This week on BEHIND THE LENS, we’re looking at two films that, at their hearts, are about fathers and daughters/a father and son – the wonderful family film SKETCH and the fugitive thriller SHE RIDES SHOT GUN. Besides being solidly entertaining films, each delivers incredible performances by the young stars. And joining me to talk about these films are two amazing filmmakers, NICK ROWLAND, director and co-writer of SHE RIDES SHOTGUN, and SETH WORLEY, who makes his feature directorial debut as the writer, director, and editor of SKETCH.
First, let’s take a look at SHE RIDES SHOTGUN. Based on the 2017 Edgar Award-winning novel of the same name by Jordan Harper, SHE RIDES SHOTGUN is an intimate two-hander and fast-paced fugitive thriller that turns heartrending and pulse-pounding. This is the story of “Nate” McClusky and his daughter, Polly, who are on an emotional, thrilling, terrifying road trip across New Mexico as Nate tries to escape his own past — or at least to protect his 11-year-old child from paying for his mistakes. Along the way, they take shocking risks, survive daunting threats, and become profoundly close. Polly musters courage and insight well beyond her years, and Nate displays vulnerability and fortitude he didn’t know he had.
Directed by NICK ROWLAND and co-written by Jordan Harper, Ben Collins and Luke Piotrowski, SHE RIDES SHOTGUN stars Ana Sophia Heger as Polly, Taron Egerton as Polly’s father Nick, along with Rob Young, David Lyons, Odessa Azion, Jamie Bernadette, and an out of the box John Carroll Lynch in a role unlike anything you’ve seen him in before.
SHE RIDES SHOTGUN stays firmly rooted in Polly’s perspective; from story to dialogue to eyeline, we see this story unfold through her eyes. As Nick discusses in this exclusive interview, a real highlight of the film is the emotional depth that Ana Sophia Heger brings to her performance as Polly. Taron Egerton is commanding, vulnerable, and fearful as Nate, but put him together with Ana, and their father-daughter dynamic is off the charts. Similarly, there is nothing but praise for John Carroll Lynch and his off-camera gentle demeanor with Anna, which was crucial for some very intense onscreen scenes. Despite limited time and resources, Nick emphasized authenticity and flexibility in directing. The film’s visual style, influenced by New Mexico’s landscapes, is beautifully lensed by DP Wyatt Garfield. The icing on the cake is composer Benjamin John Power’s score, which balances tenderness and brutality, enhancing the emotional narrative.
SHE RIDES SHOTGUN is in theatres now.
Switching gears to another father-daughter/father-son film, this one is for the whole family to enjoy – SKETCH. I love this film!!! It is fabulously fantastic. Creative, imaginative, vibrant, colorful, and filled with heart. Making his feature directorial debut with SKETCH is SETH WORLEY, who not only directs the film, but is writer and editor, as well as working on some of the CG compositing.
SKETCH is the story of the Wyatt family – dad Taylor, daughter Amber, and son Jack – along with Tony’s sister Liz. Grieving the loss of their wife and mother, Amber is having a particularly difficult time coming to terms with her mom being gone. And Taylor and Jack are so worried about Amber that they forget about dealing with their own grief. Focusing her anger and grief into her art, the school psychologist encourages Amber to continue to draw, as it will channel her grief.
But what happens when Amber’s drawing notebook falls into a strange pond and her drawings come to life with all of the unpredictability, chaos, and destructive mayhem that Amber drew on the page? As these monsters take over the town, Amber and Jack, together with their friend Bowman Lynch, must track down the creatures before they cause permanent damage. In the meantime, Taylor is racing to find them and navigate through a town in crisis to reunite his family and stop the disaster they never meant to unleash.
Listen as Seth discusses the exceptional casting of Bianca Belle, Kue Lawrence, and Kalon Cox as Amber, Jack, and Bowman, respectively. Tony Hale, as Taylor, and a producer on the film for the past 6-7 years of development, brought emotional honesty to his role as a dad looking out for his kids.
The monster designs and visuals are gobsmackingly delightful and meticulously crafted to look like the drawings in Amber’s notebook. Color is king as the vibrant colors, together with the film’s visual grammar courtesy of DP Megan Stacey, were carefully designed to enhance the storytelling. Seth goes into detail on the visuals, as well as bringing the monsters to life with textures like those in the drawings – crayon, Sharpie markers, chalk, colored pencils. The result is stunning. And we hear about the “smooth process” of editing thanks to a well-honed script. Plus, Seth talks the emotional truth and honesty within SKETCH, production challenges, considerations when working with children, and Seth’s own lessons learned with this debut feature, the importance of preparation and collaboration, and more.
SKETCH is in theatres on August 6, 2025.
