelly of The Big Apple. A place that allows her to survive. It is, in all likelihood, the only place she could have fit in. Click to read more…
It’s all right to populate movies with familiar types as long as they seem like flesh-and-blood people instead of commedia dell’arte masks. Fortunately, Isaac Hirotsu Woofter’s latest Bound features actors who are strong enough to take what could have been stock characters and transform them into people who might live outside of the screen.
Bound may start in an environment like a trailer park, but Woofter adds a few intriguing details that keep his tale fresh. For one thing, this gloomy location is outside New York City instead of the American South, but some of the struggles Bella (Alexandra Faye Sadeghian) faces are sadly universal.
Her stepfather Gordy (Bryant Carroll) is abusive and makes a sizable portion of his income from drug deals. Bella’s mother, Yeva (Pooya Moseni), seems drawn to him like a moth to a flame, even though he seems to be capable of only getting himself or those around him hurt. Click to read more…
Bound (2023) is written and directed by Isaac Hirotsu Woofter. This is his feature film debut. A relentless Drama about abuse, trauma and gathering the strength necessary to push through. Bella is am introvert young woman living with her sick mother and overprotective drug-dealing stepfather. After fleeing to New York City and successfully reinventing herself, bella realizes she must confront her dark past, to be truly free. Here’s my review! Click to read more…
Movie Review: A Deep Dive into Isaac Hirotsu Woofter’s Indie Drama “Bound”
Isaac Hirotsu Woofter‘s indie film “Bound” takes us on an interesting journey through the gritty streets of New York City, unravelling a tale of survival, reinvention, and the haunting spectre of one’s past.
The film, written and directed by Woofter, introduces us to Bella Patterson, a young introvert brilliantly portrayed by Alexandra Faye Sadeghian, who grapples with an abusive drug-dealing stepfather and a deteriorating mother.
Sadeghian delivers a well-rounded performance, skillfully capturing the complexities of Bella‘s character. Throughout the film, she oscillates between fear and moments of fiery bravery, portraying a nuanced character development that adds depth to the narrative. The emotional weight carried by Sadeghian‘s portrayal anchors the film and engages the audience in Bella‘s tumultuous journey. Click to read more…
It’s likely true that writer/director Isaac Hirotsu Woofter’s Bound tells a familiar story. We’ve got a young woman who lives a rough life with a rough family in a rough part of town. The cards are stacked against her and she knows it. She’s a scarred girl whom we meet hiding behind her hoodie. She tries to protect her mother (Pooya Mohseni) from an over-protective, drug-dealing stepfather (Bryant Carroll) with more volatility than common sense. When she finally stands up for herself, she’s betrayed and flees to New York City where she flounders until coming across a trio of kind misfits – Owais (Ramin Karimloo), Marta (Jessica Pimentel), and Standrick (Jaye Alexander).
Bella is our young woman, powerfully portrayed by Alexandra Faye Sadeghian with equal parts vulnerability and promise. She begins to build a life for herself in New York City, however, if you’ve ever fought with your demons you know the truth – until you come face-to-face with them you’ll never truly be free.
Currently on an indie fest circuit run, Bound tells a familiar story in an honest, emotionally resonant way. The film benefits from a tremendous ensemble cast of mostly stage vets who know how to bring characters to life and they do so wondrously. There’s enough grit here that you can practically chew on it, a sense that this story could go any number of ways and you’re never quite sure which way it’s going to pan out. Click to read more…
Dramas don’t get much more forlorn than Isaac Hirotsu Woofter’s Bound. Somehow, someway, the darkest possible outcome is always on the horizon, leaving only a small window of opportunity for its characters to escape it. The end result is a deeply personal and riveting thriller that, while often too bleak for its own good, proves that Woofter has an affinity for sensitive storytelling.
Bella (Alexandre Faye Sadeghian) and her mother Yeva (Pooya Mohseni) live squashed beneath the iron fist of her stepfather Gordy (Bryant Carroll) in a rundown trailer park. When the abuse becomes too much to bear, Bella packs up her belongings, including a pet squirrel named Bandit, and heads for the Big Apple. A fresh start awaits her, albeit not one that she can easily earn on the bustling streets of New York City. Fortune does eventually smile upon Bella when she gets herself to work at a small coffee shop owned by the soft-spoken veteran Owais (Ramin Karimloo). Gradually, Bella begins to adapt to her environment, making friends like shopkeeper Strandrick (Jaye Alexander) and bartender Marta (Jessica Pimentel). Her newfound pseudo-family has wrestled with demons of their own, creating the perfect support system for a complete reset away from the source of her trauma. As the film’s title would suggest, her past isn’t quite finished with her as Gordy re-enters her life and all hell breaks loose. Murder, suicide, blackmail, and drugs turn Bella’s life into a waking nightmare, and it’s on her to devise a plan to end it all and save Yeva. Click to read more…
Isaac Hirotsu Woofter, former Broadway actor and writer of a Steven Seagal film, in his feature film debut, presents this enticing indie drama. It’s a social drama/domestic thriller that tells in its own unsettling way this all too familiar story of drugs destroying a family. The DPs, Maximilian Lewin and Jake Simpson, shoot it with a shaky hand-held camera, giving it an authentic look.
The artistic teenager Bella (Alexandra Faye Sadeghian), an introvert, lives in a trailer park not far from NYC with her overprotective but abusive drug-dealing/bartender stepfather Gordy (Bryant Carroll) and her dying of a sickness mother Yeva (Pooya Mohseni).
Looking for a fresh start, Bella flees with Bandit, her pet pocket squirrel, to NYC, where she reinvents herself and tries to disengage herself from her dark past. Click to read more…
2nd Annual Dances With Films: NY Announces Filmmaker Awards
Among the many films screening to the delight of boisterous crowds at the Regal Union Square included Isaac Hirotsu Woofter’s locally shot and produced drama BOUND. Click to read more…
Ramin Karimloo talks about ‘Bound’ and ‘Funny Girl’ on Broadway
Tony-nominated actor Ramin Karimloo (“Les Misérables”) chatted about “Bound” and “Funny Girl” on Broadway.
The synopsis of the film is: In order to escape her drug dealing abusive stepfather, a young introvert flees to New York City. After successfully reinventing herself, she realizes she must confront her dark past, to truly be free.
On being a part of “Bound,” he said, “It was great but it feels like a lifetime ago now. It’s funny how time stood still for a while. It seems like a lifetime ago, but it still feels like last week.”
“It was intense to shoot this as well because it has a theater essence to it, where you have longer takes and no time to mess around. You dive into the prep more, and as actors, we get together and we get to do these longer takes. It felt more theatrical at times, that’s what I loved about it too,” he elaborated. Click to read more…
Chatting with Isaac Hirotsu Woofter: Filmmaker, screenwriter, and director
Isaac Hirotsu Woofter. Photo Courtesy of Isaac Hirotsu Woofter.
Filmmaker Isaac Hirotsu Woofter chatted about writing and directing the film “Bound.”
The synopsis is: In order to escape her drug dealing abusive stepfather, a young introvert flees to NYC. After successfully reinventing herself, she realizes she must confront her dark past, to truly be free.
The movie stars Ramin Karimloo, Jessica Pimentel, Aixa Kendrick, and Aaron Dalla Villa, among others.
Isaac shared that he likes to “watch movies that make him think and make him feel things, and sometimes, they can hurt a little bit.” “Those are the movies that stay with me,” he acknowledged. Click to read more…
“BOUND” – An Original Film Written and Directed by Isaac Hirotsu Woofter
We started our festival run as the only movie at Dances with Films with two screenings. Both sold out, the first one in 6 minutes!
Audiences are gushing over the diverse ensemble that took roughly a year to cast, but the character everyone adores the most is an illegal sugar glider named Bandit!
Audiences call it: “Unpredictable, riveting, visceral visual-storytelling” and say “you cannot walk out of this film without being moved.” Click to read more…
In order to escape her overprotective drug-dealing stepfather, a young introvert flees to NYC with her pet pocket squirrel. After successfully reinventing herself, she realizes she must confront her dark past, to truly be free
Written and directed by Isaac Woofter, Bound is a dark, winding tale about the lengths one girl goes to in order to escape entrenchment in the sordid activities of her step-father. Bella’s home life is filled with violence and anger as Gordy rules with an iron fist over her and her mother. He’s a manipulative drug dealer, preying on Bella’s mother who is in a vulnerable mental state. After failed attempts to save her mother from Gordy, Bella takes action to save herself. With a one way ticket to New York and a letter inviting her to art school, she goes in pursuit of something better.
With nothing to her name except Bandit, the pocket squirrel, Bella immediately falls on hard times. Sleeping rough isn’t part of the better life she envisioned for herself so it doesn’t take long for Bella to talk her way into a job as a barista, even with zero experience. Hippie coffee shop owner Owais sees Bella as a kind of diamond in the rough. Despite her obvious lack of experience, he asks her to come back the following day – wearing something more work appropriate. Not one to do things the conventional way, Bella steals some jeans from a shop and crashes in the bathroom of a local dive bar rather than staying at the women’s shelter Owais mentioned. After such a turbulent childhood, she feels safer among the chaos. Click to read more…
‘Now I know why you don’t have a resume’ says café owner Owais (Ramin Karimloo) to Bella Patterson (Alexandra Faye Sadeghian) in Isaac Hirotsu Woofter’s sincere and affecting drama set in and around a recognisably real New York. Bella isn’t exactly in danger of getting head-hunted on Linkedin; we meet her when she’s on the run from an abusive home-situation. Bella takes off to the big city without much in the way of prospects; she’s young and vulnerable, but also tough and stoic; her situation may be difficult, but it’s her situation and she owns it.
This kind of tough-love coming–of age drama isn’t a new story, you could trace antecedents back to Catcher in the Rye, but on Woofter’s hands, assisted by an able cast, Bound ably exploits the double-meaning of the title; Bella springs with some velocity into a new life with new people in her orbit, but part of her remains firmly tied to her past. Something that sticks in the mind here is Bella’s personable best friend, played by newcomer Bandit who I don’t remember seeing previously but that might be because Bandit is a squirrel. Making a low-budget movie is tricky enough, but I can’t imagine the degree of difficulty that having an on-set squirrel wrangler much create. Click to read more…
A youth leaves her troubled household and heads to New York City, hoping for a fresh start.
Bella (Sadeghian) lives in a house in the countryside with her stepfather, Gordy (Carroll) and her mother, Yeva (Pooya Mohseni). Unfortunately, things are quite bad as Gordy is a drug dealer and Yeva is depressed, weak and anorexic. Eventually, Bella decides to escape and go to New York City with the intention of improving her life. There, she meets a variety of people, including Owais (Karimlo), Marta (Pimentel) and Standrick (Jaye Alexander). After a while, things appear to be improving for Bella, however all changes when Gordy re-enters her world.
A rather downbeat and dramatic feature that looks into the hardships of life through the perspective of a young woman who has been through a lot and wants to do better. The first half or so is about Bella starting over, building a new life and then it moves towards thriller territory. She arrives in the large city almost penniless, with no place to stay and a pet rodent for company. After committing some petty crime, she ends up working at Owais’ coffee shop and at a bar with Marta, also befriending them, including Standrick, a homosexual shop worker. Although initially she is reserved and hesitant to talk about herself, after a while she warms up towards them and they reveal their own struggles to her. Just when it seems that Bella’s troubles are behind her, the arrival of her stepfather (and his sinister associates) brings danger, threatening to destroy her (and those around her) and confrontations along with life-threatening scenes ensue. Click to read more…
Film Review: Bound (2023) by Isaac Hirotsu Woofter
tories about misfits of any kind that come together to form the families they always missed has always been one of cinema’s favorite concepts. Isaac Hirotsu Woofter, an award-winning script writer and actor comes with his own take of the concept, bringing together different types of misfits, from various aspects of the (US) society, and placing them in New York.
Bella is a young woman who cannot stand watching her mentally ill uncle/stepfather torturing her mother. When she realizes he has hidden her college acceptance letter, essentially preventing her dreams of going to art school, she kicks him out of the house, supposedly for the last time. However, when her mother, Yeva, takes him back once more, Bella decides to take her pocket squirrel and head to NYC with no money, no friends, no roof, and too much pride to turn back. While there, she briefly falls in with a group of goths and punks, but soon finds herself running. Thankfully, she ends up working in the cafe of Owais, a Muslim American war hero who lost everything after returning from the war. Gradually, Bella finds herself, and even more so, when she meets and befriends Standrick, a gay black clothing designer, and Marta, an immigrant who runs a bar. She even starts working on her art again; Gordy, however, is not eager to let her go away. Click to read more…
Written and directed by Isaac Hirotsu Woofter, in order to escape her drug dealing abusive stepfather, a young introvert flees to NYC. After successfully reinventing herself, she realizes she must confront her dark past, to truly be free. Starring: Alexandra Faye Sadeghian, Jessica Pimentel, Ramin Karimloo, Bryant Carroll, Jaye Alexander, Josh Alscher and Pooya Mohseni.
The first thing that has to be acknowledged with Bound is how difficult it is to build a sincere story of homelessness and trauma within the limitations of independent film. There have been so many to get it wrong, becoming emotionally manipulative, transparent or hollow, which is why it’s so impressive that Isaac Hirotsu Woofter avoids all of those traps. Woofter creates something that’s immediately compelling, setting a strong atmosphere of emotional suffering, tension and giving a complicated, layered feel to his story.
Not only that but it’s consistent throughout the film, it sets that excellent first impression then keeps you glued until the end. It progresses well, ramping up the tension, which is already high because Woofter does a great job of translating the anxiety and fear of his leading lady Bella (Alexandra Faye Sadeghian) with his directorial style. It’s something that he does extremely well throughout, especially in that it creates a perfect balance between the inherent darkness to Bound and its themes of compassion and friendship. There’s plenty of grit and struggle but it never completely loses hope. Click to read more…
San Leandro High Grad Working In the Movie Business in New York
San Leandro-bred actor, writer and now film director Isaac Hirotsu Woofter had to head east to establish himself in film and theater. But he hopes many people here will get to see his very first feature film, “Bound,” which is now gathering strong critical acclaim while making the rounds of film festivals.
Woofter is hoping a national distribution deal follows, as it sometimes does when a film wows audiences at major film festivals. In the case of “Bound,” the film impressed people at both the Los Angeles and New York Dances With Films Festival.
Those are major events for the makers of independent films, those produced without major studio backing. In New York “Bound” was the only film to screen twice, and sold out both showings. Next on the schedule is the Brecken- ridge Film Festival in Colorado, a nice festival to be in, Wooster says. It’s not on the same commercial level, though, as an upcoming Los Angeles-area Click to read more…
Isaac Hirotsu Woofter
