Story & Trailer
Trailer for A Beautiful Belly from A Beautiful Belly on Vimeo.
When aspiring children’s entertainer Jason Ackart gets his long-time crush Danny pregnant on their first date, the two choose to make a life together as husband and wife. With the support of church friends and family, Danny and Jason do their best to start out on the right foot, but as the prospect of fatherhood looms, Jason begins to realize the toll it may take on his career aspirations. He begins to focus all his attention toward one last push to accomplish his dream of becoming an established children’s entertainer before the baby is born. As a result, Danny feels insecure and ignored by Jason and begins to question whether their fledgling marriage can survive.
Alienated from one another, Jason and Danny find themselves attracted to the attentions of other people. Jason meets Allison James, an intern at a local cable station who wants to develop a children’s show utilizing his talents, and Danny meets Nathan Long, a fine art photographer who goes out of his way to encourage Danny and build up her confidence. As these new friendships begin to hint at the possibility of romance, Jason and Danny must decide whether they are willing to risk the future of their family for the indulgence of a moment’s pleasure.
A BEAUTIFUL BELLY is a Romantic Drama with an ultimate message of hope and renewal. While the film deals with complicated adult themes of considerable heft, it endeavors to do so with a light touch that emphasizes the messy humor of the human condition.
Developing the Screenplay . . .
A loose spin-off of the award-winning short film, “Melissa With A Heart Around It,” A BEAUTIFUL BELLY examines the role of unspoken desires in human relationships. In an effort to ensure that the best possible screenplay went into production, the producers sought professional story notes from such world-renown organizations as Film Independent (Los Angeles Film Festival / Independent Spirit Awards) and Slamdance (the Slamdance Film Festival), and this creative feedback was utilized in subsequent drafts.
Professional story analysts have already praised A BEAUTIFUL BELLY’s script for its “sophisticated” characterization, “internal narrative cohesion,” “excellent scene connectivity,” and protagonists that “can command the conventional sympathies of an audience,” requiring “not stars, but simply capable actors and a director who can get the most out of their talents” (Slamdance). They have also praised the skills of writer Andrew Kenneth Gay, noting in their analysis that “he also has an ear for dialogue, crafting short yet poignant exchanges that get to the heart of the matter and speak from the heart of the character in the moment. This ability adds to the overall feeling in this story, which is critical to our emotional investment” (Film Independent). Please see below for further excerpts from the critical evaluations of A Beautiful Belly.
“The script abounds with human emotional integrity and authenticity; the dialogue articulates well exactly the issues that could confront husband and wife in the situation Jason and Danny find themselves.” - Slamdance Story Analyst
“Gay writes a simple, honest story about the challenges of pregnancy people rarely speak of. Simply crafted, realistic and subtly powerful, the script is an ode to misunderstandings in relationships, and the triumph of commitment to marriage. . . . [This script] in particular shows off his ability to create characters and situations that are authentic yet complex.” - Film Independent Story Analyst
