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Recently I got to see a screening of “Things Never Said,” by writer and director Charles Murray. Charles and I met when he came to speak at the CBS Writers Mentoring program during my time as a mentee, and those of you lucky enough to know him, well, you know how awesome he is. If you haven’t had the pleasure and you’re ever around when he gives a talk about writing in Hollywood, go listen, He’s a real dude and he’ll tell it to you straight.

I’ve been following his journey with this film for a while, and even got to go be an extra for a night of shooting. So to finally get to see the finished product was exciting, and not just because I was going to get to see what I’d been hearing about for so long, but because I knew what a personal accomplishment this piece of work is for Charles.

The film is a love letter to his mom, and it’s a strong, well-told story about the ability women have to change their lives. In this case, the woman in question is Kalindra, an aspiring poetess in a broken marriage trying to find her place in the world.

When you get a chance to see this film, and I hope it’s soon (Charles is working on finding a distributor for this little gem of an independent and keep your eyes peeled for some film festival listings), you’ll see some great performances, especially from Shanola Hampton (“Shameless”), Elimu Nelson, Omari Hardwick (“Dark Blue”), Tamala Jones (“Castle”), and Michael Beach (“The Game,” “Sons of Anarchy”), and I’d go on a lot more about their performances, but this blog isn’t really a film review. Just trust me… see it!

What this blog is about is what it was like to sit in a theater after months of hearing about this project and watch it become a reality. The totality of what Charles pulled off was inspiring in a way I’m not sure I can accurately describe. Because it’s not just that he wrote and directed a very good movie… it’s that he pulled together this super-talented, hard-working group of people who dedicated themselves to doing top-notch work on a bargain-basement dollar. And that happened not just because Charles has a talent for making friends… it happened because he never lost that young man’s dream of making a movie he wanted to make on his terms, even through years of struggling to get a break, through working his way up, and while creating a beautiful family along the way.

 It was a fantastic reminder that our dreams are what brought us to this business, and that it’s our responsibility to stay true to them, even if it means deciding to do it on our own, friends in tow, on a shoestring budget.

It’s a business full of business, to be sure… but it’s fueled by dreams, and I hope you all get to share in Charles’ very soon.

 Learn more at: https://www.facebook.com/ThingsNeverSaid