Little Chenier
| Little Chenier: A Cajun Story | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Bethany Ashton |
| Written by |
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| Produced by |
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| Starring | |
| Edited by | Brian Anton |
| Music by | Michael Picton |
| Distributed by | Radio London Films |
Release dates |
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Running time | 120 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $6 million |
| Box office | $87,939[1] |
Little Chenier is a 2006 American drama film directed by Bethany Ashton and written by Jace Johnson and Ashton. It is set in the bayous of Louisiana, and stars Johnathon Schaech, Frederick Koehler, Tamara Braun, Jeremy Davidson, Clifton Collins Jr., and Chris Mulkey. The film completed production in 2006 but had difficulty finding a distributor despite generally positive reviews from a number of film festivals.[citation needed] It premiered at the Austin Film Festival on October 20, 2006 and was released January 18, 2008. Radio London Films released it on DVD on July 8, 2008.
Plot
Two brothers are victimized by a weak and jealous man in this drama shot on location in Louisiana. Beauxregard 'Beaux' Dupuis (Jonathan Schaech) lives in the swamps of Cajun country on a small stretch of land called Little Chenier with his younger mentally handicapped brother, Pemon (Fred Koehler). Beaux supports them both by running a bait shop. Beaux is in love with Mary-Louise (Tamara Braun), who has left him to elope with the son of the sheriff, Carl. Neither Carl nor Beaux are fond of each other. Carl also enjoys tormenting Pemon. It is revealed that Mary-Louise left Beaux for Carl when Carl threatened to take her family's property away. When Carl's father is killed in the line of duty, his son takes his place; it isn't long before Carl learns Mary-Louise has been having an affair with Beaux, and he uses his new authority to put Pemon behind bars on false change as a way of punishing Beaux.
Main cast
- Johnathon Schaech as Beauxregard 'Beaux' Dupuis
- Frederick Koehler as Pemon Dupuis
- Tamara Braun as Marie-Louise LeBauve
- Jeremy Davidson as Carl LeBauve
- Clifton Collins Jr. as T-Boy Trahan
- Chris Mulkey as Sheriff Kline LeBauve
Hurricane Rita
Three weeks after Hurricane Katrina hit Louisiana, Hurricane Rita hit the Little Chenier the actual place of most filming and the various parishes used for filming. Virtually all of the sets and locations used in the film were destroyed, leaving many locals homeless. The film is believed to be the only known footage of the area. Bethany Ashton and her family set up a non-profit organization called Rita Remembered to rebuild the communities and help those in need, who were largely left out of the eventual help offered to victims of Katrina. The charity is unique in that Ashton and the fellow creators invite people to correspond directly with them to find out exactly how their contributions were used.
Reviews
- Patrick Sweeney, The Tempe Emerald Review (2007)
- Price Savoie, Austin Texan Review (October 2006)
- Betsy Tyson, Screen Spotlight (October 2006)