Most call it generational trauma, but I call it the old case of the “sins of the father.” Generation Well explores the cycles of addiction and dysfunction passed from parent to child, and whether they can ever be broken. Carly Tatiana Pandza delivers a powerful turn as Stevie on her road to redemption.
Stevie (Carly Pandza) finds herself in the back of a police car, fixated on the arresting officer, Thomas Hernandez (Corey Landis), who bears a striking resemblance to her absent father. Processed and placed in a cell, she is bailed out by her husband, Gale (Mario Silva), who reminds Stevie he will leave if she relapses…which he does. Having been under the influence during her arrest, Stevie realizes she needs to turn things around if not for herself, but for her unborn child. A bit obsessed with Officer Hernandez, Stevie secretly researches the officer’s social media accounts. Her search leads her to a sports complex, where she watches him coach a girls’ soccer league. When Hernandez recognizes her from across the field, she panics and drives away.
Back at home, Stevie’s mother, Anne (Maha Rizk), visits, bringing gifts for Stevie’s baby and urging her to be a good parent. While showing her a photo, it only solidifies in her mind that he looks exactly like her father, Robert (Corey Landis). Her mother’s plea prompts Stevie to visit Robert, who is also battling addiction. This revelation deepens her obsession, as she connects her struggles with her family’s troubled past.
Carly Tatiana Pandza as Stevie in Generation Well.
“Fixated on the arresting officer…who bears a striking resemblance to her absent father.”
Most call it generational trauma, but I call it the old case of the “sins of the father.” Generation Well shines a spotlight on the cycles families go through from generation to generation, passing on our shortcomings and addictions to our children and then to our children’s children. Can we ever break the cycle?
Writer/director Jack Serra then speaks to the idea of the finality of death. Losing a parent and then finding someone who looks like them serves as a surrogate for closure. Carly Pandza gives a stirring performance as Stevie. Pandza walks us down the road from shame to redemption, and we feel each footstep.
Generation Well explores the cycles of addiction and dysfunction passed from parent to child, and whether they can ever be broken. In the end, it’s a story about finding the strength to stop the past from defining the future.
"…can we ever break the cycle?"
