Adam Donaghey Movies

Four years after running away from home to escape from her tyrannically religious father, Hannah White returns to her small hometown determined to confront her oppressive past head on. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

A seemingly ordinary woman is suddenly made aware of her true identity in this thoughtful sci-fi drama from filmmaker Clay Liford. Three astronauts orbiting in space encounter a strange object floating towards them, and when it reaches their ship, it releases a massive pulse of energy that immediately kills two of the men. Back on Earth, the pulse causes a global brownout that has a strange effect on a number of people, one of them Judith (Rebecca Spence), a schoolteacher. Judith has already been going through a difficult patch -- she feels uneasy and can't say why, and she and her husband have been trying to have a baby with no success -- and after the pulse sends her into a seizure, she begins displaying curious symptoms as bits of her skin peel away and lumps grow on hear head. Judith is one of several people who've been reacting in odd ways to the pulse, and in time she finds out why. Judith is part of an alien race that came to Earth generations ago and have so successfully disguised themselves as Earthlings that even they have forgotten their true origin, and now that their true alien nature has been reawakened, they have to decide which world is truly their home. Earthling received its world premiere at the 2010 South by Southwest Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

A teacher at the mercy of his students turns the tables with the help of fellow misfit in this comedy-drama from writer and director Clay Liford. Mitch (Nate Rubin) is a substitute teacher who has landed a temporary full-time assignment at the high school where he studied years ago. Mitch is a stereotypical nerd who still lives with his mom, still plays Dungeons & Dragons with his high school buddies, doesn't have a girlfriend and is stuck in a life that's going nowhere. Mitch's fellow faculty members have nicknamed him "Mitch the Bitch," and one of his students, Re-Up (Ryan Anderson) has made it clear he doesn't like or respect Mitch -- so much so that he and a handful of fellow students beat Mitch to a pulp after school. Enter Maddie (Alicia Anthony), a student who isn't well liked by her peers, but no one will mess with her since her brother has a menacing criminal reputation. Maddie decides she doesn't like the way Mitch is being treated and offers to help him even the scales at school. Mitch is certainly grateful, buy he also finds himself moving into a relationship with Maddie that's dangerous on many levels. Wuss received its world premiere at the 2011 South by Southwest Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

A man looks for a way to get even with the sibling who has stolen away the woman he loves in this independent comedy drama from writer and director Bryan Poyser. Paul (Alex Karpovsky) and Rudy (Chris Doubek) are brothers who are also both writers, though their careers are on opposite ends of the spectrum of success; Paul has authored a series of fantasy novels for kids that have made him a very wealthy man, while Rudy's bitter and more personal work makes no inroads into the marketplace. Rudy is envious of his brother's good fortune, in part because he helped him come up with the characters for his stories when they were children. Rudy does have one thing that Paul wants, however -- Rudy's wife, Diana (Heather Kafka), who is disenchanted with her husband's dour attitude and money troubles and wants a divorce. After Diana finally kicks Rudy out of their home, he's reduced to living out of his car until Paul takes pity on him and pays for an extended stay at a hotel. What Rudy doesn't know is that Paul has given him a place to stay so he can invite Diana on a getaway to a luxury ski resort in Utah. Once Rudy catches on that Paul is seducing his ex-wife, Rudy makes his way to Utah and sneaks into their chalet, following their movements as he plots his revenge. Lovers of Hate received its world premiere at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival -- fitting, since Poyser shot the Utah sequences in Park City while attending the Sundance Festival in 2009 (using the bungalow where he and a number of other Austin, TX filmmakers were staying as the set for Paul and Diana's love nest). ~ Mark Deming, Rovi