'Doula' coming to all major digital platforms
Jul. 6—Cheryl Nichols and Arron Shiver are used to collaboration.
The filmmakers not only work together on projects, they are partners in life as well.
The Taos residents are also basking in the joy of having their movie "Doula," out to audiences. Nichols is at the helm as director, meanwhile Shiver not only wrote the script, but acts in the film as well.
"It's been an interesting journey for us," Shiver says. "We have a dear friend who we pitched this film to a few years ago. I had a little experience because I had a child 20 years ago. It felt like a story that hadn't been done before."
"Doula" tells the story of Deb, played by Troian Bellisario.
After dating for a matter of months, 30-somethings Deb and Silvio, played by Shiver, are expecting their first child.
When their elderly midwife, Penka, dies suddenly, Silvio makes the hasty decision to hire Penka's son, Sascha, played by Will Greenberg, as their live-in doula.
Deb is nonplussed, as Silvio didn't consult her before hiring, but before long, Sascha's unconventional style wins her over.
As Deb and Sascha grow closer, and the pregnancy nears its inevitable conclusion, Silvio starts to feel like the odd man out. His continued efforts to exert control over the pregnancy lead to a blow-up fight in which he forces Deb to choose between him and Sascha.
Rounding out the cast is Chris Pine, who stars as Deb's doctor, with Amanda Walsh, Ally Maki, Elyse Levesque, Alex McKenna and Robert Baker.
The film is available to rent or own on all major digital platforms.
"Doula" is the first feature film produced by Pine and his company Barry Linen Motion Pictures.
"Making 'Doula' was a dream come true. It's written by one of our best friends, directed by one of our best friends, starring a bunch of our best friends," Pine says in a statement. "The film was a ton of fun to make and we hope audiences see that when they're watching it."
Nichols and Shiver worked on the 2017 film "Cortez" together, which was filmed in Taos and is very New Mexico centric.
Nichols says the project was looking for a director at the time.
"I gave them a presentation and we all decided that I was the right person to direct," she says. "I have loved the script since its inception. I love the idea of a really messed up woman who is taking on her pregnancy the only way she knows how to."
Production took place in Los Angeles, because that's where Nichols and Shiver lived at the time.
"We high-tailed it back to Taos, where I grew up," Shiver says of the pandemic. "We got the soft green light for the film in February 2020. The world shut down and we never thought the film was coming back. It took us about four months and we fit everything into the budget. We got two weeks filmed before we had to shut down production for a positive case. We filmed the last scene of the film on December 31, 2020."
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On demand
At the helm of "Doula" are Taos filmmakers Cheryl Nichols and Arron Shiver. The film is available for rent or purchase on all major digital platforms.
