By Barrett Holman Leak
SAN DIEGO — First, I want to disclose that Writer/Producer/Director Laa Marcus of San Diego is a personal friend. Connected some time in 2024 by people who recognized our mutual backgrounds as creative women who write, we have managed between both our busy schedules to get together for lunch. I had the pleasure this Saturday to chat over a Shabbos lunch with her and her parents. Our friendship is like what I imagine a friendship would be between Nora Ephron and Nancy Meyers.
I also got to know what a small world it is – Laa’s sister is married to Jacob Kamaras, the former editor of San Diego Jewish World. After a delicious lunch (thank you to Laa’s mother) which included pickled cucumbers and onions along with tender barbequed beef brisket, Laa shared that the film she was working on, her first film, is complete. Of course I wanted to review it.
So, on Saturday evening I settled in with my snacks and turned on Amazon Prime video. I do like a good murder mystery and definitely, a good comedy. Glass Casa is both.
The cast includes Lizet Benrey, Harley Bronwyn, Nicole Clifford, Geri Courtney-Austein and Braden Garner. The film is a wild rollercoaster ride with bizarre twist and turns, starting with a bachelorette party and blasting sideways through a murder mystery. When what should be a mundane celebratory event goes rogue and a dead body is found inside the house where they were going to hang, the suspense is both thrilling and hilarious.
This comedy/murder mystery/thriller pulls you through the joys of a group of women gathering at a beautiful modern oceanside California mansion to the shock of finding an oddball drifter hanging out in the house and then a dead body, along with absurd drug-induced dark humor.
The cinematography is captivating and pulls you into the storyline with its realistic and sparkling, warm lighting. The wide shots of the exterior are stunning. The soundtrack fits well.
Glass Casa is streaming on Amazon Prime, AppleTV+, and YouTube, available for both rental and purchase in SD and HD. And finally, outside of being friends with her, I declare that Laa Marcus is a true triple threat as a writer, director and producer. The San Diego resident directed and co-wrote the film short Waiting Room (2006) and wrote and directed the film short Divorce Party (2018). This is her first full-length film, and I expect some great work from Laa Marcus in the coming years. Watch for her.
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Barrett Holman Leak is an author, educator, and community organizer.
Aww thank you so much Barett! I’m so glad you’re a fan! Appreciate you!