Last year, we featured a beautiful zombie short film titled I Love Sarah Jane. If you haven’t seen it yet, check it out right now. It was screened at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival, and many regional film festivals around the world. And aside from being awesome, it is notable for featuring Mia Wasikowska, who has gone on to become Alice in Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland.

Writer/director Spencer Susser has been working in commercials and music videos , but is finally making his first feature film, an indie dramedy titled Hesher starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Rainn Wilson, and Natalie Portman. Susser has been developing Hesher for the last four years, as well as a feature film adaptation of Sarah Jane (which I hope someday gets made). The film, co-written with David Michod, tells the story of a 13 year old boy named T.J..

Along with his pill popping father (Wilson), T.J. is  forced to live with his elderly Grandmother after the tragic loss of his Mother. A young man with with a troubled past named Hesher (Levitt) assumes the role as both mentor and tormentor, leading T.J into troubles he could never have imagined. A young grocery clerk named Nicole (Portman) steps in to protect T.J from a vicious attack, and becomes the object of T.J’s fantasies. And Hesher moves into Grandma’s home, although uninvited, he is somehow accepted.

Sounds like your above average Sundance drama, but with Susser at the helm and a fantastic indie cast, how could it miss? The film begins shooting next week in Los Angeles.

source: THR