Director, Patrick Wang

Rachel Dratch, Wendy Moniz and Trevor St. John are among the cast members set for the upcoming feature film THE GRIEF OF OTHERS.  THE GRIEF OF OTHERS is the sophomore film from Patrick Wang whose first film is the critically acclaimed IN THE FAMILY, which he wrote and directed.  Based on the acclaimed novel by Leah Hager Cohen (New York Times notable book, finalist for the Dayton Literary Peace Prize), the film is set to commence production in April 2014 in Nyack, New York.  

In addition to Rachel Dratch (Saturday Night Live), Wendy Moniz (Betrayal, The Guardian), and Trevor St. John (One Life to Live, In the Family), additional key cast members include Oona Laurence, who won a Tony Award for her role as Matilda in Matilda the Musical, Jeremy Shinder who appeared in the international tour of The Addams Family, Sonya Harum who appeared in Gossip Girl and Blue Bloods, and Mike Faist who appeared on Broadway in Newsies.

THE GRIEF OF OTHERS follows the family of Ricky and John Ryrie who suffer a devastating loss: the death of a baby just fifty-seven hours after his birth. Without words to express their grief, the parents try to return to their previous lives and struggle to regain a semblance of normalcy for themselves and their two children Paul and Biscuit.  Yet in the aftermath of the baby’s death, long-suppressed uncertainties about their relationship come roiling to the surface and a dreadful secret emerges with reverberations that reach far into their past and threaten their future.

Trevor St. John plays John Ryrie, Wendy Moniz plays Ricky Ryrie, and Oona Laurence and Jeremy Shinder play their children Biscuit and Paul.  Sonya Harum appears as Jessica Safransky and Mike Faist plays Gordie Joiner.  In a dramatic turn, Rachel Dratch appears as Madeleine Berkowitz, a colleague of John’s.

“We could not be more thrilled to secure the strong cast that this project deserves,” commented director Patrick Wang.  “Leah Hager Cohen’s novel is a powerful story of how unexpected generosity and human connections help us navigate loss and grief. The tremendous talent and sensitivities of this cast will breathe life into these characters on the screen with the same gorgeous detail we find on the page.”