This film is for anyone struggling to figure out who they’re meant to be, amid a present that feels so peculiar and a future that seems unclear.

As a native New Jerseyan, I hope this film can portray the Jersey shore closer to its true nature, further from the reality show version and closer to something Springsteen might sing about; not idealized or separated from reality, but with the worn edges, imperfections, and the nostalgia most New Jerseyan’s know comes with it.

At the time I started to write this film, I was very uncertain whether my life was headed in the direction I wanted it to be. I hadn’t directed anything in three years, and had spent the majority of my time working day jobs in production. Quite simply, I felt stuck.

I was finishing up a job as an Office PA on a feature film, when my boss walked in with a few cans of unwanted 35mm. He asked if anyone could use them and I took it as a sign that it was time to make something. When my DP, Steve Russell, was able to get his hands on some more stock, it seemed like shooting on 35mm was something we might actually be able to do. 

With a New York/New Jersey based cast and a crew of mostly recent NYU grads, we took a few vans down to Point Pleasant Beach, NJ in late August of 2018. Shot for two days that weekend with about an hour’s worth of film. And have spent the better part of the last year in post. Hoping to micmic the scale of a feature film on a budget we could afford and bring the nostalgia of the shore to life.

At its core, I hope this film resonates with those figuring out their place in the world. Who they’re meant to be. What direction they should be heading. We live in extremely strange times, and the future feels foggier than ever, which does not make the search easy but makes it all the more necessary.

So come down the shore with us, let’s see what we find..

— Mike Sheptock, director/writer/producer