Movie based on Mokena author's story begins filming

MOKENA – As Brian Sweeney stood and watched his Mokena home be turned into a movie set to make his book, “Every 21 Seconds,” come to life, he had to admit something.

“It is kind of weird,” Sweeney said. “It just seemed humbling in one effect, and kind of odd.”

It was not just because he and his wife, Mary Beth Sweeney, were being portrayed by professional actors, or that his family photos were replaced by photos of those actors. It was because he never thought his story of dealing with a traumatic brain injury would ever have had such an impact.

Brian wrote “Every 21 Seconds” to document his experience of TBI and recovery. The title refers to the statistic that every 21 seconds someone in the U.S. will experience a TBI. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 1.7 million people suffer a TBI every year.

The story began 25 years ago, when Brian was on a trip with some friends at Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. He and his friends were at a bar, where a patron had too much to drink and was being particularly rowdy.

Brian doesn’t remember much beyond that.

That is because as he and his friends were leaving, Brian was mistaken by the man for someone else and attacked. The man delivered multiple blows to Brian’s head and he had to be hospitalized.

The severe TBI Brian suffered resulted in months of rehab, including having to learn how to remember simple things. His injury would cause him to forget things as simple as his wallet, and he would leave it at the store.

Brian’s wife remembers her husband was perpetually frustrated by the effects of the TBI, and it took about a year and a half before he was even close to normal. But he was determined to work at it and saw any possible new hardship because of the TBI as a challenge.

“After a while it was great,” Mary Beth said. “That’s how he worked at it. [He’d say,] ‘They think I’m not going to do it. I’m going to do it.’ And he worked at everything.”

She admits at the beginning it was scary. Right after the injury, Brian was in a bit of denial. He wanted to drive and go to work. He would eventually work up to those things, but he was restless.

He wanted to remember what happened to him.

So Brian decided, with some encouragement from Mary Beth, to write down his story. He relied on her and others to help him with the fuzzy details.

“Most people didn’t want to talk about it,” Brian said. “They want to forget what they remember. I wanted to remember what I forgot.”

Once he completed the book, he sent it out to publishers and it was accepted and published by Tate Publishing in 2009. The book received praise from not only readers who related to his struggles, but also from professionals who study TBIs and said the book was a realistic portrayal of the experience of dealing with such an injury.

Production for the movie began about two years ago, and while it was delayed because of lack of funding, eventually planning began and actors were cast.

Two 9 Productions and Road 28 Productions are collaborating in the making of the film, which is set for an April 2018 release.

The movie stars actors Shannon Brown as Brian and Kelly Thiebaud as Mary Beth.

Another notable cast member is Jim O'Heir, known for his role as Jerry Gergich on the sitcom "Parks and
Recreation." He plays Dr. Synkowski.

Filming began last week.

“It’s a great story,” Brown said. “It’s a human triumph story.”

Brown said that playing Brian, a real person who is still alive, is a particular challenge for an actor who usually plays fictional characters.

“I’ll be honest, it keeps me up at night sometimes,” Brown said. “Because, again, I can’t make a mockery out of it, but I also can’t play it safe and vanilla. I got to push the envelope for the film to be successful.”

Ultimately, Brian said, the whole process is not about him. He wants to give the millions of people who have been affected by TBI hope by telling his story.

“I thought I had a good story that might be optimistic,” he said. “It might show the better side of what you can do.”

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LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION!

“Every 21 Seconds” will be filming in Will County throughout the next month, including:

• May 13 to May 15 at Joliet Junior College;

• May 28 at the Will County Courthouse in Joliet;

• June 2 at Gatto’s Italian Restaurant and Bar in New Lenox;

• Various additional locations in Mokena.