Bolio
You’ve gotta break down to break through
When a depressed high school shop teacher discovers his charismatic life coach is just as lost as he is, he must learn to believe in himself instead.
Synopsis
Dale Bolio (Eugene Cordero) is a depressed high school shop teacher who feels trapped in a life he doesn't know how to change. Desperate to become a better version of himself, and win back his estranged wife (Tawny Newsome), he hires Chuck Swayze (Gabriel Hogan), a charming life coach who is full of confidence, big promises, and questionable advice.
As the two become unlikely friends, Dale begins to believe Chuck’s unconventional methods might actually work. But when Chuck’s carefully constructed persona starts to unravel, Dale realizes the man he trusted to save him may be just as lost as he is.
Forced to find his own way forward, Dale must stop looking to someone else for the answers and decide what kind of man he wants to become, one cringe-worthy step at a time.
Cast
Eugene Cordero
Gabriel Hogan
Tawny Newsome
Tony Shalhoub
Brooke Adams
Emily Tarver
Sarah Baker
Kevin Heffernan
Cast
Tag
Tony Shalhoub
Sondra
Brooke Adams
Gale
Tawny Newsome
Clara
Emily Tarver
Paula
Sarah Baker
Principal
Kevin Heffernan
Dale
Eugene Cordero
Chuck
Gabriel Hogan
In association with Broken Lizard and House of Water, BOLIO is an indie feature produced by Moody Independent, J. Todd Harris Inc., Jamieson Shea, and Jim Issa.
Team
Director
Jim Issa
Produced by
Mark Donadio
Miriam Marcus
Jim Issa
Jamieson Shea
Executive Producer
J Todd Harris
Written by
Annie Humphrey
Rob Poynter
Loren Tarquinio
Jim Issa
Cinematographer
Spenser T Nottage
Production Designer
Megan Bell
Director Statement
BOLIO is a buddy comedy with genuine heart. Beneath the laughs is a story about two men who, despite their many flaws, help each other move toward friendship, self-acceptance, and a better understanding of what it means to live a meaningful life. Along the way, they make more than a few spectacularly bad decisions.
At different points in my life, I’ve seen myself in both Dale—the lonely shop teacher searching for a way forward—and Chuck, the endlessly optimistic life coach convinced the next great idea might finally have all the answers. That duality is what drew me to this story. I think most of us have been both the person looking for guidance and the person pretending to have it.
I hope the film leaves you laughing, recognizing a little of yourself in these characters, and reminded that none of us has life completely figured out.
—Jim
