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Somewhere between reality and despair … there’s hope.
N/A
103 min
Jo Stock, an African American woman of a certain age is faced with a decision that could uproot her life at a time when it’s uncomfortable to change. As an aging actress living off her past success, she’s forced to examine her choices in life and the importance of family versus fame when her sister, Lynnie gets sick in this story about having the courage to change your life.
The Addiction of Hope, starring Anne-Marie Johnson, is a story about choices. Anne-Marie's character, Jo Stock, is an aging out of work actress drowning in an industry that tends to overlook women past the age of 30. The film highlights the idea that women in Hollywood are viewed as a perishable commodity rather than being appreciated for the artists that they are. In the midst of this bludgeoned horse of lessons Jo's family carries onward in the peripheral of Jo's life until Jo's sister, Lynnie (Harley Jane Kozak), gets sick with cancer. Jo finds herself traveling from the bustling city of LA to visit her sister Lynnie in the serenity of North Western Washington State. As Jo reconnects with her sister and two nephews, they find unresolved conflict which opens a series of family wounds that need healing, resulting in Jo having no choice but to sort through her own trauma as an adoptee. She finds that there is still the possibility of a life that offers something more akin to her original aspirations.
I definitely feel that The Addiction of Hope would be perfect for the Lifetime network, as it hits all the right spots. The characters all felt real, which made suspending disbelief effortless, the entire cast did a fantastic job of making me care about them. It was exciting to see Whatcom County throughout the story, and what an absolute BOON when a surprise Clancy Brown appeared!
Ultimately the message that The Addiction of Hope presents to the viewer is to not let life pass you by as you dream about the life you want, that it's okay to change your mind, (that as scary as it may seem) the passage of time is inevitable but it's never too late, and that love is the true blessing.
