Little Accidents

Little Accidents
Theatrical release poster.
Directed bySara Colangelo
Written bySara Colangelo
Based onLittle Accidents (short film)
by Sara Colangelo
Produced byAnne Carey
Jason Michael Berman
Tom Fore
StarringElizabeth Banks
Boyd Holbrook
Chloƫ Sevigny
Jacob Lofland
Josh Lucas
CinematographyRachel Morrison
Edited bySuzy Elmiger
Music byMarcelo Zarvos
Distributed byAmplify
Release date
Running time
105 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Little Accidents is a 2014 American independent Southern Gothic drama film directed and written by Sara Colangelo. Her feature length film debut, Colangelo based its screenplay on her own 2010 award-winning short film of same name, and took inspiration from the actual events of the Sago Mine and the Upper Big Branch Mine disasters in West Virginia, that occurred in 2006 and 2010 respectively.

Set in the Appalachian countryside in West Virginia in the aftermath of a major coal mining accident, the film focuses on three characters, Amos Jenkins, the sole surviving miner of the accident, portrayed by Boyd Holbrook, Diane Doyle, the wife of the coal mine's supervisor, portrayed by Elizabeth Banks, and Owen Briggs, the eldest teenage son of a miner who perished in the accident, portrayed by Jacob Lofland.

Amos finds himself conflicted when community members dependent upon the mine, including his own father, plead with to keep quiet about the mine's unsafe conditions to avoid its permanent closure, whereas family members of the deceased miners, including Owen's mother, portrayed by Chloe Sevigny, ask for him to participate in a class action lawsuit against the company operating the mine. On the wealthier side of the town, Diane's husband Bill, portrayed by Josh Lucas, finds himself implicated in an investigation regarding his role as the mine's supervisor. Their teenage son J.T., played by Travis Tope, is later involved in an encounter with Owen, that results in his disappearance.

Filming took place during the summer of 2013 in and around the cities of Beckley and Charleston in the state of West Virginia.

The film had its world premiere at 2014 Sundance Film Festival on January 22, 2014. The film was released on January 16, 2015 in a limited release by Amplify.