Four brothers, For Hearts

When discussing the idea of their next feature film, the Crane brothers had very different ideas. Jamie, 22, wanted to do a special effects-driven adventure film not unlike Indiana Jones. Brady, 23, wanted to do a character-driven film noir, but No Country for Old Men was in post-production, sending the brothers in yet another direction.

Kyle, 28, had a script, and the Cranes went to work on For Hearts. Instead of throwing away their different ambitions, Kyle’s script became a deft combination of those previous ideas.

“Really nothing is the same except for the study of the kind of relationships and the theme of female empowerment,” Brady says. “This film has all our tastes in there. It’s character-driven but on an epic scale.”

Before this film, the brothers made a name for themselves with Man of the Hour—what Brady calls a re-telling of Weekend at Bernie’s—and Just What I Needed, a documentary on The Spanish Moon’s weekly dance party, Star 80. With For Hearts, the brothers knew they had to make a statement.

“The documentary got some recognition, got people wondering, ‘what’s next?’” Brady says.

With that in mind, what started as a hobby since the brothers were kids has turned into a mammoth-sized obsession.

“We figured if you’re going to devote that much time to something you’re passionate about, it should be something you take more seriously,” Brady said. “For Hearts is our premiere step into something that can be taken more seriously.”

Unlike past projects, this time the brothers delegated roles. Jamie acted in the film. Kyle wrote and financed the bulk of it. Brady directed and edited. Their other brother, Hunter, 25, handled marketing and promotion. The experience, Brady says, has been their most gratifying.

Courtney Lacombe, a 22-year-old actress from Houston, agrees. “It’s unlike any other project I’ve done,” she says. “It’s been enjoyable, rewarding, and, from what I’ve seen, it’s looking really great.”

Kyle says the film has taken the team into a new direction.

“On other movies, we definitely had different takes and ideas,” Kyle said. “This one has been a little more corporate. We might use this setup in the future.”

In the end, it’s truly Kyle’s say. He wrote the 109-page script. He financed the film. It’s his labor of love. For Hearts needs his seal of approval before it’s reveald to the city’s myriad movie-loving eyes.

“Some is exactly how I pictured it,” Kyle says, “but some of it is even better.”

The film premieres Nov. 21 at 7 p.m. at the Manship Theatre. From there, not even Brady knows what will happen.

“I’d like to run it through the festival circuit and see how far we can take it. We’re not putting a stop on what could happen with it.”