Psychological thriller 'Dongmei' dramatically confronts cultural reactions to mental illness

PARSIPPANY, N.J. - June 20, 2015 - PRLog -- "Dongmei" is more than a dramatic thriller about a Chinese woman walking a thin line between reality and madness. It's also a powerful reflection on diverse cultural reactions to mental illness and the varied and often devastating effects of those reactions on individuals.

Writer Bob Messinger of Parsippany and director Cedric Hill of Union City are bringing "Dongmei" to the screen through a joint production of their companies, Where's the Lake Productions and To and Fro Productions.

"Just about everybody knows someone affected by mental illness," says Hill. "Just because it's more out in the open with anti-depressant ads everywhere doesn't necessarily mean that there's any less stigma attached. Every culture has its own way of dealing with mental illness, not always in the most productive of ways."

By assembling a multi-cultural and multi-lifestyle cast and crew, the writer and director hoped to bring the experiences of all production members into play to best depict the story's premise, and it appears to be working.

"It's amazing to watch Cedric direct," says Messinger. "He works with the cast to call upon their own cultural experiences and observations about emotional issues to bring depth to their characters. He encourages crew members to do the same to use every means in their filmmaking toolboxes to capture the raw emotion of the story."

"The first rehearsal proved our thinking right," says Hill. "The discussions were open and revealing, and the subsequent readings reflected the process."

Heidi Li plays the title character, Dongmei,  whose confrontation with a couple of thugs triggers a psychotic episode, landing her in the psych ward. Li most recently was featured in the soon-to-be-released "The Spectacular Jihad of Taz Rahim." She also stars in the new episodic comedy-drama "Yellow Fever," and she also appears on Chinese TV as a pop culture host and reporter.

Jorge Consejo plays opposite her as a psychiatrist with his own issues who battles with Dongmei to figure out why the confrontation triggered her psychotic episode. Born in Mexico City, Consejo is best known for his film roles in "Código Postal" (2006), "La Cueva de los Secretos" (2008) and "Mujer, Casos de la Vida Real" (1985) and is frequently seen on the Telemundo and Venevision television networks in popular shows such as "Mas Sabe el Diablo," "Sacrificio de Mujer, " "El Rostro de Analia" and others.

Director of Photography Jack F. Solomon uses his experiences as a veteran of both the Iraq and Afghanistan wars to bring his unique perspective to the roject.

"Jack is a phenomenal addition to our crew," says Messinger. "After taking just one pass at the script, he blew me away with his creative vision on how the film should be shot."

Director Cedric Hill, who also serves as executive producer on the project, is a native of Dominica. An active professor at the New York Film Academy, his credits include "Great with Nothing,"  "The Service List: NYC," "My Great Great Aunt on My Stepfather's Side Through Marriage," "The Story of Milo & Annie," "R.W.D: Red, White and Detroit," and many others.

Production coordinator Danielle Cooper hails from Newark and is a theater major at Rutgers. She is a published poet ("Love's Twisted Lessons") and is a committed advocate for LGBTQ rights. As a member of the 2008 Equality Ride, she toured the south by bus to discuss and help shatter discriminatory policies toward the LGBT community. Danielle has performed her truthful-yet-offbeat poetry to rave reviews on stages in D.C., New York, Georgia, and New Jersey. She continues to write for stage and screen.

Currently in pre-production, "Dongmei" is scheduled to begin shooting on August 1.

The film is being financed entirely by a crowdfunding campaign. Sponsors of the arts are encouraged to support the project by visiting https://www.indiegogo.com/at/dongmei.

Photo caption:

Photo 1:

Director Cedric Hill directs rehearsal as Director of Photography Jack F. Solomon pages through script.