MOVIE OF THE WEEK August 28, 2026: IF I TELL YOU
The consequences of misunderstandings and painful secrets become achingly clear in director/co-writer Tessa Blake’s family drama If I Tell You. Based on the book <em>Closed Doors by Lisa O’Donnell and old mostly through the eyes of 12-year-old Michael (Etienne Kellici) — who doesn’t realize why his usually happy household is on the verge of falling apart one otherwise idyllic Midwestern summer — it’s an earnest story about finding hope amid darkness.
Michael is gearing up for a summer of hanging out with his best friends, especially Alice (Kennedi Butler), in their quiet Minnesota town, when his mom, Rosemary (Allison Miller), comes home late one night after a party and Michael hears raised voices between her and his dad, Brian (Bill Heck). The next morning, Rosemary moves stiffly, and her face is bruised. She says she fell, but a horrified Michael can’t help but believe that Brian — who’s been on edge lately because he can’t find work — has hit her. And he’s not the only one jumping to that conclusion.
But all of their assumptions are wrong, as Rosemary is actually the victim of a different, equally horrible crime: rape. While her husband — and, eventually, son — know the truth, Rosemary doesn’t want to talk about what happened with anyone else, including the fourth member of their family, Brian’s quirky mother, Granny (Carol Kane). Rosemary’s insistence on trying to move on like nothing happened is hard on everyone, herself very much included. As his mom closes herself off from the rest of them, Michael feels confused and helpless, Brian is angry, and Granny still doesn’t quite understand what’s going on. Things eventually come to a head in midsummer, but not before the characters’ choices have a serious impact beyond their household.
Because Blake — a veteran TV director — tells so much of her story from young Michael’s point of view, it has a nostalgic innocence about it, even though its subject matter is so grave. Michael and his friends ride bikes, play clapping games, and put on a backyard talent show, making their neighborhood and town feel like something out of the 1980s (which, interestingly, is when the source novel was set). Blake uses that feeling to powerful effect as she shows how devastating it can be when kids feel the world they know falling apart around them. If I Tell You is ultimately a hopeful tale that promotes honesty and healing, but Blake puts her characters through the wringer to get there. — Betsy Bozdech
Team #MOTW’s comments:
Loren King Director Tessa Blake offers a restrained and tender look at the impact of sexual violence on a family and community, particularly 12 year-old Michael, sensitively played by Etienne Kellici and giving off major young River Phoenix vibes. Set in beautifully-photographed Minnesota, Blake who wrote the script with Jennifer Manocherian based on Lisa O’Donnell’s novel <em>Closed Doors, has crafted a solid, sensitive family drama with affecting performances from Allison Miller and Bill Heck who deliver sharply observed characters who defy stereotypes as Michael’s parents, each struggling with their own problems. Carol Kane, always a welcome presence in any movie, is memorable as Michael’s resourceful live-in grandmother. It’s she who counsels Michael that when something terrible happens to someone you love, it happens to you, too. Their scenes present a refreshing intergenerational relationship. There’s also Michael’s diverse band of neighborhood pals who beautifully convey the innocence and struggles of adolescence with their spontaneous bus trip to Duluth an engaging set piece as Michael fumbles to find an outlet for his anger and confusion.
Leslie Combemale Tessa Blake’s If I Tell You is unique in that it mixes a coming of age story with the dramatic experience of the aftermath of rape. You’d think that wouldn’t work, but it does, and that in part is because of the believability of the performances of the younger cast members. The story centers on 12-year-old Michael (Etienne Kellici) and his perception of and reaction to his mother’s rape, and it’s interesting to see how he frames the experience from his perspective. We all know how damaging sexual assault can be to a family and community. As Carol Kane, playing Michael’s granny says, “When something happens to someone you love, it doesn’t just happen to that person, it happens to everyone – all the people that love them”. Blake brings that to poignant, powerful life onscreen.
Jennifer Merin Filmmaker Tessa Blake’s If I Tell You, a poignant drama about the traumatic aftermath that a case of rape brings to a rape victim’s family and the tightknit suburban community in which they live. The film premiered in 2024, but is just now being released by Suncatcher Productions. Adapted by Blake and Jennifer Manocherian from the novel by Lisa O’Donnell, the story follows Rosemary (Allison Miller), a wife and mother, whose post-rape shame. fear and anguish about lurking social stigma keep her from reporting the rape. which causes disruptive misunderstandings in her family and among their friends, and actually endangers her neighbours. The narrative is rooted in the perceptions of Rosemary’s 12 year old son (Etienne Kellici) who is trying to ease his mother’s pain. There are crime/mystery elements that keep the story intensely engaging. If I Tell You is a strictly indie film that is compelling and authentic, and never strays into soap opera territory. The acting ensemble does a fine job of delivering believable relationships and bringing complex inner conflicts to life. The cinematography, editing an other crafts are well realized. Blake’s direction is solid.
Nell Minow: I’ve been a fan of Tessa Blake since her first movie, a documentary about her relationship to her father, Five Wives, Three Secretaries and Me. I was particularly glad to see her fine work in If I Tell You, showing extraordinary sensitivity in telling a complex story with great humanity and compassion and in creating a safe space for extraordinary performances by her cast, especially Etienne Kellici and Allison Miller.
Liz Whittemore Based on Lisa O’Donnell’s Closed Doors, Tessa Blake unravels a nuanced coming-of-age drama in If I Tell You. When young Michael’s mother comes home with a black eye and more than physical trauma, he must decipher the shushed tones of his grandmother, the cold shoulder from his best friends, rumors in town, and the simmering anger inside himself. If I Tell You explores the fragility and intuitive nature of adolescent friendships. The story packs a lot into roughly 90 minutes: the emotional volatility of economic hardship, the weight of identity, coping mechanisms for misplaced feelings, and small-town judgement. Etienne Kellici gives lead Michael a stunning vulnerability. Blake carefully unfolds each character, so much so that the film could easily be developed for the small screen as a series. It’s a compelling watch for the entire family.
Monique Jones Tessa Blake’s If I Tell You is quietly intense, skillfully telling the story about the aftermath of a sexual assault from the victim’s family’s perspective. In particular, the young son, Michael (Etienne Kellici), is at the center of the story, and through his eyes, we see how his mother’s (Allison Miller) rape affects her, Michael’s father (Bill Heck) and grandmother (Carol Kane) and, of course, Michael himself. The film dives into the issues, but doesn’t give definitive answers. However, it does remind viewers of at least one truth: the perpetrator is the one who should be on trial for their actions, not the victim. The victim can only do their best when emotionally grappling with their experience, and not every victim will react in the same way. But victims should be held with empathy. Read full review.
Cate Marquis Tessa Blake’s warm indie drama If I Tell You focuses on a family in the aftermath of a rape and the impact that keeping that secret has on the family, their friends and the community in their small rural Minnesota town. Based on Lisa O’Donnell’s novel Closed Doors, the story is told from the point-of-view of the family’s 12-year-old son Michael (Etienne Kellici). After his mother Rosemary (Allison Miller) comes home from an evening gathering of friends at a local pub, the son hears raised voices and crying from his parents’ bedroom. He tries to intervene, knowing something is wrong, but it is not what he thinks. Upset, Michael thinks his father Brian (Bill Heck) has abused his mother but what his parents don’t tell him is that his mother Rosemary was raped after she left the party. Rosemary doesn’t want to go to the police and doesn’t even want anyone to know, including her son and her husband’s mother (a wonderful sassy Carol Kane) who lives with them. She has seen how rape victims are treated by police, from her work in the local hospital, and doesn’t want that nor the stigma if people in town know what happened. She and her husband try to conceal the rape from everyone but people around town can see the bruise on Rosemary’s face and rumors swirl. This well-made, well-acted drama careful explores the mother’s reasons to balk at going to the police and the risks and dangers to everyone in keeping the rape a secret. Along with this serious subject, the fine family drama If I Tell You also offers a warm child-centered depiction of small town life and childhood friendships, as explores an important topic in a sensitive, thoughtful, and touching manner.
FILM DETAILS:
Title: If I Tell You
Director:Tessa Blake
Release Date: August 27, 2026
Running Time: 98 minutes
Language: English
Screenwriters: Tessa Blake, Jennifer Manocherian, Lisa O’Donnell
Lead Performers: Etienne Kellici, Allison Miller, Carol Kane, Bill Heck
Distribution Company: Suncatcher Productions https://www.suncatcherprods.com/
AWFJ Movie of the Week Panel Members: Sandie Angulo Chen, Betsy Bozdech, Leslie Combemale, Monique Jones, Loren King, Cate Marquis, Jennifer Merin, Nell Minow, Liz Whittemore
Other Movies Opening This Week
Edited by Jennifer Merin
