Lost Cause

A film by Adam Kritzer

Lost Cause is a sharp, allegorical musical in which a Yom Kippur service unravels into an improvised therapy session for a powerful, polarizing bureaucrat, like Stephen Miller, an unelected architect of policy whose impact far exceeds their public visibility. As the congregation struggles to reconcile ritual, repentance, and responsibility, the work draws heavily on the writings of Rebecca Garten, whose permission Adam must secure. Skeptical but curious, Rebecca agrees to attend a reading, setting the stage for a meta‑theatrical confrontation between art, ethics, and the people who shape national narratives from the shadows.

Adam Kritzer brings his eclectic background as a filmmaker, educator, and collaborator to this daring new project. Adam’s career has spanned work with Peter Sellars on Toni Morrison’s Desdemona, producing acclaimed independent films such as Chocolate Heart, Lace Crater, and Froth & Bubble, and directing his own feature Good Funk. A Middlebury graduate with a Master’s in Education from the University of Pennsylvania, Adam now lives in New York City with his partner‑in‑crime and their schnauzer, Upton Sinclair. With Lost Cause, he channels years of artistic inquiry into a bold, provocative exploration of power, accountability, and the stories we choose to tell.

Director, Writer, Producer: Adam Kritzer
Principle Cast: Julie Halston, Sarah Schulman, Olli Haaskiv, Lindsay Burdge, Brandy Burre, Bill Bowers, Adam Kritzer