Magical Mystery Cure

Executive Producer Duane A. Sikes presents Magical Mystery Cure, a short film directed by Ryan P. Dean (June, Last Shift, Annabelle Hooper & the Ghosts of Nantucket and Undertaking) and written by Sharon Y. Cobb (June, False Confessions of a True Hollywood Screenwriter), starring Towns W. Sanford (June, The Devil Incarnate) and Joshua R.Todd (June). Magical Mystery Cure is the story of two brothers who set forth on an adventure into a Florida beach town in search of a magical cure for the youngest brother’s cancer. In their mother’s “borrowed” car, Holden and Cauley cross state lines with five thousand dollars in a paper bag. A mysterious doctor in Florida has promised them that, for a large sum of cash, he has the cure for Cauley’s cancer. They wind up at a beachside motel, where the manager, Janine, played by Cindy Hogan (Army Wives, Beautiful Creatures, June), takes a special interest in the underage pair.

The motel is a place where the dying younger brother’s dreams begin to come true; some are perpetuated by Holden and some just happen on their own. But within the confines of the motel, Cauley begins to check things off a bucket list that he’s been working on ever since he was diagnosed. An oddball cast of characters, including the peppy sisters Poppy and Regan, motel manager Janine, a doctor who seems less-than-scrupulous, and, of course, the two brothers, make this short film both uplifting and tragic.

The brothers are quirky, and their names aren’t the only thing Salinger-esque about the story. Their banter is often interrupted by Cauley’s habit of breaking out into song. The one thing that stands out about them the most, however, is their optimism. Cauley seems to be completely at terms with the idea of death, while Holden is determined that the “Magical Mystery Cure” will keep it away.