Among Brothers is based on the actual events surrounding a cold case. Names are changed for protection. On November 9th, 1994, Jennifer Matthews, a senior at Bergan State University in South Carolina, was found dead in her burned down apartment. The police informed the Matthews family that it appeared to be an accident. Two days later, the autopsy revealed that her death was no accident. There was no presence of smoke in Jennifer’s lungs, she died before the fire- someone had killed her and tried to cover it up.
In this film, I played the lead role of Ethan, the guilt-ridden prime suspect in the murder of a young college woman. The film had a solid run on the festival circuit, and garnered enough attention to reopen the cold case on which it was based. The film also prompted Keith Morrison and a team from Dateline NBC to cover the case, the murder, and the movie in a two-hour expose entitled “Scenes from a Murder.” The story behind the story is immensely intriguing and worth a look (see link below).
Among Brothers was my first feature film experience, and it was one of the best. I was still learning how to act for the camera, and Schwert and the rest of the cast and crew were beyond professional. Our hard work paid off, culminating in a suspenseful movie and intriguing story that will hopefully help bring justice for the Morgan family.
The number of great stories and memories I could recount from this one are limitless. I made a lot of great friends, and John and I have continued to work together on a regular basis in various capacities. I had a small role in his second feature, In/Significant Others, which is currently in theatrical release. John’s professionalism remains unmatched, as does this experience.
Produced and Directed by John Schwert
Written by John Schwert and Tom Morgan
Cast: Matt Mercer, Corey Cicci, Daniel J. Watts, Lauren Schneider
Fourth Ward Productions – official website for the film Among Brothers
Trailer:
Dateline story: ‘Scenes from a Murder‘- msnbc.com
