Private Project

American Gothic

If we disagree, promise to never disappear…

A screenwriter living inside his story struggles to define his characters and himself. As he grapples to create or to procreate, his characters, twins known as brother and sister revisiting their childhood home, realize their past does not align with a reel of home film they find. They begin to question the validity of their identities and the permanence of memory, forming a world of their own. Afraid of losing control, the screenwriter begins to delete them from the story. He experiences this as the death of his characters and the story world dissolving into physical media, while to the characters it is the author who has been deleted, abandoning them. Experiencing this as a traumatic childhood, the characters are confronted with their newfound independence and the notion that they can manipulate the fabric of their own world in this mind bending Bomar Brothers film.

QUALIFIED FOR THE 51st STUDENT ACADEMY AWARDS

  • Grant Lee Bomar
    Director
    Self Portraits or: How to talk endearingly to possible victims, Fringe, My Dinner with an Android, Falsehood, Tomato Records
  • Geoffrey Lee Bomar
    Producer
  • Cristina Bomar
    Producer
  • Alan Boell
    Key Cast
    "Father"
    Creed III, The eyes of Tammy Faye
  • Danielle Carrozza
    Key Cast
    "Mother"
    GetAWAY, Kiara
  • Caitlin Mcphail
    Key Cast
    "Daughter"
    Crowhand, Self Portraits or: How to talk endearingly to possible victims, Content: The Lo-Fi Man
  • Bryson Bonta
    Key Cast
    "Son"
    Self Portraits or: How to talk endearingly to possible victims, Parlous
  • Dean Lee Bomar
    Director of Photography
    Self Portraits or: How to talk endearingly to possible victims, Fringe, My Dinner with an Android, Falsehood, Tomato Records
  • Grant Lee Bomar
    Writer
  • Dean Lee Bomar
    Writer
  • Geoffrey Lee Bomar
    Writer
  • Olivia Zoe
    Music
  • Dean Lee Bomar
    Music
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Genres:
    Horror, Psychological, Drama
  • Runtime:
    12 minutes 23 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    August 14, 2024
  • Production Budget:
    10,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    2.76:1
  • Film Color:
    Black & White and Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Digital Cinema Package:
    Unavailable
  • Austin Shortsfest
    Austin, TX
    United States
    August 16, 2025
    Official Selection
  • Atlanta After Dark Film Festival
    Atlanta
    United States
    April 14, 2025
    Winner, Best Experimental Film
  • Buried Alive Film Festival
    Atlanta, GA
    United States
    November 9, 2024
    Best Editing
  • All American High School Film Festival
    New York City
    United States
    October 19, 2024
    Northeast Premiere
    Official Selection
  • Oregon Screams Horror Film Festival
    Portland
    United States
    October 17, 2024
    Oregon
    Official Selection, Nominated Best Experimental Horror Film
  • Texas Short Film Festical
    San Antonio
    United States
    September 18, 2024
    San Antonio Premiere
    Official Selection, Nominated Best Experimental Film
  • Atlanta Underground Film Festival
    Atlanta
    United States
    August 17, 2024
    Official Selection
  • 51st Student Academy Awards
    Hollywood
    June 1, 2024
    In Consideration
  • Newnan Film Festival
    Newnan, Georgia
    United States
    September 14, 2024
    Official Selection
  • Rolecall Indie Showcase "Slamdance of the Southeast"
    Atlanta
    United States
    April 26, 2024
    Official Selection
  • Atlanta After Dark Film Festival
    Atlanta
    United States
    February 13, 2024
    Winner, Best Experimental Film & Finalist, Best Editing
  • Buried Alive Film Festival
    Atlanta
    United States
    September 29, 2023
    World Premiere
    Sinema Challenge
  • Atlanta Horror Film Festival
    Atlanta
    United States
    October 15, 2023
    Official Selection
  • Atlanta Micro Short Film Festival
    Atlanta
    United States
    March 22, 2024
    Official Selection
Director Biography - Grant Lee Bomar

The Bomar Brothers, Dean Lee Bomar (21) and Grant Lee Bomar (19) have been making films since the ages of 10 and 8. Grant has matured as a director through a series of unique indie projects supported by Dean's imaginative cinematography. Born in Scottsdale AZ, they are currently based in Austin, TX. Their production company Big Board Films also houses a studio in Atlanta, GA’s Old 4th Ward where they lived and worked for over a decade. Their films have been featured in festival selections and won awards across the country and internationally. They are currently attending film school in Austin with a split residency between ATX and ATL.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

I was 17 when I directed American Gothic in September 2023. It was shot over 4 days in a secluded mountain environment. The small 10-person team had to operate in a highly mobile, fast-moving, on-location shoot. The film is shot in a stunning 2.76:1 aspect ratio. It features an original score by Atlanta-based singer Olivia Zoe.

American Gothic is an exploration of the nature of reality, perception, and being. At the core of the film is a traditional narrative considering the struggles between creative and family lifestyles. The story is told in two timelines, of the children pondering the validity of their memories of their youth and of their parents in the past making formative decisions in the children’s lives while maintaining their creative freedom, which facilitates a time warping story interpreted through memories. Furthermore, the family is divided on lines of creation and creator, offering an exploration of whether or not consciousness and reality are solely defined by perception. The film poses, as a parable of the mind and of God, questions of the role of the artist as either a creator of worlds through meticulous design or accidents outside of their control, and presents a scenario where characters are beings with lives of their own that exist beyond their creator.

P.S. If you’re a festival screener and you just watched the film, please rate and review it on Letterboxd! Thanks!!