Willow has returned to her childhood home at the behest of her estranged mother, Mathilda, and she’s brought along more baggage than just a suitcase. As their conversation turns trippy, old hurts are revisited, secrets are shared, and a startling resolution reveals the real reason Willow has come back.
Willow has come home at her estranged mother’s behest. They gaze at a majestic weeping willow in the big backyard. Mathilda refers to it derisively as young Willow's "own little world." When Willow's buttons get pushed a little too hard, Little Girl, visible only to Willow and looking exactly as you’d imagine Willow might have at seven years old, appears to remind her to "make it nice" for their mother. Mathilda recounts a memory: a 4th of July parade when Willow was seven. A clown materializes in the living room, determined to give candy to Little Girl, who, just as Willow had that day, screams bloody murder trying to dodge him. Mathilda, oblivious, howls with laughter. Willow finally snaps, berating Little Girl for ruining the fun. Stunned, Little Girl runs off crying. Moments later, Mathilda dies, and we learn her martini was actually an assisted suicide cocktail. Willow finds a faded polaroid of her mother, pregnant with Willow, next to the freshly planted willow sapling. The back of the photo is inscribed: “1984 – with my Willow” Outside, Little Girl says goodbye to her tree. Willow gives instructions to have the tree cut down.
Deborah Puette is a queer, L.A. based creator working across film, television, and the American theater who credits her success as an emerging screenwriter and director to her twenty-five years as an award-winning actor.
Puette’s debut feature as writer and co-director, CASH FOR GOLD, is from her very first full-length script. Puette also stars in the film. CASH FOR GOLD won the Audience Award at the prestigious Burbank International Film Festival before being released on VOD in February of 2025.
The Alliance of Women Film Journalists raves, “Deborah Puette makes an auspicious directorial debut with CASH FOR GOLD…there’s no denying the power of [her] storytelling…[it] will leave you looking forward to whatever Puette does next.” The Chicago Reader calls it “a courageous repudiation of the cruel path this country has committed itself to,” while Film Threat praises the film as “a brick house-built drama,” highlighting its authentic depiction of life's challenges, and top critic Nell Minnow from RogerEbert.com says “it is the compassion the film has for its characters that is the film’s true grace.”
CASH FOR GOLD is now available on Amazon Prime, Apple TV, and other VOD platforms courtesy of Freestyle Digital Media.
Since then, Puette wrote, directed, and produced SUCH A PRETTY GIRL, a short film based on her semi-autobiographical TV pilot, PLAY LIKE A GIRL (Finalist, 2021 Writers Lab underwritten by Meryl Streep, Nicole Kidman, and Oprah Winfrey). The film was Executive Produced by Robina Riccitiello (DÍDI, MUTT). The short film also serves as a proof-of-concept for her second feature which is currently in development with and will be produced by Rachel Stander’s company, A Season of Rain.
In the television space, Puette has written several pilots, the most recent of which, BLAZE, has been recognized by the GLAAD x Blacklist, Warner Brothers Writers Workshop, the NBC Writers Program, and was the recipient of Roadmap Writers Jump Start Grand Prize.
As an actor, Puette has recurred and guest starred on shows across virtually every network and streamer and has played lead and supporting roles in features for Disney, Miramax, and many independent production companies.
On stage, she's carried lead roles in over 30 plays and 100 workshops and her work has been nominated for every major theater acting award in both Chicago and Los Angeles. She’s the recipient of Chicago’s Joseph Jefferson Award, Best Actress; L.A. Weekly Award, Best Actress; Los Angeles Critics Circle Award, Best Solo Performance; and, as a producer, the Ovation Award for Best Production.
Producer - Rachel Stander
