Her Life

Synopsis

Thirteen-year-old Zola struggles to cope with the sudden death of her father and finds peace in her love for art and painting, but her overbearing mother has other ideas for her life. When do a mother’s dreams for her daughter's future cross the line and become too much for her to bear? Can she take control of her own life and keep their fragile relationship intact at the same time?

Storyline
Based on the short story, IT’S NOT FOR ME, by Daniel Ali, HER LIFE is a coming-of-age story that challenges us to believe in the resilience of the human spirit and a young girl’s determination to make her own way in life. After the tragic death of her father, Zola, played by Isabella Ali, (Love and the Game) 2021, (Delilah) 2024, becomes emersed in a world she paints for herself. A world she controls with the stroke of her brush on the canvas. One where she’s protected from the cruel reality of life and the pain of her loss, and where her father is still alive.

With high school only a year away, her mother, a well-known and respected soccer coach plans for Zola to use her considerable skills on the field to gain acceptance into the prestigious Woodward Academy Day School for girls. But Zola has plans of her own. Soon, they begin to clash over what direction her life should take, and the underlying pain they both feel over the loss of a beloved father and husband forces a reckoning. But will they find their way to one another and a healthy resolution, or will the ties that bind break the bond between a young girl yearning for self-expression and the mother who can't let go?

*This film is currently in post-production. Filming for HER LIFE ran from February through May 2024. The film stars Isabella Ali, Love and the Game (2021), Delilah (2024), daughter of writer/director, Daniel Ali. Also featured are Erika Bermudez, Darwin Roman, Virginia Caamaño, and Gabby Creery with a special appeareance from seasoned character actor, Jonathan H. Ragins. HER LIFE is expected in May 2025.