Private Project

False Pretenses

Forced to leave Mexico after being relentlessly pursued by a Detective on a personal mission, Gabriel (played by David Field) devises a plan to reinvent himself in California. He engages the help of a self destructive single mother, Becky (played by Angelica Amor).
Gabriel finds himself in a new country with a new life but can he keep his past from catching up with him? Hunted now by FBI Special Agents Royce (played by Robert Wilson) and Powell (played by Dash Pomerantz), Gabriel manages to stay a step ahead of his pursuers until he crosses paths with Chechen crime boss Oleg Shevko (played by Phil La Rouche) and his wife Oksana (played by Silvana Gargione).
False Pretenses follows Gabriel's desperate attempts to escape his tormented past in a world destined to make him pay for his sins.

  • Michael Ensor
    Director
  • Michael Ensor
    Writer
  • Michael Ensor
    Producer
  • Jason Federici
    Producer
  • David Field
    Producer
  • David Field
    Key Cast
  • Angelica Amor
    Key Cast
  • Silvana Gargione
    Key Cast
  • Dash Pomerantz
    Key Cast
  • Robert Wilson
    Key Cast
  • Phil La Rouche
    Key Cast
  • Christian Calloway
    Key Cast
  • Laura Hand
    Key Cast
  • Natalie Mitchell
    Key Cast
  • Josof Sanchez
    Key Cast
  • Michael Ensor
    Key Cast
  • Jason Federici
    Cinematographer
  • Edward Auslender
    Music Composer
  • Duncan Blair
    Sound
  • Garrard Whatley
    Supervising Sound Editor
  • Gary Zacuto
    Sound Design
  • Garrard Whatley
    Re-Recording Mixer
  • Michael Ensor
    Editor
  • Project Type:
    Feature
  • Runtime:
    1 hour 25 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    November 11, 2022
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    HD 4K
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Michael Ensor

Coming from a filmmaking background and having worked on numerous documentaries and features in the U.K. Michael moved to California to study film at the University of California, Los Angeles. He has worked on several award winning documentaries and features.
False Pretenses marks his feature directorial debut.

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Director Statement

With a love for classic European Cinema combined with a passion for realism and the guerrilla style of early John Cassavetes, False Pretenses pays homage to those films. The film was shot in 18 days in and around the Los Angeles area and features many of it’s familiar landmarks. Coming from a documentary background I wanted to keep the crew and equipment small in numbers in order to allow the actors more time and freedom for improvisation. We shot the film with a Sony 4K camera that allowed us to move freely, quickly and unobtrusively which enabled us to capture beautiful images amidst the stunning locations around California that provided us with the perfect canvas. The actors were thus able to fully relax and immerse themselves in the freedom of their craft and were flexible in their different approaches to the scenes resulting in very real performances on screen.