Izzy Roland’s independent film D(e)ad is truly a family affair.
An actor and comedian known for her work with Dropout and The Sex Lives of College Girls, Roland wrote D(e)ad based on an idea from her mother, Claudia Lonow. Lonow, who starred in Knots Landing and was the showrunner for projects like Showtime’s Rude Awakening, went on to direct the film. The mother-daughter pair also stars alongside Roland’s grandparents and Lonow’s parents, Mark Lonow and JoAnne Astrow; Roland’s stepfather and Lonow’s husband, Jonathan Schmock; and Roland’s husband, Brennan Lee Mulligan.
The family focus behind the camera extends to the actual plot of D(e)ad. Roland plays Tillie, a young woman working through a complicated relationship with her father, Daniel (Craig Bierko). When Daniel passes away unexpectedly, his ghost pops up in the mirrors of everyone in his family. Everyone, that is, except for Tillie. What follows is a charming portrait of a dysfunctional family, and the many different ways in which its members work through the grief that literally haunts them.
In a Say More interview with Mashable Entertainment Reporter Belen Edwards, Roland delved into the process of making D(e)ad alongside her mother, starting with Lonow giving her the idea in the first place.
“This was originally an idea for a TV show that was about this mother character whose husband dies, and then she’s haunted by him — just her — in the mirrors. She called it My Crappy Soulmate,” Roland explained. “I thought that idea was really cool, and thankfully we have a relationship and she was working on something else where she was able to be like, ‘Yeah, sure, write it.'”
As for actually making a film alongside her family and close friends, Roland described the experience as completely rewarding — and not far off from her usual creative process.
“I am friends with the most talented people in the entire world, thankfully, so that is a place that I feel pretty comfortable,” Roland said. “It’s not without its complications, but it’s definitely somewhere that I like to be.”
Watch our full Say More video to learn more about Roland’s experience writing and filming D(e)ad, why she decided to go the independent film route, and what Real Housewives taglines each of D(e)ad‘s characters would have.
You can find a list of upcoming D(e)ad screenings on the film’s website, where you can also request a screening near you.
