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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59:06Season 1 · Episode 24Episode 24: The Forbidden Zone (1980)
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59:00Season 1 · Episode 23Episode 23: Streets Of Fire (1984)
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58:27Season 1 · Episode 2Special Report: Captain America (1990)
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59:00Season 1 · Episode 22Episode 22: Tapeheads (1988)
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57:08Season 1 · Episode 21Episode 21: Traxx (1988) (Original)
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1:21:39Season 1 · Episode 20Episode 20: Crime Wave (1985)
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1:45:41Season 1 · Episode 19Episode 19: The Big Red One (1980)
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51:40Season 1 · Episode 18Episode 18: Candy Tangerine Man (1975)
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1:59:55Season 1 · Episode 17Episode 17: The Warriors (1979)
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2:25:52Season 1 · Episode 16Episode 16: Robocop (1987)
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1:19:46Season 1 · Episode 15Episode 15: The Art of Dying (1991)
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48:49Season 1 · Episode 14Episode 14: Flight to Fury (1964)
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56:27Season 1 · Episode 13Episode 13: Deadbeat At Dawn (1988)
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49:42Season 1 · Episode 12Episode 12: Shock Treatment (1981)
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2:22:07Season 1 · Episode 11Episode 11: Freaked (1993)
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1:02:39Season 1 · Episode 10Episode 10: Head (1968)
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1:14:24Season 1 · Episode 9Episode 9: Free Enterprise (1998)
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58:54Season 1 · Episode 8Episode 8: Wacko (1983)
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1:12:23Season 1 · Episode 7Episode 7: Stripteaser (1995)
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46:43Season 1 · Episode 6Episode 6: Dead Ringer (1982)
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1:03:03Season 1 · Episode 5Episode 5: Red Scorpion (1988)
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25:06Season 1 · Episode 1Special Report: The Day The Clown Cried (1972)
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1:17:29Season 1 · Episode 4Episode 4: Dune (1984)
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1:03:25Season 1 · Episode 3Episode 3: The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (1974)
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54:34Season 1 · Episode 2Episode 2: Abar, The First Black Superman (1977)
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