Rose Martin (Jacqueline Bisset) and Loren Bresher (Kelly Blatz) are the title characters in writer/director Russell Brown's engrossing two-hander, "Loren & Rose," about a young up-and-coming filmmaker and the once-famous now troubled actress he is meeting with to possibly cast in his feature debut. The film is having its world premiere at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival on March 3 and 5 and will screen March 25-26 at the Sonoma Film Festival, where Bisset will be honored on the 25th.
"Loren and Rose" unfolds almost entirely at a restaurant where the characters share three meals over the course of several years. But this lively film never feels like a rehash of "My Dinner with Andre" — even if the characters talk about art and experience, inspiration and validation. Here, they buoy each other's self-worth as they consider their lives, relationships, and careers.
