For many, generational trauma is real. Sometimes, people cannot recognize how it’s affecting their adult lives. As an assault victim, Kristee has her own package of trauma to pass along and her daughter is the recipient.

Find out how she manifests it in the indie drama “Never Gunna Leave You,” written, directed and executive produced by Alan Dale. 

“The trauma is based on true events but the scene structure around the trauma is metaphor to paint the picture of what was happening in real time and what was being discussed,” he said. 

Interestingly, Dale learned to be empathetic to childhood trauma when he himself was a kid, but not because he was traumatized. Many of his family members were torture victims of the Nazis, including his grandparents. 

“A lot of it was just listening and not asking a lot of questions,” he said. “When you ask them, you have to ask the right ones.”

He used this knowledge when he wrote the screenplay.

This first episode of four parts opens with the two main characters when they were children. The two bond as Kristee tells Austin about the assaults she is enduring at home. He is the only person she trusts to tell, but there are unexpected consequences that come with that. 

Fast forward to the pair as adults, married to each other and starting their lives together with optimism. That’s when the trauma catches up with Kristee.

The project began in January 2025 when Dale wrote the screenplay as therapy for himself.

“I officially lost my entire family, my whole family is now gone,” he said. “I wrote it as a way to therapize myself and I started thinking about the real person behind this.”

Another motivation for writing this, Dale said, is to help viewers recognize the danger of keeping secrets from their children and passing on generational trauma. This episode establishes the problem; later episodes in the series work toward a difficult solution, which comes through the couple’s daughter. She’s the bridge between the original trauma and the eventual solution.

“Kids grow up with this horrible thing,” he said. “Humans are really stupid. The one thing we always do is say, ‘We have to protect the children.’ yet we don’t talk to them. You tell them what’s really happening because kids are tougher than adults. They can take stuff and all they need is context.

The filming was completed in one week, but a reason for that was the professionalism of the actors, including the children, who both came prepared. They had practiced via FaceTime, sometimes with Dale and sometimes without him.

“The actors were ridiculously great,” Dale said. “The main cast and I had good chemistry and even the extras were fine. We just had it organized and got it done. … The kids came prepared. Everyone was going crazy over the little ones. They nailed it.”

Ava Westcott, who came to town from Los Angeles to make the movie, played the adult Kristee. She said it was the profound, deeply felt emotion that attracted her to the role.

“I like very intense, emotional films, something that I can really express a full layer of emotion,” she said. “This was drama but it was very emotionally intense. I actually found it very easy to slip into the role. It just felt very raw and truthful.”

The other main characters are played by Marlowe Sprenger from Kansas City, who played the child Kristee. This is her screen debut.

Douglas Jung, also from Los Angeles, played the male adult lead and Jax Bigelow of Las Vegas played the male child lead.

The Kristee character owns this episode but each of the following three episodes focuses on another character’s story arc. Since it will be screened at the Galaxy, it is considered a theatrical release. 

Mark Headley produced the film. Since he had a budget to work with, he hired some of the best people he knows. It made for a truly great experience.

“The production value is incredible,” Headley said. “We had a great cast and crew.”

Evidently this is true because the film has been accepted into some international film festivals including two in France and one in India.

Now that the film is done, Dale has great hopes for it; he truly believes in it.

“I feel like if we get the right people to get behind it, this will be a worldwide sensation because it’s helping people,” he said. “I have no doubt.”

Cost to make this pilot was about $55,000. The next step in this process, Dale added, is to find financial support so he can make three episodes more. 

It’s free to see “Never Gunna Leave You” but a reservation is needed. To do that, email Dale at alandale@important-films.com  

“Never Gunna Leave You”

WHEN: 6 to 8 p.m., Wednesday, July 29 

WHERE: Galaxy Theaters Tucson, 100 S. Houghton Road
COST: Tickets are free but email the director to make a reservation.

INFO: alandale@important-films.com