HIDE

In the deep dark chambers of a green forest on the West Coast of the USA there stood tall vertical trees reaching towards the sky. The dank smell of a nearby pond filled the air with its aroma. There stood a wooden weather worn shack, small but large enough to accommodate its occupant, the unsightly Jekyll. His skin was moist with the dew, yet wrinkled. Part of his face was missing. He was frightening in appearance. His years on earth revealed his elderly state, old and withered. How did he come to be this way? Originally from the East Coast during his youth he became involved in an underground activist group of thirty members. Their quest was to make the world a better place. They felt that the world was kind of messed up. They tried many ways to get positive recognition but soon came to their own conclusion that violence is what captures attention. Unfortunately they planted a bomb under his guidance and the result was an explosion which left Jekyll badly marred for life. He was betrayed by the group's leaders. His physical state left him resentful and vengeful. He re-located to the West Coast to get away. Disfigured, he hid himself away as a hermit in the woods and used survival skills. Jekyll was mysterious and gradually became a sociopath and tumor to society. He will face the consequence of his actions.

Nearby was an isolated small town where a youngster who was fourteen years of age named Joey happened to meet Jekyll in a general store. Joey was blond and attractive in appearance. The old man mysteriously told Joey"I know what you did." Joey sensed something unusual about this old man. It seemed that Jekyll had some kind of psychic powers. Unbeknownst to anyone else, Joey had committed some crimes. Somehow he had managed to hide that side of his personality even from his abusive single mom, Helen, who was also blond, or his friend Natalie whose hair was brown of medium length.

In spite of Joey's questionable activities he wanted himself and things to be better. Unfortunately he had been bullied when he was even younger and became a misfit. He has a hunger for getting power and becoming a real "man". Both he and Jekyll are wanting to fight for fairness. He falls into Jekyll's hands however which misguide him. The more times he meets with Jekyll, the more serious mistakes Joey has made "accidentally".

Somehow Jekyll became increasingly involved in Joey's life, manipulated him and took over Joey's consciousness.

About the Project Behind the Scenes

Chris Bixi Li who conceived this film project has collaborated with Ruijia Wang and Jiaqing Vincent Ge. The film is currently in post production and expected to make its debut 2023. Along the way although there have been challenges, the project has maintained its mobility. The first major hurdle was dealing with the worldwide Pandemic which basically froze everything in its path. Masks became part of the wardrobe hiding everyone's presence. So many of the photographs during that time are actually hiding the participants. Interesting that the title of the project is HIDE.

Production depended on everyone's availability so the production worked around everyone's schedules. That factor slowed progress a bit.

Major decisions had to be made. One consideration was out of state production. However it is more difficult to control the production costs as well as unexpected expenses which can be incurred. That could also impact control of the quality of the film since it costs more to produce out of state.

Staying in L.A. also has proved to be a benefit since there are more personal contacts available. Although this film is a labor of love, favors available or exchanged were a plus.

About the Actors

Jason Hahn drove up from Idaho. He is blond, attractive and fourteen years of age and is playing the role of Joey Price. This is his film debut. Eric Ross Gilliatt, a dramatic actor of film, stage and screen, is from the Ukraine and plays the role of Jekyll. His experience spans 30 years. He has been through a lot of experiences because he had to flee from the Ukraine to Poland. Eric's role as Jekyll also involves sitting for a minimum of 2 hours for makeup to show disfigurement and at least 45 minutes for make-up removal.

Credits

Title: HIDE

Writer, Producer, Director: Chris Bixi Li

Script Consultant: Travis Seppala

Producer: Ruijia Wang 1st Assistant Director and Co-Producer: Jiaqing "Vincent" Ge

Genre: thriller, crime, drama • Tone: dark, mysterious, suspenseful, sullen

Length: around 93 minutes

Project Status: post-production

Stars: Eric Ross Gilliatt as Jekyll, Jason Hahn as Joey Price, Fay Gauthier as Helen, Josie Hull as Natalie

Additional Cast: Jackson Ark, Dexter Farren Haag, Clayton Gorman, Prince Udeh, Justin Stapleton, Dean Simone

Director of Photography: Evan Butka,

Photographers: Tiancong Zheng, Yuxi Liang

Rating: R