Wheels is a 2014 dramatic film directed by Donavon Warren and Tim Gagliardo and written by Donavon Warren. It stars Donavon Warren, Patrick Hume, Diana Gettinger and Kevin McCorkle. The film was released on VOD Worldwide on February 1, 2017, in over 100 countries.
Plot
Mickey Cole has slit his wrists, rolled onto train tracks and thrown himself down stairs. He is a suicidalparaplegic who has restless nights with vivid dreams of walking again. After many suicide attempts, Mickey decides he needs help and seeks someone he believes has no scruples and would do anything for money. After witnessing Drake Jones con a businessman into giving him money, Mickey follows Drake, who is also a paraplegic, into a bar with the hopes of propositioning him to shoot Mickey in the head for $500. The two get into a bar brawl with bikers and wander out into the alley where Mickey finally asks Drake for help. In a twist of fate, the gun turns out to be filled with blanks. After suicide evades Mickey once again, he befriends the wild-eyed Drake. Drake introduces him to the wonders of heroin and street life. Mickey meets Janet, a prostitute who is more than willing to enable Mickey's thirst for attention. As Mickey becomes addicted to drugs, his friendship with Drake and his state of mind grows stronger. He struggles with childhood flashbacks and eventually confronts his estranged father Allan who he claims pushed him off a roof, causing his paralysis.
Donavon Warren began writing Wheels when he was 20. He attributes the storyline to his own struggles with depression, but also wished to highlight social issues people aren’t usually comfortable discussing. He's devoted 13 years of his life to making the film. Warren filmed the second half of the film 53 pounds lighter to reflect Mickey's drug abuse. He lost the weight eating tuna and apples. He simultaneously underwent medical testing for extra money to pay for the film. Hume cracked his own fingernails and carried around his own "dirt" to play the gritty homeless Drake. Hume and Warren spent time on skid row and Hollywood Blvd. in character to enrich their roles. Hume was questioned by the LAPD narcotics officers during filming for being too convincing.
