ABOUT THE PROJECT

LOGLINE
An Iraq War veteran returns home to a family he no longer recognizes and a divided America plagued by gun violence. Once proud, then broken, the wounded warrior now must wage a different kind of battle to find healing for himself and redemption for his nation.

SYNOPSIS
AMERICAN SOLITAIRE is a film about one warrior’s journey to live out a romanticized vision of life as a ‘protector,’ and how that lonely version of manhood nearly destroys his life. The film aims to disrupt the cyclical, and cynical, message of violence that’s passed from father to son and asks us to think deeper and different when we talk about guns. Writer/Director Aaron Davidman (‘Wrestling Jerusalem’) traveled throughout the U.S. talking to people about firearms and wrote the narrative based on his research.

Slinger (20’s-30’s, white) learns to shoot a .22 when he’s a kid, and carries the mantle of ‘rugged individualism’ his father handed him as he joins the Army. But the costs of a life in battle are high back home and his young marriage falls apart. Alcohol and pain pills can’t numb the fact that his own young son doesn’t even know who he is. Then he’s wounded. The main thrust of the film follows Slinger in civilian life as he tries to reckon with his own violent nature; with the absentee father he’s become; and with the feeling in his gut that something is desperately wrong with a homeland that sent him to defend freedom overseas yet can’t prevent school shootings and murders of young Black men on the streets at home.

Slinger is a wounded soul, out of touch with himself and lost in America, who learns from a few kind people he meets along the way that he must turn inward to heal. He fights it with everything he’s got, but eventually his journey of self-discovery leads him to the inevitable: that he must give up his violence and his weapons to open his heart and claim his true manhood.

PROJECT TYPE Narrative Feature

DIRECTOR Aaron Davidman
SCREENWRITER Aaron Davidman
PRODUCER Aaron Davidman, Dylan Kussman

The Film Collaborative (TFC) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to providing programs and services for independent filmmakers. TFC’s federal tax ID number is 32-0295081. All donations are tax deductible to the extent allowed by law.

Support a TFC Fiscal Sponsorship Project

Please help support this project with a tax deductible contribution. The “donate” button below will take you to PayPal, but a PayPal account is not required to make a donation. You can check out 2 ways:

1. Use your PayPal account
2. Check out as a guest by selecting “Donate with a Debit or Credit Card” (no PayPal account is required)

Transaction Fee

Please consider covering the PayPal transaction fee by selecting the “I’d like to add to my donation to help offset the cost of processing” box on the next page. This will ensure your intended full donation amount will be received for the project.

Alternate Donation Payment Methods

If you prefer to donate by check, Zelle, ACH, or wire transfer, please email us for instructions.

Stock Donations

TFC accepts stock donations. By donating stock that has appreciated for more than a year, you are giving 20% more than if you sold the stock and then made a cash donation, since you will not pay capital gains taxes on the donated stock. Learn more here.

Please email us for instructions to donate stock to a fiscally sponsored project.

Donor Advised Fund (DAF) Donations

A donor-advised fund, or DAF, is like a charitable investment account for the sole purpose of supporting charitable organizations. TFC accepts DAF donations and is on file with most major DAF companies. Provide your DAF TFC’s Tax ID: 32-0295081. If we are already on file with your DAF company, they will process the donation.

Tax Receipts

In compliance with IRS rules, tax receipts for your charitable gift are issued for the amount The Film Collaborative receives after payment processor fees are deducted. The Film Collaborative emails tax receipts in PDF format within 30 days of your online donation. The “receipt” that is immediately sent to you from PayPal after you donate is just a payment receipt, not the tax receipt.

Matching Donations

Many companies have matching gift programs and can help you double your donation to a project of your choosing. Sometimes these programs will match a donation up to a year after it was originally made! Check with your employer—if they have a matching gift program, they will provide you with instructions.

End of Year Giving

November, December, and January are big giving months each year. Donors top up their annual giving in November and December. January is a new fiscal year, and some donors start their giving for the next fiscal year early. Some donors even give at the end of the year and again in January since these donations fall into different fiscal years.

Donors tend to make their large year-end donation decisions before the holidays start. In 2024, that means before December 20. TFC can accept donations by wire, ACH, and Zelle until 5:00pm Eastern Time on December 31. Online donations by credit or debit card can be made until 11:59pm Pacific Time on December 31.