Private Project

A Unified Theory of Love

"A Unified Theory of Love" is a comedy / drama feature film based on actual research studies examining how and why we love.

Dr. Cassie Sanders-- a scientist specializing in neural engineering-- creates an Artificial Intelligence Program that can help anyone fall in love. In order not to lose her research funding, she's forced to use the program to find her own connection. But when a man who claims to be "a new person" appears, the strange candidate changes her views on science... and love.

Based on actual research studies from Helen Fisher, Wedekind, and more "A Unified Theory of Love" attempts to explain how and why humans fall in love. As the "new person" finds his way in the world and becomes increasingly human, he asks us to reflect on our own ideas about fate-- and destiny. And he's running out of time... the man believes if he doesn't find love within before a specific date, he'll turn into primordial ooze and loose the opportunity to be human.

Starring Richard Karn ("Al" in "Home Improvement"), Eric Isenhower (Orin in "Parks & Recreation,") and Valerie Brandy "Lola's Last Letter").

  • Valerie Brandy
    Director
    Lola's Last Letter, Justified, Walt Disney Studios
  • Valerie Brandy
    Writer
    Lola's Last Letter, Justified, Walt Disney Studios
  • Sherri Lennon
    Producer
    Lola's Last Letter
  • Richard Karn
    Key Cast
    "Pop-Pop"
    Home Improvement (Played "Al" in over 200+ episodes)
  • Eric Isenhower
    Key Cast
    "Anu"
    Parks & Recreations ("Orin")
  • Valerie Brandy
    Key Cast
    "Cassie"
    Justified, Lola's Last Letter
  • Project Type:
    Feature
  • Genres:
    Comedy, Drama, Science
  • Runtime:
    1 hour 29 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    January 1, 2024
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Shooting Format:
    Sony Digital
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Valerie Brandy

Valerie Brandy is director, screenwriter, and actress based in Los Angeles. Her award-winning feature film, Lola’s Last Letter—which she wrote, directed, and starred in— was distributed by Sony’s indie label after a successful festival run. The film was shot in the mobile home park Brandy lived in as a teenager, and has since become a beloved installment in the mumblecore movement. As a screenwriter, her career began when she sold a spec script at age 20, becoming one of the WGA’s youngest members. She recently served as a staff writer for Walt Disney Studios live action feature division, developing multiple projects for their Disney + platform. She’s written comedies and dramas for many studios and networks, and her writing has been honored by the Nichol Fellowships in Screenwriting. As an actress, she appeared as “Trixie” in multiple episodes of FX’s Emmy-Winning drama Justified in scenes across from Mykelti Williamson (Forest Gump). For her work in the independent film space, Brandy was nominated for a Best Principal Actress award from LA Film Review. In reviewing Brandy’s work as a filmmaker, the Huffington Post stated, “… the key word when describing Brandy in unflinching.”

In 2022, LA Live Film Festival named Brandy a “director to watch,” awarding her the laurel for Best Director’s Demo. As of 2023, her short film Sales Tactics— which she wrote, directed, and produced— won the award for best Horror Comedy Short at Austin Microshort Film Festival, and won honorable mention for best Microfilm at Los Angeles Film Awards. Brandy’s ambient content series Travel California— which she directed and produced— will soon appear on SlingTV’s new ambient channels. The series features drone footage of landscapes, slow motion video of animals, and 4K footage of athletes in California’s most beautiful natural environments.

Brandy is a member of the WGA west, where she serves as a strike Captain, as well as SAG-AFTRA and the Alliance of Women Directors. A subject matter expert in film & media, Brandy holds multiple visiting Professorships and academic appointments in the film departments of universities like Loyola Marymount, Syracuse, and UCLA extension. She received her B.A. from UCLA as a prestigious Alumni Scholarship recipient, and is an M.F.A. candidate in Film & Television Production at Asbury University.

As an author, her feminist thriller trilogy “Animals We Are” has sold over 10,000 copies worldwide, and was chosen as an IndiesToday five star read.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

For many years, I've been fascinated by studies seeking to explain how human beings fall in love. These studies were conducted separately and, because of that fact, there is no existing "unified" theory of how to fall in love, besides the ones that individuals create for themselves. But if there WERE such a theory, would it work for everyone? What would the steps be? Could we ever really guarantee that something as unexplainable as love could be manufactured? These questions led to the idea that ultimately became "A Unified Theory of Love."

I wrote this movie just before going on strike as a WGA screenwriter, mainly because I wanted to create a project that was truly independent. I'm also a SAG-AFTRA actor, and all filming was completed before the SAG strike began. I wrote the script, directed the movie, starred as Cassie, and performed the edit.

This project was completed entirely outside the studio system. This is truly an artist-driven production, completely separate from the AMPTP. What I love about it is that it's allowed to be multiple things at once-- a science experiment. A comedy. A love story.

While at Disney, I was honored to work for a company that had such a legacy of making dreams come true. But I found that the modern studio system doesn't make room for original stories. The very same original scripts that got me into a first look deal with the studio ended up not being made because they were too "original" or not based on underlying IP.

In this project, I take my love of magic and world-building, and create something truly independent. I believe that audiences are craving original stories controlled by artists-- not by corporations. This film is one of those original stories. It's not "like" anything else-- and that's one of my favorite things about it.

Thank you for watching! :)