Hemet, or the Landlady Don't Drink Tea

Last updated
Hemet, or the Landlady Don't Drink Tea
Hemet, or the Landlady Don't Drink Tea.jpg
Poster
Directed by Tony Olmos
Written by Brian Patrick Butler
Produced byTony Olmos
Starring
Cinematography Justin Burquist
Edited byBrian Patrick Butler
Music byAnton Elms
Production
companies
  • Charybdis Pictures
  • Rosewood Five
  • Irontree Entertainment
Release dates
Running time
89 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Hemet, or the Landlady Don't Drink Tea is a 2023 American satirical dark comedy film directed by Tony Olmos and written by Brian Patrick Butler. It stars Butler, Kimberly Weinberger, Aimee La Joie, Randy Davison, Merrick McCartha and Nick Young.

Contents

The film is a dystopian horror story set in Riverside County, California but was filmed in San Diego County. Hemet premiered during San Diego Film Week at Digital Gym Cinema where it was nominated for Best Dark Comedy. Butler later received nominations for acting, screenplay, and editing at the 13th Oceanside International Film Festival.

Plot

During an epidemic, tenants in Hemet, California grapple with each other while attempting to overthrow their fascistic landlord.

Cast

Production

Brian Patrick Butler came up with the idea in 2018 [1] and principal photography occurred in 2021 in San Diego County, California. [2] [3] He said by the time he was finishing the script, at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, he had "much more material to work with" [1] than when he'd started, referring to the state of the world. [4] [5] Kimberly Weinberger, who played Rosie, attended college with Butler. [1] Aimee La Joie and Nick Young also worked with Butler on previous film productions. [4] [6]

Butler was the film's executive producer [1] through his production company Charybdis Pictures. [2] Justin Burquist signed on as the director of photography [7] and Tony Olmos as director. Olmos' company Rosewood Five produced the film in association with Rob Padilla Jr. of Irontree Entertainment. [2] Exterior scenes were filmed in Ramona, California [1] and interior shots in Olmos' La Jolla apartment. [8] Olmos said it is a political film about "abuse of power and how power corrupts people and can turn neighbor against neighbor." [8]

Release

The film premiered on November 18, 2023 at the Digital Gym Cinema [2] as part of San Diego Film Week [1] [9] and screened at the 13th Oceanside International Film Festival on February 24, 2024. [3] [7] [10] [11]

Reception

Critical response

Anton Bitel at Projected Figures said "Tony Olmos’ crude dystopian satire pits desperate tenants against a Trumpian lessor – and each other." [12] Brian Fanelli at 1428 Elm said the film has slasher elements, "heart, grit, laughs, and bloodshed" and is "for those who like something truly strange and unusual." [11] Stuart Monroe at Get On My Damn Level said the film is 3.5 out of 5 and "one mean mother of an absurdly surrealistic fairy tale." [13] Charlotte Spark at Morbidly Beautiful gave the film 3.5 out of 5, comparing it to Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome , stating "it didn’t fully resonate," but had "strong performances and quite a few laughs." [14] Eddie Harrison at film-authority scored the film 3 out of 5 and said it is a gore film that is "a biting, scabrous, no-holds barred satire that aims to take down the American/capitalist dream in bloody, unpleasant fashion." [6]

Clotilde Chinnici at Loud and Clear Reviews praised Weinberger's performance and gave the film 2.5 out of 5, claiming that the film had "tense atmosphere" but that it was forgettable and "could have landed a lot better if its characters had been explored more." [15] Ryan Devir at Film Threat said it matched the tone of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 with "solid gore and impressive kills," but criticized the characters, dialogue and humor, scoring it 3.5 out of 10. [16]

Accolades

FestivalYearAwardRecipientResultRef.
San Diego Film Week2023Best Dark Comedy Feature FilmHemet, or the Landlady Don't Drink TeaNominated [17]
Oceanside International Film Festival 2024 Best Editing in a Feature Brian Patrick Butler Nominated [4] [5]
Best Screenplay (Feature)Nominated
Best Actor in a Lead RoleNominated

See also

Related Research Articles

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Nickolas Ray Young is an American actor who appeared in the films Friend of the World (2020) and Hemet, or the Landlady Don't Drink Tea (2023), television movies El Diablo (1990) and Geronimo (1993), and OnStage Playhouse's productions of The Diary of Anne Frank (2011) and The Other Place (2022). Young began working on television in Arizona throughout the late 1980s and early 1990s before moving to San Diego County for film and theater work in the 2010s.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Justin Burquist</span> American filmmaker

Justin Burquist is an American filmmaker and music video director who directed the films Broken Knuckles (2013), Touch (2022), and was the cinematographer for the films Hemet, or the Landlady Don't Drink Tea (2023) and Pulp Friction (2021). Burquist's films have won awards at Oceanside International Film Festival and Berlin Short Film Festival.

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Elling, Regina (2023-11-16). "Filming of indie thriller 'Hemet, or the Landlady Don't Drink Tea,' in Ramona was a family affair". Ramona Sentinel . Retrieved 2023-11-19.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Brewer, Mac (2023-11-15). "Charybdis Pictures Releases Trailer for Horror Comedy 'HEMET' Ahead of Premiere". Horror Society. Retrieved 2023-11-19.
  3. 1 2 Ashcraft, Anna (2024-01-13). "These San Diego films will be featured in 2024 Oceanside Film Festival". KSWB-TV . Archived from the original on 2024-01-13. Retrieved 2024-01-13.
  4. 1 2 3 Gallant, Julie (2024-02-20). "Poway actress stars in dark comedy showing at Oceanside International Film Festival". Poway News Chieftain . Retrieved 2024-02-25.
  5. 1 2 Brewer, Mac (2024-02-20). "Dystopian Horror Satire, HEMET To Close Oceanside International Film Festival". Horror Society. Retrieved 2024-02-26.
  6. 1 2 Harrison, Eddie (2024-02-22). "Hemet, or the Landlady Don't Drink Tea". film-authority. Retrieved 2024-02-25.
  7. 1 2 Bazarte, Karina (2024-02-02). "Imperial Valley native to screen film at an international film festival". KECY-TV . Archived from the original on 2024-02-03. Retrieved 2024-02-13.
  8. 1 2 Mackin-Solomon, Ashley (2024-01-14). "'Good type of cringey': La Jolla filmmaker to screen latest creation at Oceanside International Film Festival". La Jolla Light . Archived from the original on 2024-01-24. Retrieved 2024-01-25.
  9. ↑ "Hemet, or the Landlady Don't Drink Tea - Saturday, November 18, 2023, 2 p.m. to 4 p.m." San Diego Reader . 2023-11-18. Retrieved 2023-11-19.
  10. ↑ Burnham, Christine (2024-01-25). "Screening Soon At The Oceanside International Film Festival: 'Hemet, Or The Landlady Don't Drink Tea'". PopHorror. Archived from the original on 2024-01-25. Retrieved 2024-01-25.
  11. 1 2 Fanelli, Brian (2024-01-25). "Hemet, or the Landlady Don't Drink Tea: Beware the killer landlady". 1428 Elm. Archived from the original on 2024-01-25. Retrieved 2024-01-25.
  12. ↑ Bitel, Anton (2024-01-24). "Hemet, Or The Landlady Don't Drink Tea (2023)". Projected Figures. Archived from the original on 2024-01-24. Retrieved 2024-01-25.
  13. ↑ Monroe, Stuart (2024-03-03). "Movie Review: "Hemet, or The Landlady Don't Drink Tea" (2024)". Get On My Damn Level!!. Retrieved 2024-03-10.
  14. ↑ Spark, Charlotte (2024-03-28). "Reel Review: Hemet, Or The Landlady Don't Drink Tea". Morbidly Beautiful. Retrieved 2024-03-29.
  15. ↑ Chinnici, Clotilde (2024-02-24). "Hemet, or the Landlady Don't Drink Tea Review". Loud And Clear Reviews. Retrieved 2024-02-25.
  16. ↑ Devir, Ryan (2024-03-27). "Hemet, or the Landlady Don't Drink Tea Featured, Reviews Film Threat". Film Threat . Retrieved 2024-03-29.
  17. ↑ "2023 San Diego Film Week Award Nominations". 2023 San Diego Film Week. Retrieved 2024-01-26.
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