‘Against the Spread’ Is Florida’s Redneck Shakespeare

As if summer isn’t sweaty enough, a rising new talent pours on the heat in a new low-budget thriller shot exclusively in the Panhandle. Rural North Florida is ready for its close-up in Mitchell Cole’s “Against the Spread.” From the Altha-based writer, actor and director, the debut feature throws a spotlight on his hometown as the backdrop for a treacherous, suspenseful andoften darkly funny escapade about romance, revenge, bad luck and a $12,000 debt that comes dangerously overdue. “We thought of it as ‘Redneck Shakespeare,’” says Cole, who took inspiration from the Bard’s “The Merchant of Venice.” “It was such an absurd concept—a guy trying to borrow money to impress this girl because he thought she was rich.” Cole himself plays that character, Brook, a good ol’ boy whose dubious intentions only spell trouble for his uncle Anthony (Bobby Travato), a gambling addict who brokers a bad deal on his behalf with the town’s brutal loan shark Shiloh (Jerome Cooper)—his existential rival since high school football days. 

The movie, now available on Blu-ray and streaming platforms, makes the most of its Panhandle atmosphere, with locations in Altha, Panama City Beach, Chattahoochee and Bristol, and an impressively divey pool hall in Marianna called The Other Place. “It’s between the police station and the courthouse,” Cole says with a laugh. “And I don’t think Marianna has Uber.” The immersive local color and the filmmaker’s eye for social realism share a vibe with such Southern regional indies as “Sling Blade” (Arkansas), “Hustle and Flow” (Memphis) and “The Death of Dick Long” (Alabama)—a personal favorite of Cole’s, made by Daniel Scheinert (of Oscar-winning “Everything Everywhere All at Once” fame). 

“Cottonfields look like shit most of the time but there’s one week, two weeks, when they’re beautiful,” Cole explains. “It’s about knowing the beautiful places and the beautiful people but also knowing the other side of things—playing both of those against each other on screen.”

Cole also stars in the upcoming horror film “It Ends,” likewise shot in North Florida—by Florida State University film school grad Alexander Ullom.  He admits, though, that he’d prefer to be on either side of the camera rather than both, at least on the same film. “I’m a better me than anyone else,” he says. “(But) I’ll never do that again. That kinda sucked.”

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