Firecracker

Meek, reclusive and talented, Jimmy (Jak Kendall) is emotionally imprisoned by his abusive, alcoholic older brother David (Mike Patton) and his fanatically religious mother, Eleanor (Karen Black). He finds escape in the neon glow of a travelling sideshow carnival. Clad in red satin and gifted with a heavenly voice, Sandra (also played by Karen Black) is the carnival's premier attraction. Yearning for a way out, Jimmy befriends Sandra, unaware that her own imprisonment and degradation at the hands of Frank (also played by Mike Patton), the carnival's owner, mirrors his own. When David disappears, the metaphorical white picket fences of the small town collapse, leaving raw emotions. Police Chief Ed's (Susan Traylor) investigation uncovers deceit, abuse, murder and cover-up. As her investigation leads her closer to the answers, the lives of those involved become lit fuses exposed to the spark of truth - until they explode, one-by-one, in a dramatic and harrowing conclusion. (High Fliers Films)