By Mary Ann Bourbeau
Rumson resident Siobhan Fallon Hogan’s latest film, “Shelter in Solitude,” will have its world premiere Nov. 30 as the opening night feature of Kevin Smith’s inaugural SModCastle Film Festival in Atlantic Highlands.
The film is a departure for Fallon Hogan, a former “Saturday Night Live” cast member who has had memorable roles on “Seinfeld,” “30 Rock” and other comedies. Here she steps away from her comfort zone, portraying a wannabe country singer in a small town in rural Mississippi where there isn’t much besides the prison and a local bar. The film chronicles her relationship with a death row prisoner who only has 10 days left to live.
But Fallon Hogan knows her subject matter. She was raised in upstate New York, the daughter of an attorney who represented many prison inmates.
“My father told us a lot of horror stories,” she said. “I always obsessed about how awful daily life was for these prisoners. I don’t believe in the death penalty.”
Fallon Hogan says she loves country and western music and that her father encouraged her to be a country singer.
“I fancied myself a Broadway musical star,” she said. “I quickly found out I didn’t have the range. But my mother used to tell me I could really sell a song, so for the film I pretended I was a cross between Loretta Lynn and Stevie Nicks. It was a dream come true!”
Fallon Hogan studied acting at Catholic University and later honed her skills in comedy and improv. But with the changes she has seen in the world lately, she started to lean toward more serious work.
“I really wanted, at this stage, to do more important work that has a message,” she said. “The world is a bit upside down right now. I feel fortunate to not only write a film but one that has a message.”
“Shelter in Solitude” comes on the heels of Fallon Hogan’s first film, 2021’s “Rushed,” which she wrote, produced and directed. She also starred in the film as a mother out for revenge after her son dies in a fraternity hazing incident. “Rushed” was released to critical acclaim last fall and is currently available on Apple+ and Amazon.
For her second screenplay, Fallon Hogan brought back many cast and crew members from “Rushed,” including director Vibeke Muasya, producers Erin Fraser and Patrick Clifton, cinematographer Matthias Schubert and actor Robert Patrick (“Terminator 2: Judgment Day,” “Yellow- stone”). The film also stars Peter Macon (“The Orville”), Dan Castellaneta (“The Simpsons”) and two of her three children – Peter Munson Hogan, 24, also a co-producer, and Sinead Hogan, 21.
“When you work with loyal people who you know and trust, it becomes a well-oiled machine,” she said.
Fallon Hogan found the perfect filming locations in upstate New York, not far from where she was raised. Her sister, who is a lawyer, recommended an old, defunct jail in Syracuse.
“It was the creepiest place, but it was all still intact and authentic,” she said. “It was so old the doors were run by a crank system. We were warned that if we got locked in, they wouldn’t be able to get us out. But I have a friend from high school that I reconnected with at a reunion. He’s a welder, so he made two cells with doors that we could operate.”
One of the offices in the old prison doubled as the warden’s office in the film.
“It actually had a beautiful picture of the Blessed Mother,” said Fallon Hogan. “There’s a religious message that runs through my films.”
Rumson’s Kyle Ward, a 26-year-old graduate of Berklee College of Music, composed the score for “Shelter in Solitude.” Last year, he was awarded Best Score from a Home Grown Feature Film Thriller for his work on “Rushed.” Being new to country music, Ward enlisted the help of Dave Stefanic with lyrics and John Hanney on harmonica.
“I have an appreciation for country music, but it was definitely outside my normal rock vibes,” said Ward, son of The Two River Times People Page photographer. “It was challenging to try something new, which made it exciting. And I would never say no to Siobhan. She has so much experience and she’s very supportive. She had a vision and gave direction, so I just followed her lead.”
Fallon Hogan is excited to have “Shelter in Solitude” open Kevin Smith’s first SModCastle Film Festival, which runs from Nov. 30 to Dec. 4 at SModCastle Cinemas, formerly the Atlantic Movie House in Atlantic Highlands.
“I am thrilled and honored to be part of opening night at Kevin Smith’s first film festival, as Kevin paved the way for independent filmmakers and is now providing a venue for all filmmakers which Monmouth County, and all of New Jersey, will greatly benefit from,” she said.
Out of nearly 1,000 submissions, the film festival organizers have chosen 146 feature films, documentaries, shorts and animated selections from 26 countries.
“We are thrilled to showcase Siobhan Fallon Hogan’s world premiere of ‘Shelter in Solitude’ on opening night,” Smith said in a written statement. “Having an SNL vet at the first annual SModCastle Film Festival is huge for this longtime fan.”
SModCastle Cinemas is located at 82 First Ave., Atlantic Highlands. For more information, visit smodcastle.com.
The article originally appeared in the November 24 – 30, 2022 print edition of The Two River Times.
