American Primitive

1973, Cape Cod, Massachusetts:
Harry Goodhart, the British widower father, has come to Cape Cod to begin a new business and begin a new life where he can be accepted and live the life he wants. Recently widowed, he struggles to withhold a secret from his two teenage daughters that risks tearing their family apart.

The year 1973 is central to American Primitive’s story. The film’s path parallels a country’s loss of innocence and a time period in which American society was redefining its national identity as well as its personal views. Gender and sexual identity preoccupied the citizens of America.

Like many in the country, our heroes, Madeline and Harry, daughter and father, find themselves tackling ideas of sex and identity — topics that seemed to be on the tip of everyone’s tongue in the early 70s but were actually still taboo in both traditional familial and personal settings.

The exciting ensemble cast feature talents including Danielle Savre (Heroes, MTV’s KAYA), Skye McCole Bartusiak (The Patriot), Adam Pascal (RENT), Tate Donovan (The O.C., Damages), Josh Peck (The Wackness, Drake & Josh), Corey Sevier (North Shore), Stacey Dash (Clueless), Susan Anspach (Five Easy Pieces, Play It Again Sam) and James B. Sikking (Ordinary People, Hill Street Blues).\

On behalf of the City of West Hollywood, Mayor Abbe Land will present AMERICAN PRIMITIVE Director Gwen Wynne and Producer James Egan with a Proclamation and Certificate of Recognition of “Their outstanding efforts in spreading the important message of hope and tolerance which is powerfully portrayed in AMERICAN PRIMITIVE and urging communities and high schools throughout the United States to support screenings of this vital film,” announced Producer Suzan Crowley.

“We are committed to ending homophobia towards gay families and trying to reach teens with our message of tolerance,” said Egan.

While the events of the film are fictional, the idea for the film was based on Wynne’s own family situation.  But reality was in a sense less dramatic but more tragic since her father did not acknowledge the relationship with his “business partner” until his partner had died and his daughters were well into adulthood.

About her father, Wynne says, “What was so amazing for me when I saw Brokeback Mountain was the turmoil expressed by both men due to having to hide their love for one another. Watching that movie, all I could think about was my father the entire time. He was in so much pain and forever hid who he really was.  That’s a terrible way to live your life. Brokeback is wonderful movie but I so wished I could have also seen the girls’ stories as well. That side of the story wasn’t told; it was just implied.”

Alternately funny and heartbreaking, this thought provoking family comedy/drama is as relevant today as it was in the 1970’s when America was in the midst of social upheaval as

it began to redefine the meaning of love and family.  AMERICAN PRIMITIVE captures the human drama behind the “Prop 8” headlines of today.

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For more info: www.americanprimitivemovie.com