Come What May (film)
Encyclopedia
Come What May is an American direct-to-video
drama film
released on March 17, 2009 by Advent Film Group
. The filmmakers intentionally released it on DVD and not to theaters. George Escobar said, "Going straight to DVD will allow church groups to become the distributor
." The film tells the story of Caleb Hogan who tries to overturn Roe v. Wade
in a moot court
championship.
(PHC) to compete on the Moot Court
team. His mother, Judith (Karen Jezek), who is a Constitutional law
yer, opposes his decision because Patrick Henry College teaches from a socially conservative
perspective. Since Caleb insists that the PHC Moot Court team will provide him with the best training for working in her law firm, Judith agrees to pay for education on the condition that he wins the Moot Court National Championship.
The Moot Court topic is soon announced as a parental notification case, weighing the daughters right to have an abortion against her parents right to know about it. Caleb believes that the team will be most successful by arguing for a small exception to the apparent "right to abortion" by showing substantial parental interests, not because he himself supports abortion but because he insists that attempting to overturn Roe v. Wade
will provoke a negative emotional response from the liberal judges. His partner, Rachel (Victoria Emmons), however, argues that they should make the case to overturn it and completely deny the right to an abortion.
Meanwhile, Judith is offered a case to argue in the Supreme Court
on behalf of an abortion clinic who violated a state's parental notification laws. Against the wishes of her husband, Don (Kenny Jezek
), and her son, Caleb, Judith takes the case and asks Rachel to work as an intern at her law firm to help her prepare. As the Moot Court championship tournament draws near, Caleb is faced with a growing rift forming between his parents, an escalating argument with his debate partner and the future of his education and his family at stake.
students, and the movie was filmed using digital high-definition video
in order to keep the production on a small budget. Filming locations included Purcellville
, Virginia, at Patrick Henry College
and Lynchburg, Virginia at Liberty University
. Pickup filming and re-shoots took place in January 2008 in Purcellville and Leesburg
, Virginia. Post-production editing was performed in Tennessee, sound design was completed in Colorado Springs, Colorado
, and the film's marketing and distribution activities were organized in Northern Virginia. In total, over 40 students from 16 different U.S. state
s participated in the making of Come What May.
Direct-to-video
Direct-to-video is a term used to describe a film that has been released to the public on home video formats without being released in film theaters or broadcast on television...
drama film
Drama film
A drama film is a film genre that depends mostly on in-depth development of realistic characters dealing with emotional themes. Dramatic themes such as alcoholism, drug addiction, infidelity, moral dilemmas, racial prejudice, religious intolerance, poverty, class divisions, violence against women...
released on March 17, 2009 by Advent Film Group
Advent Film Group
Advent Film Group is an independent Christian film production and distribution company founded in 2007 by George Escobar. The company trains young Christians to be filmmakers, and it created the 2009 drama film, Come What May, with talent like Kenneth Jezek and his wife Karen Kelly...
. The filmmakers intentionally released it on DVD and not to theaters. George Escobar said, "Going straight to DVD will allow church groups to become the distributor
Film distributor
A film distributor is a company or individual responsible for releasing films to the public either theatrically or for home viewing...
." The film tells the story of Caleb Hogan who tries to overturn Roe v. Wade
Roe v. Wade
Roe v. Wade, , was a controversial landmark decision by the United States Supreme Court on the issue of abortion. The Court decided that a right to privacy under the due process clause in the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution extends to a woman's decision to have an abortion,...
in a moot court
Moot court
A moot court is an extracurricular activity at many law schools in which participants take part in simulated court proceedings, usually to include drafting briefs and participating in oral argument. The term derives from Anglo Saxon times, when a moot was a gathering of prominent men in a...
championship.
Plot
Caleb Hogan (Austin Kearney) wants to transfer to Patrick Henry CollegePatrick Henry College
Patrick Henry College is a private, independent college with Evangelical Christian basis that focuses on teaching classical liberal arts and government, located in Purcellville, Virginia, United States The first college in the United States founded specifically for Christian home-schooled...
(PHC) to compete on the Moot Court
Moot court
A moot court is an extracurricular activity at many law schools in which participants take part in simulated court proceedings, usually to include drafting briefs and participating in oral argument. The term derives from Anglo Saxon times, when a moot was a gathering of prominent men in a...
team. His mother, Judith (Karen Jezek), who is a Constitutional law
Constitutional law
Constitutional law is the body of law which defines the relationship of different entities within a state, namely, the executive, the legislature and the judiciary....
yer, opposes his decision because Patrick Henry College teaches from a socially conservative
Social conservatism
Social Conservatism is primarily a political, and usually morally influenced, ideology that focuses on the preservation of what are seen as traditional values. Social conservatism is a form of authoritarianism often associated with the position that the federal government should have a greater role...
perspective. Since Caleb insists that the PHC Moot Court team will provide him with the best training for working in her law firm, Judith agrees to pay for education on the condition that he wins the Moot Court National Championship.
The Moot Court topic is soon announced as a parental notification case, weighing the daughters right to have an abortion against her parents right to know about it. Caleb believes that the team will be most successful by arguing for a small exception to the apparent "right to abortion" by showing substantial parental interests, not because he himself supports abortion but because he insists that attempting to overturn Roe v. Wade
Roe v. Wade
Roe v. Wade, , was a controversial landmark decision by the United States Supreme Court on the issue of abortion. The Court decided that a right to privacy under the due process clause in the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution extends to a woman's decision to have an abortion,...
will provoke a negative emotional response from the liberal judges. His partner, Rachel (Victoria Emmons), however, argues that they should make the case to overturn it and completely deny the right to an abortion.
Meanwhile, Judith is offered a case to argue in the Supreme Court
Supreme Court of the United States
The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest court in the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all state and federal courts, and original jurisdiction over a small range of cases...
on behalf of an abortion clinic who violated a state's parental notification laws. Against the wishes of her husband, Don (Kenny Jezek
Kenneth Jezek
-Career:Kenneth Jezek is best known for starring in the TV Soap Opera The Days of Our Lives, playing Lars Englund, in 1986 and 1987.Prior to transitioning into acting, he was a professional dancer, often touring and teaching master jazz and tap classes in the United States, Europe, and Canada...
), and her son, Caleb, Judith takes the case and asks Rachel to work as an intern at her law firm to help her prepare. As the Moot Court championship tournament draws near, Caleb is faced with a growing rift forming between his parents, an escalating argument with his debate partner and the future of his education and his family at stake.
Cast
- Austin Kearney as Caleb Hogan
- Victoria Emmons as Rachel Morton
- Kenny JezekKenneth Jezek-Career:Kenneth Jezek is best known for starring in the TV Soap Opera The Days of Our Lives, playing Lars Englund, in 1986 and 1987.Prior to transitioning into acting, he was a professional dancer, often touring and teaching master jazz and tap classes in the United States, Europe, and Canada...
as Don Hogan - Karen Jezek as Judith Hogan
- Michael Farris as himself
Production
Production of Come What May began in mid-2007. The cast and crew included many homeschooledHomeschooling
Homeschooling or homeschool is the education of children at home, typically by parents but sometimes by tutors, rather than in other formal settings of public or private school...
students, and the movie was filmed using digital high-definition video
Digital video
Digital video is a type of digital recording system that works by using a digital rather than an analog video signal.The terms camera, video camera, and camcorder are used interchangeably in this article.- History :...
in order to keep the production on a small budget. Filming locations included Purcellville
Purcellville, Virginia
Purcellville is a town in the Loudoun Valley of Loudoun County, Virginia, United States. The population was 3,584 at the 2000 census, but has undergone considerable growth since then. Purcellville is the major population center for western Loudoun and the Loudoun Valley...
, Virginia, at Patrick Henry College
Patrick Henry College
Patrick Henry College is a private, independent college with Evangelical Christian basis that focuses on teaching classical liberal arts and government, located in Purcellville, Virginia, United States The first college in the United States founded specifically for Christian home-schooled...
and Lynchburg, Virginia at Liberty University
Liberty University
Liberty University is a private Christian university located in Lynchburg, Virginia. Liberty's annual enrollment is around 72,000 students, 12,000 of whom are residential students and 60,000+ studying through Liberty University Online...
. Pickup filming and re-shoots took place in January 2008 in Purcellville and Leesburg
Leesburg, Virginia
Leesburg is a historic town in, and county seat of, Loudoun County, Virginia, United States of America. Leesburg is located west-northwest of Washington, D.C. along the base of the Catoctin Mountain and adjacent to the Potomac River. Its population according the 2010 Census is 42,616...
, Virginia. Post-production editing was performed in Tennessee, sound design was completed in Colorado Springs, Colorado
Colorado Springs, Colorado
Colorado Springs is a Home Rule Municipality that is the county seat and most populous city of El Paso County, Colorado, United States. Colorado Springs is located in South-Central Colorado, in the southern portion of the state. It is situated on Fountain Creek and is located south of the Colorado...
, and the film's marketing and distribution activities were organized in Northern Virginia. In total, over 40 students from 16 different U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
s participated in the making of Come What May.
Accolades
- 2008 Redemptive Storyteller Award by the Redemptive Film FestivalRedemptive Film FestivalRedemptive Film Festival is a film festival located in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Founded in 2006, it has been an annual event in November. It showcases films, both shorts and of feature-length, professional and students filmmakers. Entries are judged by a panel of film and television professionals...
(held at Regent UniversityRegent UniversityRegent University is a private coeducational interdenominational Christian university located in Virginia Beach, Virginia, United States. The school was founded by the American televangelist Pat Robertson in 1978 as Christian Broadcasting Network University. A satellite campus located in...
)
External links
- Come What May at WorldNetDailyWorldNetDailyWorldNetDaily is an American web site that publishes news and associated content from a U.S. conservative perspective. It was founded in May 1997 by Joseph Farah with the stated intent of "exposing wrongdoing, corruption and abuse of power" and is headquartered in Washington, D.C.-History:In...