Arresting Gena


Arresting Gena is a 1997 American independent drama film directed by Hannah Weyer. It was shown as part of the 1997 edition of the Sundance Film Festival.

Premise

When 16-year-old Gena's mother is hospitalized in a coma, she meets Jane, a charismatic runaway.

Cast

Director Hannah Weyer attracted attention in 1995 with her New York University MFA thesis film, The Salesman and Other Adventures, which won the Best Short prize at the Sundance Film Festival in 1995. Following this, she began work on Arresting Gena, with the intention of screening it at Sundance. Actress Aesha Waks was cast in the lead role following a two-month video submission audition process. Filming occurred in New Jersey.

Reception

The film was expected to perform well at Sundance; however it received a mixed reaction at the festival. In a review published on February 6, 1997, Variety described Arresting Gena as being a "frustrating, misconceived effort to illuminate the painful coming of age of its protagonist, a sensitive girl unwillingly pushed into a sleazy world of crime."