Hollywood actor/producer Corbin Bernsen who shot movie scenes in Ceres and Turlock in July 2017, indicated that the film has not yet been released because of problems with faith-based film distribution companies.
Bernsen directed, starred and produced his movie, “Life With Dog,” a film with a decidedly faith based theme. Bernsen and actress Marilu Henner were in Ceres in July 2017 to film scenes at the intersection of Kay and Magnolia streets where Henner’s character is fatally struck in a bicycle crash. Filming also took place at the Ceres Police Department headquarters. Most of the movie was shot, however, inside and outside a quaint older home on Columbia Street in Turlock on the campus of Westside Ministries.
On July 22, Bernsen indicated on his Facebook page that he is running into difficulties. He made the post from Georgia where he is filming a family movie titled, “When We Last Spoke.”
“The most recent film I wrote, directed and acted in called ‘Life With Dog’ had several great suitors for distribution,” wrote Bernsen. “I made some choices and then suddenly reversals on what were essential promised terms of a deal to release it – from faith based companies! It has created turmoil for me regarding the film and having to – after many weeks of hard work to best determine the path for this film – retool, regroup and return to the minefield of distribution…”
Bernsen said he loves his film – one he called a “continuation and even perhaps my greatest perspective on faith since ‘Rust’ ” – but also said it’s being “subjected to ‘big bad business as usual.’” “…It’s just getting so hard to get a film made and sold,” posted Bernsen who noted that the development has made him “EXTREMELY ANGRY” – in all caps.
“… My path may have to make a turn, find and alternate route, not away from, but toward a stronger path to reveal His light and what I believe is my course, my own journey of faith.”
In his latest post Bernsen had one additional thought that may have been targeted to the companies he’s involved with: “I’ve NEVER thought I’m the one to stick God in your face and say, here He is. I don’t preach to the choir. I don’t make ‘come to Jesus’ movies. Not my job. My path has been to explore, question, doubt, seek truth. It has been to crack the door and light a single match in a dark world and break that darkness, if only just beyond the extreme edges of complete blindness so that He may begin to reveal himself. Not me, but God reveals Himself to all of us! In a way He wants us each know Him individually.”
He apologized for his “rambling” and said his new personal task is to “figure out how to get ‘Life With Dog,’ a film that I care about deeply into your hands, on your screens, into you (sic) home theaters, laptops, phones...”
Last year in an interview with the Courier, Bernsen said he wrote the faith-based script but tried to steer clear of making it a corny Christian film.
“There are certain elements of faith in all religions and those basic elements are love and compassion, mercy, grace, forgiveness – all of those things,” said Bernsen in 2017. “This movie deals with forgiveness. I identify as Christian, that’s my faith and there’s certain elements in there, whether it’s a cross or references to Jesus. God is somewhat universal so yeah, they’re faith-based movies but they’re human stories and stories of forgiveness.”
In the movie, the run-down Turlock house is the centerpiece of a development battle as it is being crowded by newer housing. Joe, Bernsen’s character in the film, is convinced that his wife was intentionally run down by someone in the development community to get him to sell out and move. He said the concept was based on a real-life story of an arson fire used to burn out a stubborn property owner. In the end, surmised Bernsen, it was “really the man’s paranoia.”
A trailer to the film is available for viewing online at http://hometheaterfilms.com/lifewithdog/
