Secret Life, Secret Death (2012)

In this creative docudrama, Director Genevieve Davis combs through the raw, unglamorized world of mobsters and bootleggers, to ferret out the secret life of a young mother in the 1920's. Davis finds Minnie, an ordinary woman, and her young son, caught in a web of tragedy and misery. In the hunt, many clandestine characters crawl to light - -- Minnie's first lover who disappeared in a puff of smoke and left her with a baby -- Minnie's unforgiving father -- Minnie's bootlegging, red light district boyfriend and his crooked family -- Minnie's rum running boyfriend Freddy, who drives Minnie and her young son on booze run -- executed vice lord, Big Jim Colosimo, whose funeral Minnie attends with her 5 year old son -- Al Capone, John Dillinger, and Baby Face Nelson are interwoven into the story, as minor characters. Later,Minnie and her final partnere, Johnny, run the shady Hollywood Hotel. There, they entertain mobsters and the crooked local sheriff, DA and judge, until Minnie's death at the hotel, under mysterious circumstances. Many wonderful special effects abound in the creative, visually dazzling storytelling, where live actors appear to walk around inside historic photos. Luscious vintage jazz and blues. Davis produced, directed, wrote, designed and edited the movie. The film is based on Davis's ten year research project, which also resulted in the book, SECRET LIFE, SECRET DEATH.