AT THE BROKEN PLACES

A quiet, observational drama about a family of singers, not all of whom had the chance to share their talents, facing the trauma that has harmed them for generations.

Shot on location in Virginia—mostly in and around Culpeper—the independent film from writer-director Anthony Clark stars Veronica Martell, Anne Ruttencutter, and Madison Morton. The supporting cast includes Tommy Vines, CeCe Heard, and Jenna Purcell.

Featuring live-filmed musical performances from Veronica and Madison and stunning locations across the Piedmont region, At the Broken Places is the first production from Pebble Dare Films, LLC.

Three women finally confront a decades-long cycle of loss

CAST

At the Broken Places’ cast represents a wide variety of experience in theater, independent film, and music, with unique approaches to this very personal material. Each actor brings their own background and skills to tell this story of generations of women who passed on their traumatic legacy to the next. A blend of established and emerging talent, this strong cast offers their own perspectives and methods, a combination that produces a powerful narrative on loss, silence, and promise.

Veronica Martell

Veronica Martell began her stage career in a school production of "Godspell,” and began her singing career around the same time, in church. She recorded her first single at 18, has recorded and released six albums, and was named one of the "hottest new talents in jazz" by acclaimed Jazz Review Magazine.

Veronica has performed on stages all over the world, including Off-Broadway, and in Paris, Madrid, Monte Carlo, the Bahamas, and at the Copenhagen Jazz Festival. She has been featured in numerous radio and television jingles, and recently starred in “Weekend at Blackthorne Manor” on the Lifetime Movie Network.

Veronica resides in New York with her husband, actor Billy Rick, and their three children.

Anne Ruttencutter

Anne Ruttencutter is a Chicago-based actor who enjoys stepping into different roles on screen and stage to tell character-driven stories and having fun along the way. With a strong focus in drama and a sprinkling of comedy, her previous work spans several markets around the country, including Los Angeles, Portland, Detroit, New York, Boston, and Chicago.

When Anne isn't performing, she has fun exploring Chicago with her husband Sean and son Declan.

Madison Morton

Madison Morton grew up on Maryland’s eastern shore, and earned a Bachelor of Arts in Music from Washington College.

An accomplished theater kid, she began releasing her original music online in 2018. She has since gained a steady following on Spotify and other major platforms for her unique, deeply personal, introspective work.

Though her main instrument is her voice, she also plays guitar, ukulele, and piano. Madison lives with her wife Audrey DeMaso in New England.

Tommy Vines

Tommy Vines is an actor, writer, and producer born and raised in Brooklyn, New York. She portrayed the lead role in the Emmy-nominated Hysterical Girl—published as a New York Times Op-Doc—and creates across film, television, and theater with her own production company.

Tommy is a proud alum of Boston University’s BFA Theater Arts Performance program, Accademia dell'Arte, and LaGuardia High School.

CeCe Heard

CeCe Heard is an artist local to Baltimore, Maryland. They were involved with the Baltimore Improv Group (BIG), and have acted in a variety of short films and commercials throughout the city.

Most recently, CeCe starred in the indie short film Don’t Worry, It’s Just Allergies. If they’re not performing, they’re either writing poetry or skateboarding.

STORY

After her career falls apart, Roni, a well-known yet emotionally guarded singer returns to her long-estranged sister Anna, and learns she has a talented niece, Maddie. Hidden family history emerges, and they confront a generational succession of loss.

As each tries to understand why their lives haven't been what they've wanted, the three learn a long-buried secret: a pattern of silenced ambition passed from mother to daughter, again and again. Can each finally acknowledge their losses?

At the Broken Places is a quiet, intimate drama about three women living out different stages of the same inherited story, and looks at the hard work of ending a cycle rather than trying to regain what’s already been lost.

PRODUCTION

In August 2025, writer Anthony Clark was driving his RV on an isolated road in North Dakota, listening to a song that a friend of many years recorded and released ten years earlier. By the end of the song, he had a complete idea for a film.

Anthony immediately called that friend, vocalist and actor Veronica Martell. After years of trying formulaic approaches to gain industry attention to their work and potential—one-pagers and pitch decks and treatments (and even full, polished spec scripts)—Anthony had a question: why keep asking others to hire us for projects we’re not particularly interested in doing? And he had a pitch for Veronica, for a film they could do together. Veronica said, “You can give me the pitch, but I’m in.”

At the Broken Places is, substantially, that film.

Anthony spent the next few months writing and refining the screenplay, and watching hundreds of videos from performances, gigs, busking, and self-tapes, and produced films, shows, and music videos to find the co-stars. That long process resulted in the casting of the two other talented actors who portray Veronica’s sister and niece, Anne Ruttencutter and Madison Morton.

Filmed on location in three segments across six months in 2026, this microbudget independent production combined experienced and early career professionals in the crew and cast. The company shot in a variety of interior and exterior settings, including rolling-hill farms, charming small towns, a vibrant farmers market, local businesses, vintage farmhouses, and a historic cinema palace.

At The Broken Places premieres in 2027.

Shot entirely on the iPhone 17 Pro Max, in Apple ProRes RAW Open Gate and with add-on lenses and filters, At the Broken Places took great advantage of high-quality cinema tools in a lightweight, flexible rig, enabling versatile filmmaking responsive to the challenges of limited-budget, on-location shoots.