Technical Specifications: Short, runtime 23 minutes, Color, USA

Synopsis: It's out of the frying pan and into the fire for Neil Adamski. Tonight his problem with gambling and his problem with fidelity come to a head. And at the dinner table of the O'Connell's no less--a seemingly picture perfect family who, by the end of the meal, will find themselves united by a new-found hatred.

Genre: Comedy/Experimental

Filming Dates: January 4th through January 12th, 2006

Filming Locations: Elmhurst, Illinois

Technical Information: The European Kid was shot on super 16mm.

Production: The European Kid shot in picturesque Elmhurst, Illinois. Although all interiors take place within one house, the various rooms were actually a blend of four different houses, all of which were generously volunteered by family friends of the writer/director. Taking that personal relevancy one step further, all exteriors were shot on the street that the director grew up on.

Before shooting, production was awarded the Panavision New Filmmaker Equipment Grant. Although transportation logistics prevented the filmmakers from accepting the grant, to be selected was a great encouragement and set a tone of generosity and commitment for the rest of the shoot.

Working on a modest budget wound up being advantageous to the cast and crew who were challenged to stay creative and committed despite the challenges, proving that, with enough dedication, small films produced outside of New York and LA with a unique sensibility can get made.

The Feature--Synopsis:

There are two tragic events on Neil's first date with eighteen year-old Caitlin O'Connell. First, he accidentally runs over a female deer (a doe) with his mother's Escalade. Horrible. Blood everywhere. The second tragic event: Neil meets Caitlin's older sister. Erin. Erin O'Connell is an aristocratic beauty. She is alluringly unattainable. She has a terrific neck. The kind you want to nuzzle. The moment Neil sees her, he wants her.

Neil hasn't got a shot in hell with Erin. He is a job-less, skill-less twenty-three year-old. He's a little paunchy. He comes from a working class family. Erin is dating a successful man from a wealthy family. Neil is dating Erin's younger sister. But if Neil has one admirable quality it's that he goes after what he wants. Even if the odds are remarkably stacked against him. So Neil leads Caitlin on to get closer to Erin. An endeavor all but guaranteed to fail.

Fail it does. Erin is completely disinterested in Neil. And Caitlin, a needy college freshman with a a squat frame, is really getting on Neil's nerves. Just as Neil is preparing to give up on the whole sitution, Mr. O'Connell asks Neil to clean out their basement while the family goes on a weekend retreat. Neil will have the house to himself while the family is away. He sees an opportunity to snoop around Erin's bedroom. He agrees to clean out the basement.

But Neil does not get to do much snooping around that weekend because Erin shows up unexpectedly at the house. She is in emotional shambles. She broke up with her boyfriend. He cheated on her. Erin decided to forego the weekend with the family and stay at home. It's just Erin and Neil alone in the house for the weekend. Neil couldn't he happier. He gives Erin a shoulder to cry on. He puts the moves on her. Surprisingly, Erin succumbs to Neil's advances. They see a shared selfishness in one another. A common disgust for emotional weakness. A destructive nature. The two make violent love. They drink like fish. They lose their minds. They throw a TV off the second floor.

Neil is elated. He's attained the unattainable. But it doesn't last very long. The next day, Erin's boyfriend apologizes and they get back together. Erin says she made a huge mistake. She kicks Neil out of the house. Neil is furious. He decides he must get revenge on Erin for betraying him. As soon as Caitlin gets back from the retreat, Neil invites himself over for dinner. Before dinner, he tells Caitlin that he loves her. Caitlin is thrilled. At the dinner table, Neil and Caitlin are very affectionate. Neil wants to make Erin jealous.

It works too well. Erin is livid. She tells the whole family that she and Neil slept together. Chaos. Erin berates Neil. Caitlin berates Erin. Mr. O'Connell wants to know why the basement wasn't cleaned out. Neil is driven from their house. He walks home in the snow. An exceptionally low moment in his life.

Two months later, Neil seems to have turned a new leaf. He has a job as a ticket taker at a movie theater. He works out and eats right. He is nice to his family and friends. Then one day he attends a wedding reception for an old high school friend. He seems to enjoy himself. He doesn't drink at the reception. He chats pleasantly with the guests at his table. But he sees Caitlin is at the reception. She's dancing with her new boyfriend. Her boyfriend looks like the blue blood type.

Neil can't control himself. All his bad qualities come rushing back to him. What has this guy got that Neil hasn't? Neil immediately starts drinking. Later that evening, Neil attacks Caitlin's new boyfriend. Neil kicks him in the face. Neil runs from the party. Caitlin comes chasing after Neil. She stops Neil in the parking lot. It's spring and there's a wildly optimistic spring breeze. She asks Neil what his problem is.

Neil is honest with her. Perhaps for the first time. He says he always wants to be the best. He's greedy. He wants everything. He wants Caitlin. He wants Erin. And he wants every other girl, too. He says he's sorry. He has tried to change. But this is part of who he is. Caitlin doesn't know what to say. She walks away. And Neil just stands there. Alone in the parking lot.

For more information on the feature, contact Ian Martin at theeuropeankid@gmail.com or 773-484-6804.