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WELCOME TO THE RILEYS is the gripping story of three people whose lives are transformed when they accidentally intersect in a film of gentle humor and heartbreaking emotion.

Eight years after the tragic death of their teenage daughter, Doug Riley (JAMES GANDOLFINI) and Lois (MELISSA LEO) are sleepwalking through life. Lois has withdrawn from the world and imprisoned herself in their suburban home. Doug seeks solace in an affair with a local waitress. But when his mistress suddenly dies Doug is overwhelmed by loss – both past and present. He escapes to New Orleans for a business convention. Too vulnerable to enjoy the company of his fellow businessman, Doug evades them by ducking into a strip joint where he encounters Mallory (KRISTEN STEWART), a sixteen-year-old runaway struggling to survive.

Mallory is a fiercely independent young woman – bruised by street life and emotionally volatile. When they later run into each other in a French Quarter diner, Doug and Mallory recognize each other as two wounded souls. Driven by needs and feelings that he can’t really explain, Doug is compelled to become Mallory’s guardian. He offers her $100 a day if she will let him stay with her. Mallory greedily accepts his offer but then finds herself becoming a surrogate daughter to Doug. It is unfamiliar territory for Mallory – she has never been around a man who didn’t want to sexually exploit her.Happy to feel a sense of connection and purpose again, Doug calls Lois to say that he will not be coming home. Threatened by the loss of her marriage of almost thirty years, Lois summons all of her strength to overcome her agoraphobia and drives to New Orleans to reclaim their relationship. It is a journey that slowly brings Lois back to life.

The importance of human connection – and the damage done by its absence – is powerfully and exquisitely explored in this story of three people who can’t find themselves until they truly connect with each other. – Edited from Caroline Libresco’s synopsis, Sundance Film Festival