Winnipeg writer-director bringing thrills and revenge with her new movie

An unexpected neighbour, a dead lover, and a story of revenge are all part of a new film written and directed by Rainy Kerwin, who grew up in Winnipeg.

The thriller called ‘A Neighbor’s Vendetta’ is about an architect named Sonja who is having a relationship with her boss when her ex-husband shows up and wants to rekindle their relationship.

Sonja breaks up with her boss and moves out to the country to work on the relationship with her ex-husband. She then finds out that her boss mysteriously died, and also that he was married.

“Imagine the ex-wife who finds out that her husband has passed away and she finds his phone and finds out they were having an affair,” Kerwin said in an interview with CTV Morning Live on Friday.

“All of a sudden down the road, out in the country, Claire shows up, but she presents as a sweet, friendly neighbour, but she’s not coming over to borrow a cup of sugar.”

The film was shot in Little Rock, Arkansas, with the help of a local crew. Kerwin said it was a short shoot that involved long days and hard work.

“This crew just hustled like nobody else. I don’t know that we could have made this in Hollywood with a union crew,” she said.

Kerwin added that the actors were committed to the project and came prepared.

“They were so prepared that a lot of takes that you’ll see in the film are one takes, they’re the first take. It was like nailed it, move on,” she said.

GETTING STARTED IN THE BUSINESS

Kerwin, who moved to Winnipeg when she was three years old, now lives in L.A., which is where she was born. She said during her time in school in Winnipeg, she always knew she wanted to get back to California to pursue a career.

“I always knew of the business. I had a cousin at a young age who was a movie star in L.A. So we would get back every two years,” she said.

She added she was enamoured with the idea of storytelling, and how a film could transport you to another world.

'A Neighbor's Vendetta' will be released on TUBI on Feb. 10.

- With files from CTV’s Nicole Dube.