Shaun Johnson, host of Unfaithful!, a show that brings justice to the broken-hearted, finds his own marriage on shaky ground.
When Mark, a sad guest on his show, seeks to expose his girlfriend’s infidelity, Shaun sees a reflection of his own insecurities and blindly sympathizes with him.
Dismissing warnings from his producer Charli that their guest might be a stalker, Shaun spirals into absurdity and danger. He puts both his professional and personal life at risk as Charli watches her fears come true.
As Shaun navigates the chaotic fallout, he learns that in the Wild West of reality television, appearances can be deceiving, and he may have more in common with his tragic guests than he’d ever admit.
Seri DeYoung is a New Mexico raised, LA-based actress and filmmaker. Her notable credits include 50 episodes of the hit Freeform series Good Trouble, a recurring role on CBS crime drama S.W.A.T., American Horror Story, Breaking Bad plus many more film and television roles.
Seri writes and directs films that cover everything from coming-of-age, complex family dynamics, and the consequences of extreme beliefs. Her style is bold, unflinching, and visceral. Her ambitious work has been selected to screen at festivals in the US and abroad.
Her female-led baseball film Throw Like A Girl finished an inspiring festival run with nominations for Best Directing and an Audience Award from Austin Revolutions Film Festival, and her most recent short film about a family in crisis, Distance, had its world premiere at Dances With Films and went on to screen at Lady Filmmakers and the Burbank International Film Festival. She also picked up a “Best Short” and “Audience Award” for her film Still Life, which received distribution with ShortsTV. Her raw and impactful feature-length documentary Tender Points, A Fibromyalgia Journey was picked up for distribution by Virgil Films Entertainment and released on major streaming platforms.
Seri recently completed her new short film, Unfaithful!, an early 2000’s neo-western about a self-righteous reality TV host who lets his personal obsessions blind him to warnings about his hapless guest. Seri had a blast creating this darkly comedic tale, and cannot wait for audiences to see it.
Director Statement
One night on the couch, my husband and I were watching an episode of an early 2000’s reality show. It was pretty wild! So many violations seemed to be permitted- harassment, verbal and often physical assault- all in the name of entertainment. It made contemporary reality shows look tame and respectful by comparison.
Coincidentally, I had a meeting the following day with Jack Fleischer. We were collaborating on a new project, aiming for something dark. I wasn’t planning on pitching Unfaithful!, but I couldn’t stop thinking about this ruthless and chaotic world of early reality TV. As soon as I started talking to him about it, I couldn’t stop.
Having come of age in the early 2000’s, I was inspired to examine this inflection point in our cultural landscape. I began my professional career in the entertainment industry in 2007. I was eighteen. If you are a woman in her mid-thirties, then I don’t need to tell you what it was like to be a young working gal at that time. For everyone else I’ll try to be brief- it was gnarly. We were in an era of unrestricted hyper-sexualization and rage. Few women held positions of power, and the ones that did were often hated for it. I couldn’t possibly enumerate the times I was sexually harassed at work. It’s been my experience since I was a teen that I illicit a feeling of entitlement from men. I know I am not alone in this.
Using my experiences as a lens to enter the wild world of Unfaithful! was so cathartic, liberating, and tons of fun. I fully relate to both the overlooked female field producer Charli, as well as the stalked young musician Ashely. Obsessed and entitled Shaun and Mark are both so intimately familiar to me, and that translated into a wonderful collaborative experience. My actors brought these roles to life seamlessly. Additionally, it was so easy to bring my department heads into my vision. When I told everyone, ”hey I think this is actually a Western”- they all said “yes, it is”.
I hope when audiences see Unfaithful!, they are inspired to draw their own conclusions. How will these people justify their actions? How far should we be willing to go for the sake of entertainment? Must the show go on? Perhaps upon reflecting on a not-too-distant past, we can see our present moment with more clarity. I had so much fun making this movie- shot in one wild day- and I hope you have fun watching it too.
Director:
Seri DeYoung, (Good Trouble)
Writer:
Otha Cole, Seri DeYoung
Producer:
Otha Cole, Jack D. Fleischer, Seri DeYoung
Talent:
Ronald Auguste, "Shaun" -
Jack D. Fleischer, "Mark" -
Aimee McGuire, "Charli" -
Alexa Sutherland, "Ashley" -
Anthony B. Caldwell, "Nate"
