The Projection Booth
· Season 1 · Episode 788 · Latest episodeSpecial Report: Clean Hands (2026)
Mike talks with Jake Allyn, writer-director of Clean Hands (2026), a true-crime drama about a celebrated Hagerstown, Maryland narcotics sergeant fighting the opioid pipeline he polices by day while his own daughter is consumed by it at home.
Allyn found the story on YouTube during COVID and became close enough with the real Kevin and Dana Simmers that he calls them second parents; they and the police officers who served with Kevin were on set throughout the 20-day Atlanta and Hagerstown shoot, alongside Brooke’s actual drug counselor, who appears in the film herself. Zach Braff, taking his first dramatic lead as a real person and a cop, reportedly came to need Kevin’s presence on set by the second week after initially asking for space; Esther McGregor carried the weight of standing in for every woman who’s passed through the recovery home the real story inspired. Allyn structured the film’s financing so that a third of its profits go directly to Brooke’s House, the real nonprofit recovery residence Kevin founded after his daughter’s story played out.
The film is Allyn’s second directing credit, made with his brother Conor, following their earlier border drama Ride; it opens Friday, October 16th, after premiering at this year’s Tribeca Festival.
Follow the film on Instagram, and visit Brooke’s House to support the recovery program.
Allyn found the story on YouTube during COVID and became close enough with the real Kevin and Dana Simmers that he calls them second parents; they and the police officers who served with Kevin were on set throughout the 20-day Atlanta and Hagerstown shoot, alongside Brooke’s actual drug counselor, who appears in the film herself. Zach Braff, taking his first dramatic lead as a real person and a cop, reportedly came to need Kevin’s presence on set by the second week after initially asking for space; Esther McGregor carried the weight of standing in for every woman who’s passed through the recovery home the real story inspired. Allyn structured the film’s financing so that a third of its profits go directly to Brooke’s House, the real nonprofit recovery residence Kevin founded after his daughter’s story played out.
The film is Allyn’s second directing credit, made with his brother Conor, following their earlier border drama Ride; it opens Friday, October 16th, after premiering at this year’s Tribeca Festival.
Follow the film on Instagram, and visit Brooke’s House to support the recovery program.
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About this show
Mike White's flagship film podcast, pairing scholarly discussion with original interviews of directors, writers, actors, and craftspeople, with a focus on cult, international, regional, and independent cinema. Recognized by The Washington Post, The A.V. Club, IndieWire, Entertainment Weekly, and Filmmaker Magazine.
Hosts
- Mike WhiteHost, producer and editor
All episodes (1,551)
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59:03Season 1 · Episode 5Special Report: Punishment Park (1971)
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1:09:31Season 1 · Episode 45Episode 45: Static (1985)
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32:07Season 1 · Episode 45Episode 45: Bonus Interview: Keith Gordon
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1:06:46Season 1 · Episode 44Episode 44: Auschwitz (2011)
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1:04:45Season 1 · Episode 43Episode 43: The American Astronaut (2001)
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57:46Season 1 · Episode 4Special Report: Not Bad for a Human
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1:28:27Season 1 · Episode 42Episode 42: Electra Glide in Blue (1973)
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53:24Season 1 · Episode 41Episode 41: Straight Time (1978)
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1:21:36Season 1 · Episode 40Episode 40: Bloodsucking Freaks (1976)
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56:33Season 1 · Episode 39Episode 39: The Italian Connection (1972)
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1:15:13Season 1 · Episode 38Episode 38: The Woman Chaser (1999)
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1:32:11Season 1 · Episode 37Episode 37: World's Greatest Sinner (1962)
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59:11Season 1 · Episode 36Episode 36: Hickey & Boggs (1972)
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56:31Season 1 · Episode 35Episode 35: High & Low (1963)
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1:00:15Season 1 · Episode 34Episode 34: The Spook Who Sat by the Door (1973)
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1:10:45Season 1 · Episode 33Episode 33: The Man From Earth (2007)
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1:16:45Season 1 · Episode 32Episode 32: The Killer (1989)
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1:00:00Season 1 · Episode 31Episode 31: Big Wednesday (1978)
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1:06:31Season 1 · Episode 30Episode 30: Desperate Living (1977)
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2:09:01Season 1 · Episode 29Episode 29: Last Action Hero (1993) Part 1 & 2
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57:20Season 1 · Episode 28Episode 28: Darktown Strutters (1975)
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2:31:12Season 1 · Episode 27Episode 27: Kenneth Anger's Magick Lantern Cycle
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56:00Season 1 · Episode 26Episode 26: Phantom of the Paradise (1974)
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1:48:04Season 1 · Episode 25Episode 25: Shag (1989)
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59:27Season 1 · Episode 3Special Report: Fright Night (1985)
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