An independent film called Low and Behold had its world premiere at this year's Sundance Film Festival in Salt Lake City, bringing to the forefront situations often faced by adjusters but not commonly known to the public.

The independent film, co-written and directed by Zack Godshall, examines a slice-of-life moment of Turner Stull, a newbie claim adjuster who is working his first caseload in post-Katrina New Orleans. According to the film's web site, Stull is a young and uninspired man who is trying to figure out what to do with his life. Along the way he meets his uncle, a seasoned claim adjuster who teaches Turner his time-tested routine: Move fast, don't get emotionally involved, and make a lot of money. True or not, this situation might sound familiar to a few adjusters out there.

Low and Behold's other writer, Barlow Jacobs, plays the role of the main character. Jacobs was living in New Orleans when Katrina struck and, according to production notes on the movie's web site, even worked as an insurance claim adjuster for several months in the Gulf Coast. After being forced to evacuate to Tennessee prior to the storm making landfall, he returned to New Orleans to take a claim-adjusting position, which allowed him to immerse himself in the process and understand the job. With this experience serving as inspiration, Jacobs wrote the script for the film.

“The film is a comedy and a celebration,” said Godshall, in a statement found on the film's web site. “But it is also an elegy and a lament for all the losses that cannot be counted and the suffering that will not cease but can only be soothed. Even still, hope is not a vain thing, and there is reason to celebrate. There is a spirit in this place that will not die, and so neither will New Orleans nor St. Bernard Parish. They will endure.”

At press time, the film has not yet found a distributor. To get more information about the film and upcoming screenings, go to www.lowandbeholdmovie.com.

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