‘War of the Wills,’ made in Sonoma County, only available on Amazon Prime Video

There’s a new movie out, made in Sonoma County by a local cast and crew — “War of the Wills.” It’s not playing in any local film festivals or theaters, but it is available now on Amazon Prime Video.

The premise: A wealthy old man has died, leaving instructions stating that if his son and grandson are to inherit his wealth, the two of them must live in his large house for 29 days and not leave the property during that time. If one of them leaves, he forfeits his share of the inheritance.

The problem: They hate each other, so 29 days together under the same roof is like an eternity of torture. On the screen, big white numbers count off the days, scene by scene.

Steven David Martin, artistic director of the Raven Players in Healdsburg, plays the father — one of the would-be heirs. Kot Takahashi, who previously appeared in the films “A Word” in 2020 and “Great Job” in 2022, plays his adult son.

The title is a double play on words. Not only is the movie about a will, but both the father and son, each vying for the inheritance, are named Will.

Shot over 14 days in Sonoma County — at a vintage house in Petaluma, a motel in Sonoma and a cafe in Windsor — this 104-minute feature film cost $20,000 to make.

The script was cowritten by George M. Dondero, who also served as director and cinematographer, and his partner Bethany Browning.

Dondero has run his own video production company in Sonoma County, producing short films for nonprofits, government agencies and other entities, for the past 15 years.

Martin and Dondero have known each other that long. They met when Martin was working for a local advertising agency and they collaborated on some videos. This is Dondero’s first full-length film.

“Almost from the time we met, we’ve been talking about making a film together,” Martin said.

Martin’s character, William Hadeon Jr., is the kind of juicy role actors dream about. The long-neglectful absentee father is selfish, sarcastic and sadistic when he and his grown son are alone but displays nothing but consideration and concern when others are around.

The will is executed by a stern and exasperated attorney (Saskia Bauer), and its terms are enforced by two freelance security officers (Gina Alvarado and Emily Tugaw) who take turns standing guard to make sure neither father nor son leaves the house.

The father is crafty, never letting witnesses see that he is doing everything he can to drive his son away and gain the inheritance of several million dollars all for himself.

“Steven just burned up the screen,” Dondero said, but Martin is modest.

“Probably there were 90 seconds when I was watching the film that I wasn’t self-conscious,” Martin said.

Dondero began writing the story for the movie during the summer of 2020. He and Browning finished the script later that year and filming began in 2021.

“From script to finished film, the project took about a year and a half,” Dondero said. “It started with an idea from my past. As a kid, I had a very absent father, so I lied and told stories about him to explain why he wasn’t around. He was roaming the world.”

In the film, the younger Will relates the same background. By the time Dondero’s script mixes in a legend about an ancient curse, the story has taken on a dark and sinister aspect.

The film has gotten mixed criticism from some half a dozen reviewers, but with some encouraging praise.

“Martin’s performance and the situation between the father and his son are enough to make this a viewing that is worthwhile,” film critic Jason Knight wrote on the UK Film Review website.

“‘War of the Wills’ is a funny, devious and watchable film that features a strange but captivating plot line,” wrote Jolly Moel on the screencritix website.

Now that the film is finished, Dondero and his collaborators just want people to take a look at it.

“We’ve got so much talent in Sonoma County,” Martin said. “We’re just hoping to get the word out.”

You can reach Staff Writer Dan Taylor at dan.taylor@pressdemocrat.com or 707-521-5243. On Twitter @danarts.