Cast
sadie sink
TESS DENUNZIO
(Stranger Things)
16-year-old Tess lives with mom, step-dad and two little sisters in a beautiful neighborhood where nothing bad ever happens…until something does. Struggling with a sea of emotions, Tess embarks on a journey of discovery.
theo rossi
NICK DENUNZIO
(Sons of Anarchy, Luke Cage)
A lovable slacker from the wrong side of the tracks, Nick was on top of the world at age 18, but has drifted sideways through life ever since. Nick is forced to knock the dust off his parenting skills to support his estranged biological daughter Tess.
kweku collins
JIMMY FREEZE
A street-smart and charming juvenile delinquent next door to Nick, Jimmy finds himself intrigued by and undeniably attracted to the troubled Tess. In spite of Nick's disapproval, Jimmy spends time with Tess and helps to expand her horizons.
justin bartha
DAVID GLADSTONE
(The Hangover, National Treasure: Book of Secrets)
A rising-star junior partner at a Pittsburgh law firm, David provides comfort and stability for Elly, teenage step-daughter Tess, and little Em and Zoe. But nothing in his life or career has prepared him for a tragedy no parent should ever have to confront.
jessica capshaw
ELLY GLADSTONE
(Grey's Anatomy)
Years ago, Elly escaped her working-class roots with baby Tess. She raised Tess on her own, and now has built a charmed life with her new family. The loss of one daughter nearly destroys her, but what worries her most is the prospect of losing another.
vivien lyra blair
EMILY GLADSTONE
(Obi-Wan Kenobi, Bird Box, We Can Be Heroes)
A wise old soul, 6-year-old Em adores both Tess and Zoe. While she seems the most prepared of any in the family to go down recovery road, no one should forget that she’s just a child who needs love and support too.
mckenzie noel rusiewicz
ZOE GLADSTONE
The baby of the Gladstone family, 3-year old Zoe is precocious and sweet, rambunctious and loud, a swirl of laughter and blonde curls perpetually in motion.
gren wells
DIRECTOR
(The Road Within)
Gren Wells is a writer/director who made her directorial debut with the acclaimed feature The Road Within, starring Robert Sheehan, Dev Patel and Zoe Kravitz.
Gren is an alumnus of Variety’s prestigious “10 Directors to Watch.” Gren was born in Louisville, Kentucky, raised in Greenwich, Connecticut, and graduated Summa Cum Laude from Manhattanville College in Purchase, NY.
She resides in Los Angeles.
PRODUCERS
zin haze productions
(Bottle Shock)
Zin Haze Productions, LLC, is the production company of Brenda and Marc Lhormer. Brenda and Marc are the producers of Dear Zoe and Bottle Shock, which tells the tale of California Vintners triumphing over the French at the infamous 1976 Judgment of Paris wine competition.
Bottle Shock premiered at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival and was distributed independently to over 400 theaters across the US, as well as every foreign film market. For Dear Zoe, Marc also wrote the screenplay.
The Lhormers ran the Sonoma Valley Film Festival from 2002 to 2008, then founded and ran the Napa Valley Film Festival from 2010 through 2018.