In 1957 Oahu, a twelve year-old girl tries to protect her glamorous, unstable mother as her father’s affair and wartime ghosts fracture the household, forcing their beautiful, broken family to the edge of disaster.
Lily Shields spends much of her life watching: watching the farmers burn the sugar cane, scared their house might go up in flames; watching her younger brother Jack, who always seems to be getting into a scrape; and most vigilantly watching her beautiful, but pill-addicted mother, Anna.
Set against a lush Hawaiian landscape haunted by the echoes of WWII, the story follows the unraveling of the Shields’ family. Sheridan Shields is a wealthy, privileged philanderer. While Anna Shields –glamorous, headstrong, and forever chasing the next adventure – is an increasingly erratic and dangerous mother.
With the adults failing her, Lily must become the responsible one. At times it feels exhilarating, lighting Anna’s cigarettes, racing homing pigeons, driving jeeps across the island. But when Anna is institutionalized and Sheridan moves his very young girlfriend into their house, Lily must reckon with the strain of holding their family together.
Based on the critically acclaimed novel by Susanna Moore, MY OLD SWEETHEART is a portrait of familial longing that examines the devastation of fiercely loving someone you cannot heal, no matter how hard you try.
Laurie Weltz is an award winning feature director and screenwriter, whose debut film Wrestling with Alligators was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance Film Festival. Filmmaker Magazine wrote, “The lovely debut boasts excellent performances and a strong story…Weltz’s background in various aspects of film production shows in the film’s sense of grace, control and confidence…it deserves an audience beyond the festival circuit.” Laurie’s second feature film About Scout, based on her award winning script (PAGE and Champion Screenwritings Award), had its international premiere at The Rome Film Festival and was released theatrically as well as on VOD. She is currently in development on her third feature The Night Swimmer with Evenfield Entertainment as well as a TV series entitled The Narrative. Laurie has a masters from NYU Film School, and her award winning thesis film At Five and Twenty-Five, was picked up by USA television. She was chosen as one of "25 Screenwriters to Watch in 2022" by the International Screenwriters Association. Laurie has worked as a freelance director and editor for television, music video, and branded content. Her work has twice been nominated for ACE awards, for HBO’s Shock Video and A&E’s Heroes.
Erika Hampson - Producer
