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The film Delia’s Gone, based on the short story Caged Bird Sing by Michael Hamblin, follows an intellectually-disabled man wrongly accused of killing his sister who sets out to find her real killer. To adapt Hamblin’s story, Budreau maintained many elements that spoke to him but also added to it to make it even more compelling.
I had the chance to speak to Budreau, who was on set for his next project, about making this film during the pandemic and casting Marisa Tomei in an unexpected role.
He also discussed the relevance of seeing the film in theaters or at home and similarities between this and his previous film, Stockholm.
You can watch the video above, and read below for an official summary and where to watch.
Film summary:
Delia’s Gone follows Louis (Stephen James), who has an intellectual disability and lives with his older sister Delia (Genelle Williams) amidst her struggles with addiction following their father’s death. After a night of drinking, Delia’s truck is found abandoned at a bar, drawing suspicion from the local sheriff (Marisa Tomei) who soon discovers she’s been killed. All evidence points to Louis who, pressured by police, pleads guilty and is sentenced to five years in prison for his sister’s murder.
Upon release, Louis is confined to a home care facility where he is visited by Stacker (Travis Fimmel), one of the men to last see Delia alive, who implies that there is more to her death than meets the eye. Armed with this new information, Louis escapes the facility on a personal mission to find who is responsible for Delia’s mysterious death.
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Delia’s Gone premieres in theaters nationwide and on demand on Friday, August 19th.