Logline
Working undercover to expose a corrupt judge, an investigative journalist confronts his secret past while attempting to reconcile his mother's mental illness and must choose between addiction and obsession and the past, or love and redemption and the future.
Synopsis
Samuel Grievess — a rising investigative journalist now demoted to covering the gossip column — is a high-functioning addict who finds himself at a crossroads dealing with cascading mental health issues, childhood traumas, a failing career, and the pressures of starting a family.
When he receives a secret tip that Judge Joy, from his damaged past, is suspected of deviant sexual acts within the juvenile court system, church, and community, Samuel goes undercover and rogue, returning to his old neighborhood.
He follows the judge’s ongoing trail of criminal behavior with the hopes of proving himself professionally and filling the internal void he experienced as a boy when his mother Leah was institutionalized for schizophrenia and delusional identity. His mother’s abandonment plus a gnawing sense of isolation and a wavering faith haunts Samuel’s path to redemption — echoing through the tensions in his loving present-day relationships with his childhood sweetheart, now wife Tristan, his brother Peter, and his boss Edward Clayborn, as his once compartmentalized life cracks wide open from his growing obsession to administer not only justice but, also, vengeance. These tensions build to a frenzied crescendo that’s beyond the rush and, possibly, beyond repair…
Robert Sayegh's Statement
Director, Writer, Producer, Executive Producer, and Music Supervisor
THE WHY
Making this film has spanned 33 years for me — basically a lifetime. From a short story written in 1992 during my senior year of high school, to a short film that won awards in 2017, to the screenplay that has evolved into casting for a feature film, this project has become much more than a tale of fiction, it has become my journey.
At 18 years old, who knew that I would come to understand this main character, Samuel Grievess, so much that he has basically morphed into a mouthpiece through which I speak? I fell in love with a heroin/opiate addict in 2016, lived through her brutal murder in early 2017, and then faced my own alcoholism that had spiraled so far down a rabbit hole I never thought I’d come out. BEYOND THE RUSH is now more than a screenplay title, it's the metaphor of my life.
THE STORY
I took my original 1992 story of a drug addict obsessed with killing his boss and evolved it into a short screenplay that delved deeply into the psyche of a mentally ill addict whose love for his mother trumps everything. Now, in developing the feature, I've dug even deeper to expose the main character’s early family life with the objective of illustrating that who and what we become later in adulthood, especially our inner demons, are deeply rooted in our past.
THE INTENTION
The intention of this movie is to take the audience on a dark, authentic journey with a complex, sympathetic main character, that although troubled, is relatable, loves his childhood sweetheart more than himself, and who the audience can cheer for. He's an underdog like most of us who battle life against all odds, and sometimes triumph, even if the world's definition of that word doesn’t fit its narrative.
I believe that everyone will see a little bit of themselves in Samuel — and, if not in him, then definitely in one of the powerful supporting characters within this film: the people surrounding a loved one who has not, or cannot, control their demons.
THE SUBSTANCE
Besides being a social commentary about the drug addiction epidemic (heroin and opiates in particular) that's tearing families apart daily, and the damage they cause, this story tackles two other controversial but extremely important issues challenging our society today: mental illness and sexual abuse, and the fact that mental illness often goes undiagnosed, manifesting into an uncontrollable disease and leaving those
afflicted by it so sick that they become untreatable. With recent, first-hand experience with two of these three issues, I'm able to represent the subject matter honestly, authentically and realistically within the context of the story and its characters.
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Jayce Bartok's Statement
Producer, Actor - Teddy
Great storytelling creates a suspended reality, one where we become so engrossed in a character’s journey that the plot twists and turns impact us on a visceral level. My passion for this film is based in my love for character-driven psychological thrillers, the collaborative strength of this incredible team, and my older brother’s tragic death from alcoholism.
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Because Robert shares with me this passion, and similar painful life experiences, I knew immediately I wanted to be involved in bringing this story to the masses. Rob, as writer, has transformed his initial vision into a highly compelling and suspenseful narrative. With inspirational, multitalented Director Gretl Claggett, edgy, accomplished Cinematographer Valentina Caniglia and a veteran team who believe in Rob 100%, I know we’re ready to bring BEYOND THE RUSH to fruition, and I can’t wait to share this story with audiences around the world.
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Robert also has a guttural love for music and is building a phenomenal soundtrack for the movie — already securing the song, A Long Time Ago, written and performed by Barry Gibb (Bee Gees) and legendary Australian talent, April Byron. The music will undoubtably help to engage the viewers as they take an incredible journey with the main character through his complicated and sometimes tragic life to an almost unbelievably breathtaking, yet realistic future of hope and redemption.
While Robert’s creative passion for this project is obviously unmatched, less evident but perhaps even more appealing to me as Producer, is his business acumen. His innovative ideas for packaging, creative distribution strategies, marketing genius and loyal connections built over 25 years within the industry are impressive. This gives me enormous confidence that Robert and our talented team will make this movie more than just an arthouse piece, but a powerful film that, although dark and uncomfortable at times, will appeal to the masses.
