GIMME SHELTER, the indie film starring Vanessa Hudgens will be released in theaters in the U.S. on January 24, 2014. In obviously an effort to distance herself from her Disney roots, Vanessa with shorter hair, tom boy clothes and multiple piercings including a lip ring, plays a pregnant teenager who flees her abusing mother.  GIMME SHELTER is written, directed and produced by Ron Krauss, and also stars Brendan Fraser, Rosario Dawson and James Earl Jones. 

Based on a true story centering on 16-year-old Agnes “Apple” Bailey (Vanessa Hudgens), GIMME SHELTER uncovers the struggle for survival and the hope of redemption through the harsh realities of life on the streets. As a pregnant teenager, Apple’s journey plummets her into a perilous struggle until finding salvation in a suburban shelter for homeless teens. With provisions of unprecedented comfort, a collective sisterhood connection and female empowerment, the shelter inspires Apple to break the shackles of her past and inspires her to embrace the future with clarity, maturity and hope not only for herself but her unborn child.

To prepare for the role, Hudgens reportedly lived for weeks in pregnancy shelters, interacting with the young, homeless mothers who also appear in the film, completely altering her appearance unrecognizable.

The film is inspired by a David and Goliath true story of Kathy DiFiore’s longstanding Several Sources Shelters. Kathy is played in the film by Ann Dowd. Kathy worked hand-in-hand with Mother Teresa in an effort to change the shelter laws in New Jersey.

 http://youtu.be/MrNdGUFZ6RY