Where They Have Gone: Rochester Grad in the Movies

This is part of an ongoing series of stories on Rochester-area alumni and what they are doing now.

The summer before Kathleen McEneaney graduated from , she received a glimpse into what would eventually become her career ambition.

It was 2008 and McEneaney auditioned for a part in an independent film. Called The Myth of the American Sleepover, it was set on the fictional last day of summer, following several different teenage characters through various versions of the ritualistic "sleepover."

McEneaney, who was involved in theatre at Rochester High, got the part. She spent the summer filming in Clarkston, Royal Oak, Clawson and other southeast Michigan locations.

Then, McEneaney finished her senior year at Rochester High, graduating in 2009, and went on to Grand Valley State University, where she decided to major in film studies.

This summer, three years later, as McEneaney looks toward her junior year at the Allendale school, the movie has finally been released — and it's earning accolades from film festivals and movie critics across the country.

It was an official selection of the Cannes Film Festival Critics Week. Earlier this month it had its Michigan release at the Main Art Theater in Royal Oak.

It's not set for any sort of nationwide release; you can see it on demand on Comcast and some satellite services.

"I'm hoping it will be able to play in more theaters," McEneaney said.

About the role: McEneaney plays the part of Katie Parke, a host of one of the sleepovers. She has several lines in the film and can even be spotted for a split second during a parade dance scene in the movie trailer.

A New York Times reviewer called the movie "the unsteady mixture of sophistication and naïveté that is central to the modern American teenage way of being in the world."

McEneaney agreed.

"There are no cell phones in the movie, nobody's on Facebook, so it almost feels like it coud be set in any time," McEnearney said.

Back in high school: McEneaney's interest in the film industry started when she took her first video production class at Rochester High. McEneaney, the daughter of Cheri and John McEneaney of Rochester, also played clarinet in the Rochester High marching band and was active in theater.

Today: At Grand Valley, McEneaney is a film and video major getting ready to start her junior year. She still is unsure which aspect of film she would like to study.

"I'm into editing, but I also have an interest in audio. Maybe directing?" she said.

She also plays field drums at Grand Valley.

What she misses about home: "It's nice being able to go to downtown Rochester. When I'm at school, I have to take a bus to get to a downtown like that."

Her thoughts on the film tax credits: "I wish they would give Michigan's incentives a little bit more time. There has been the start of some really great production companies here."

If you have roots in Rochester or Rochester Hills and want to share the story of what you're doing now, send an email to editor Kristin Bull at Kristin.Bull@patch.com.