2024 Feature film

MARBLES & BULLETS

**“All wars are civil wars because all men are brothers… Each one owes infinitely more to the human race than to the particular country in which he was born.”**

Trailer

THE FILM

New Film Group, LLC presents MARBLES AND BULLETS

MARBLES AND BULLETS is a soul-searching, historical fantasy, independent feature film adventure in the likes of Mark Twain’s Huckleberry Finn, and the psychological complexity of a Tennessee Williams tale. This character-driven narrative is a well-spun traveler’s tale that tells the story of two characters who become unlikely friends. Quirky characters step into the frame to challenge and enlighten the duo and the audience. It challenges the audience to rise above what the man looks to be on the surface. The film forces difficult and current discussions into the light, in a way that focuses on growth and the potential for people to change their conditioning to be better human beings and act out of a desire to love and be loved, instead of acting in anger, hate, and fear.

MARBLES AND BULLETS takes place during the American Civil War but has a message for all time, as it tells the story of, and explores the power dynamic and relationship between the two main characters who are opposites on every level; an illiterate Caucasian Confederate soldier and a literate ten-year-old slave boy, as they wander through the woods on a journey home. The filmmaker, Richard De Witt, intended for the story to challenge audiences to rise above the dark and unrelenting history of racial culture and politics, in order to offer a point of dialogue and conversation that starts from the point of view of universal love, humanity, listening, and understanding. Our film addresses important social issues that positively affect humanity, ranging from racial justice and equity issues to the power of literacy, and the repercussions of U.S. history on today's politics and cultural challenges. We believe Marbles and Bullets is a thought-provoking and unique film that sheds light on these important topics.

THE PLOT

From the Fog of War

May 5, 1864 - The American Civil War - Battle of the Wilderness, Northern Virginia. Samuel Barnett (brilliantly portrayed by Olivier and Tony Award-winning actor, Shuler Hensley) is a war-hardened, Confederate soldier waiting for the inevitable - crossing bullets and bayonets with the Army of the Potomac.

Just as all hell is about to break loose, Samuel spots Jeremiah (performed in his film debut by the wonderfully talented, Bijou Rising Star Ace Award-winning actor and musician, Christopher-Lawson Palmer), a ten-year-old slave boy wandering through the woods right into the killing zone.

As the battle erupts, Samuel makes the fateful decision to charge through the hellfire for Jeremiah. As the smoke clears, he realizes how close to death he's come, and soon starts to question his war-torn life and Confederate convictions. Jeremiah challenges the stubborn soldier's beliefs leading him on an otherworldy journey home through a parallel wilderness.