Rating: NR | Runtime: 96 minutes
Release Date: September 11th, 2025 (USA)
Studio: Laservision Productions
Director(s): Claudia Lonow
Writer(s): Isabella Roland

Can you hear what YOU’RE saying?

While it’s easy to call Tillie (Isabella Roland) the “avoider” once she successfully cuts her problematic father (Craig Bierko’s Daniel) out of her life, context quickly reveals the reason for that drastic act was because she finally had enough being the “avoided.” His narcissism led to neglect (he couldn’t be bothered to put her before himself) and indifference (she refused to put herself behind him). He let her slip away. It’s neither her fault nor her responsibility to fix.

So, having him die and haunt everyone else in the world but her while making her the only person with something real to say to him therefore proves a perfect premise for catharsis. Perfect for the comedy that ensues from Tillie feeling slighted, Daniel being obnoxious, and the family frustratingly getting caught in middle to deal with him right when it seemed they thought they’d escaped. And perfect for portraying the shared duality of “unfinished business.”

Written by Roland and directed by Claudia Lonow (Isabella’s real-life mother and Tillie’s on-screen fictional mom Frankie), D(e)ad (a wonderfully constructed title) proves a family affair thanks to the latter’s Brooklynite parents (JoAnne Astrow and Mark Lonow) joining in the same role. Roland’s Dropout friends (Vic Michaelis, Zac Oyama, and husband Brennan Lee Mulligan) round things out for a new school/old school improv comedy showcase (acting chops will vary).

The laughs are plenty, the absurdity obvious, and the heart never far behind courtesy of tough subject matter that demands an authentic journey of self-reflection above the humor. Because Tillie needs closure regardless of the wall of apathy she’s built and Daniel needs to understand the damage he wrought despite being beyond redemption. The goofiness sells tickets, but the truth of its “acceptance isn’t forgiveness” messaging is what resonates.

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Claudia Lonow, Isabella Roland, and Vic Michaelis in D(E)AD.