"...Obliquely powerful."

Kelly DeVine, Independent Film Channel

"...Beautifully sad."

Heather Svokos, Lexington Herald-Leader

"...Good stuff indeed. Robertson is a street poet who clearly has walked the sad, dark alleyways of the human soul. This is one motherfucker of a film. However, we don't get the shriner thing at all."

Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, Filmmakers

Weeping Shriner

A Short Film

Written & Directed

by

William Preston Robertson

Welcome to the official website for the short film Weeping Shriner, A Bald Guy With a Dent In His Head Production, written & directed by William Preston Robertson and produced by Karen Severin.

Weeping Shriner is a dark, absurdist tale about a handsome, emotionally repressed lounge pianist grieving for his AIDS-ravaged partner who becomes burdened one night with an elderly shriner in the throes of a mysterious and uncontrollable crying jag. Part Edward Hopper, part Samuel Beckett, and part Laurel & Hardy, Weeping Shriner is a subtle, ironic and haunting "comedy about depression."

Weeping Shriner was shot on 16mm and runs approximately 16 minutes in length. It stars Geoffrey Lower (Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman, Johnny Skidmarks) and Bob Larkin (Next Stop Wonderland, Putney Swope), and features supporting performances by Jason Adams, Tom Finnegan, Lori Heuring and Ken Sawyer. The film's rich, shadow-filled cinematography is by William Mackenzie-Smith. Its moody, Ravel-inspired piano score is by Nic tenBroek & Brad Segal. The Art Deco production design is by Betty Berberian. The film was edited by Tricia Cooke and storyboarded by J. Todd Anderson.

Weeping Shriner is currently being broadcast on the Independent Film Channel as part of their Shorts program rotation. Be sure to watch for it!

For Windows users with broadband capabilities, Weeping Shriner can be streamed for free and in its entirety at the online film site CinemaNow.com.

"Nothing is funnier than unhappiness." --Samuel Beckett