Former Power Ranger Amy Jo Johnson's First Feature Film Debuting In Enumclaw

ENUMCLAW, WA — Amy Jo Johnson's acting career began in the 1990s on the show "Mighty Morphin Power Rangers" playing the Pink Ranger, a character that morphs into a giant ninja robot. Her career since that show has followed a similarly malleable path.

Johnson recently completed work on her first feature length film, "The Space Between," and she's about to embark on a tour of U.S. cities to show it off. On Sept. 8, Johnson will host a premier party at The Chalet Theatre in Enumclaw with a showing of the film plus musical performances with bands from the soundtrack.

"It's more of a party," she told Patch. "It's going to be a really fun night."

Johnson hasn't played the role of Kimberly Hart, the Pink Power Ranger, since the last Power Rangers movie in 1997. But the popularity of that character — plus having a main role on the cult hit TV series "Felicity" — enabled her to generate the support she needed to make "The Space Between."

After writing and directing a short film, "Shooting Blanks," Johnson decided to tackle her first feature. She raised about $134,000 through an Indiegogo campaign. The seven cities where Johnson will show the film were big centers of support for that campaign — and Johnson thinks that her Power Rangers and "Felicity" fans played a big role in that.

"We wanted to make sure they toured the film in areas where people were part of the campaign," she said.

The film also features an Enumclaw band, The Forgotten 45s, on its soundtrack. The Forgotten 45s will play live at the premier along with singer-songwriter Jeff Hamilton and Johnson, who has released three albums since 2001.

"The Space Between" is a comedy-drama in the vein of Noah Baumbach or Wes Anderson's films. Johnson names Baumbauch as an influence, as well as Jean-Marc Vallée, who directed "The Dallas Buyers Club" and "Wild." Johnson's movie tells the story of a new father, Mitch, who finds out his new baby isn't actually his. So Mitch sets out on a journey to find the real father while his wife tries to save the marriage.

While it is a comedy, "The Space Between" definitely references the films of Baumbach and Anderson, where characters can move from slapstick humor in one scene to dealing with serious issues just minutes later — like how Anderson's "The Royal Tenenbaums" veered from absurd humor to a graphic scene of suicide.

"It touches on subjects like infertility and a little girl who lost her mom to suicide," Johnson explains. "The movie ultimately is about forgiveness and acceptance, but it has an absurd sense of humor. I find that's the only way to get through life, finding humor within."

Johnson wrote, directed, produced and acted in the movie. She finished shooting it in Canada last summer (Johnson is originally from Hyannis, Massachusetts, but now lives in Toronto with her family). The film premiered at the Shanghai Film Festival and continued on the festival circuit, including Gina Davis' Bentonville Film Festival, which showcases movies made by women.

Johnson is now working on her second feature, "Breaking Emma." The semi-autobiographical story focuses on a woman who at age 35 struggles with the decision to leave Los Angeles and pursue a family and a different career direction.

Even though Johnson's career has morphed in new and interesting directions since, her role in that 1990s kids show is still helping her out. All the kids who grew up watching that show are now adults who are happy to support her film-making.

"It's like free good karma," she says of her legacy as Kimberly Hart, the Pink Ranger. "I'm grateful to the people who have followed my career."

"The Space Between" premier starts at 7 p.m. on Sept. 8 at The Chalet Theater, 1721 Wells St., Enumclaw. Tickets are available online from Brown Paper Tickets.

Image courtesy Amy Jo Johnson