Director Karl Ryan Erikson presents us with the trailer for his new short WW2 film “Addle Strife”
Addle Strife is a fictional short film that highlights the terrible uncertainties of war, and asks both its characters and its audience “what would you do?”
Written and directed by Karl Ryan Erikson, the film follows Carmanski and Nealson, two US paratroopers tracking down an injured German soldier after a lapse in Nealson’s judgment botches an American ambush. It’s a story of revenge and redemption as the two men must pursue their enemy through the French countryside to avenge their fallen brothers in arms.
The chase leads them to a final standoff outside a timeworn farmhouse. As atonement for his fatal mistakes, Nealson acts as a decoy to lure the German out of hiding. It’s through this heartbreaking choice that the men learn that victory comes at a price.
Though Addle Strife is a work of fiction, it comes from a very real place. It was born from countless conversations with friends and family who currently serve, or have served in the military. This isn’t just one man’s story, but it represents a constant theme that was present time and again in our conversations with veterans. To those who have protected, and currently work to protect our freedom and liberties, we offer you our sincerest thanks.
We began preproduction for the project in winter of 2016. We knew we had a lot to prepare, but my biggest concern was finding the right location. I had no idea how we could make New Jersey look like a French countryside. Luckily, there is a working buffalo farm just a few miles from my home, and it was perfect. The owners of the farm were incredibly supportive and very receptive to what we asked of them.
The rest of preproduction seemed to fall right into place; it felt too good to be true. To an extent, it was. The weather proved to be a huge obstacle as our shoot date approached. The forecast predicted a massive storm for the final day of our shoot, and as we had only planned to shoot over a single weekend, this could have been devastating. However, the storm came and went, and we were able to capture all of the footage we needed through the hard work and dedication of our cast and crew.
– Karl Ryan Erikson
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