Abbi Jacobson has lately spent off-weeks from Comedy Central’s “Broad City” giving dramatic, festival-friendly performances. Last year she co-starred in the Sundance premiere “Person to Person” alongside Michael Cera and Tavi Gevinson. This week she was at SXSW for the debut screening of “6 Balloons,” a forthcoming Netflix feature from writer-director Marja-Lewis Ryan.
While organizing a surprise party for her boyfriend, Katie (Jacobson) discovers that her brother Seth (Dave Franco) has relapsed on heroin. After she’s unable to place him at a local rehab facility, Katie spends an agonizing night watching and distracting his young daughter, as Seth tags along with worsening withdrawal. Seven-time Emmy nominee Jane Kaczmarek plays their mother. The actors were cast in October 2016.
The poster for “6 Balloons”
Netflix
Franco previously brought “21 Jump Street,” “Neighbors,” and “The Disaster Artist” to SXSW, where Netflix is currently presenting five titles. His “6 Balloons” turn is inspired by real-life experiences of the film’s co-producer, Samantha Housman. In February, Netflix vied for the Best Documentary Short Oscar with “Heroin(e),” another take on America’s opioid crisis.
Ryan is the future showrunner and executive producer of Showtime’s follow-up to “The L Word.” This film is one of multiple planned collaborations with Channing Tatum, a “6 Balloons” producer via his Free Association banner. It was announced in 2016 that Tatum would also star in a Ryan-directed, gender-flipped remake of Ron Howard’s “Splash.”
“6 Balloons” begins streaming on Netflix April 6. Watch the trailer below.