THE KEEPING ROOM screens Friday, November 6th at 4:45pm and Sunday, November 8th at 9:15pm as part of The St. Louis International Film Festival. Both screenings are at The Plaza Frontenac Theater. Ticket information can be foundHEREand HERE
During the last days of the War Between the States, Augusta (Brit Marling, I ORIGINS, ANOTHER EARTH) and her younger sister Louise (Hailee Steinfeld, TRUE GRIT), along with the former slave Mad (Muna Otaru), are etching out a meager existence in the deep South, surviving one day at a time on sparse vegetables they grow in a barren garden, and little meat. Their time is spent working all day, or longing for the days of old when they wore fine dresses and men came calling. The sheer monotony of their isolated lives is slowly wearing the women down, but things change one afternoon when Louise is bitten by a raccoon and needs some medicine to fight the fever from the infection. On a trip to a nearby saloon to find help, Augusta encounters two murderous Yankees, and soon the three women are fighting to survive when the renegade soldiers lay siege to their homestead, in the suspenseful new film THE KEEPING ROOM.
Stories depicting the women of the South left to fend for themselves when their fathers and brothers all went to war are certainly nothing new. From the classic GONE WITH THE WIND to THE BEGUILED to COLD MOUNTAIN, several films have examined different aspects of these fascinating characters. One thing most of these movies have in common is their portrayal of smart and strong-willed females who ultimately survive every physical and emotional tragedy that is thrown at them. THE KEEPING ROOM adds its own twist to these tales, as it navigates a fairly simple story with excellent performances, a sense of historical realism, and themes of who really survives when a war is over.
Director Daniel Barber tells this story with a spare, almost elegaic style, accompanied by a lightly discordant string musical score. The evil nature of the film’s main villains (Kyle Soller and a nearly unrecognizable Sam Worthington) is established in a brutal and shocking opening scene. The mundane daily life of the women is shown as a series of chores, eating, and sleeping. Both of these sequences have almost no dialogue, as Barber lets the camera reveal this information with visual details. The first half of the film slowly builds the tension surrounding the women, as we know nearly from the beginning that they are on a collision course when the violence of the war comes knocking (literally) at their door.
Marling is wonderful as the solid and unflinching Augusta, never yielding one iota (as mama used to say) even as she worries that she’ll end up alone, not ever being with a man. But Marling also shows the depth of her character in a heartrending scene in which she tells a version of the 1001 Arabian Nights to her deathly ill sister. Steinfeld is at first a petulant and stereotypical Southern belle, but soon becomes the focal point of the plot as both older women attempt to protect her. Otaru as the slave Mad is the most sympathetic character, as she relates her own experiences which are just as horrifying as the war.
In one of the most sadly beautiful scenes in the film, Sherman’s march to the sea is referenced as the women realize that war really is hell, even more so to those left behind than the soldiers who fight them. In the end, these survivors have a plan that just might see them to safety, and on the evidence depicted in THE KEEPING ROOM, we understand how such strong and resourceful women truly won their war.
Called “a feminist western with bite” (Indiewire) and “a beautifully breathless revisionist western” midway between Cold Mountain and Straw Dogs (Little White Lies), anchored in the “bold and fearless” performances (Film School Rejects) delivered by its lead women,” Drafthouse Films has released a new trailer for THE KEEPING ROOM.
In this radically reimagined American Western set towards the end of the Civil War, Southerner Augusta (Brit Marling, Arbitrage, The East) encounters two renegade, drunken soldiers (Sam Worthington, Avatar & Kyle Soller, BBC’s “Poldark”) who are on a mission of pillage and violence. After escaping an attempted assault, Augusta races back to the isolated farmhouse that she shares with her sister Louise (Hailee Steinfeld, True Grit, Pitch Perfect 2) and their female slave Mad (newcomer Muna Otaru.) When the pair of soldiers track Augusta down intent on exacting revenge, the trio of women are forced to take up arms to fend off their assailants, finding ways to resourcefully defend their home––and themselves––as the escalating attacks become more unpredictable and relentless.
Based on Julia Hart’s revered 2012 Black List screenplay, and directed by Academy Award Nominated Daniel Barber (Harry Brown), THE KEEPING ROOM is a tense and uncompromising tale of survival that also shatters both gender and genre conventions.
Drafthouse Films acquired US distribution rights to the movie after its successful world premiere at Toronto International Film Festival in 2014.
Fully engrossed, I became, in this hauntingly beautiful, rare telling of the formative history behind one of our nation’s greatest men in history. So much of what we learn in school about Abraham Lincoln focuses on his accomplishments as our country’s 16th President. Rightfully so, but as children in school, would it not make sense to also learn about how these great men and women grew up? Childhood experience is crucial to the development of character, which is paramount to THE BETTER ANGELS, a film that introduces the audience to a much younger Lincoln than we’re typically accustomed.
THE BETTER ANGELS illustrates the difficulties Lincoln endured as a child, growing up poor and secluded from anyone but his small family in the remote Indiana woods of 1817. Tragedy strikes his family, hard lessons are learned, but Lincoln evolves on screen before us in raw, subtle form. His father (Jason Clarke) loves him, but its an old world tough love kind of relationship, one that surely strengthens Lincoln’s backbone, but its the women in his life, played by Diane Kruger and Brit Marling, that make a specific imprint in his moral character.
Braydon Denney portrays the young Lincoln with palpable emotional restraint, showcasing a more internal struggle within the character that supersedes the hardships of his external environment. Other men in his life, older than he but still his contemporaries, act as supporting influences, but his mother and step mother ultimately share responsibility for keeping his intellect alive and helping make his way to getting a school house education. THE BETTER ANGELS is a film of a philosophical nature, a film intent on provoking thought, a process Lincoln clearly spent his life pursuing.
Writer and director A.J. Edwards makes his feature film debut with THE BETTER ANGELS. The film is produced by Terrence Malick, whose films have clearly had a strong influence on Edwards’ style and vision. Presented in black and white, Edwards paints an entire landscape of achromatic visuals that stand on their own as photographic gems. On the surface, it may seem Edwards fills gaps in dialogue with beautifully sculpted shots, but in fact these visual interludes serve to support the reflective, contemplative nature of Lincoln’s boyhood.
THE BETTER ANGELS is saturated with visual and musical beauty. The score transports the viewer into another time and place, some place that straddles the wild and untamed with the enlightened. Simultaneously, the cinematography allows the viewer to peer into another plane of historical existence, as thought depicting real events, but through the lens of a dreamer, an ethereal plane of meditation that feels limitless but also dangerous. Anyone familiar with Malick’s work will undoubtedly notice the influence on Edwards’ pacing and visual storytelling, but that all serves to enhance this revealing exploration of circumstances that gave of arguably the greatest President of the United States.
Edwards has made a small, intimate film with great care and passion. This is a film that will appeal more to the historian and philosopher than the average moviegoer seeking entertainment. THE BETTER ANGELS is a period film, but you will not get LAST OF THE MOHICANS (as great a film as that is) or another Civil War film. Here you get raw human emotion, a struggle to survive in realistic form, and the impossibly daunting endeavor of becoming a man of greatness from the depths of poverty. THE BETTER ANGELS is top notch stage play material brought vividly to life by the magic of motion picture arts, hones to a level of fine arts and crafted with a philosopher’s mind.
I ORIGINS, the second feature film from writer and director Mike Cahill, tells the story of Dr. Ian Gray (Michael Pitt),tells the story about a molecular biologist studying the evolution of the eye, and finds himself in a struggle between science and spirituality. Recently, I sat down with director Mike Cahill and star Michael Pitt to talk about the film Check it out below!
He finds his work permeating his life after a brief encounter with an exotic young woman (Astrid Bergès- Frisbey) who slips away from him. As his research continues years later with his lab partner Karen (Brit Marling), they make a stunning scientific discovery that has far reaching implications and complicates both his scientific and spiritual beliefs. Traveling half way around the world, he risks everything he has ever known to validate his theory.
What is the impetus of the idea?
MIKE CAHILL : This idea was floating around in my head for a decade. But it wasn’t until I met Michael [Pitt] on a general meeting in Brooklyn that the abstraction became concrete. I had a lot of research – I had researched the eye, the fact that eyes are unique, all of our irises are unique, I was fascinated by the fact that the eye forms when you’re in your mother’s womb and stays the same your entire life, identical twins have different eyes – and if you look at the poster, it’s aesthetically beautiful and feels very spiritual in a way, but it also feels very scientific and like a nebula in space. But again, it wasn’t until I was given the opportunity to meet Michael – I leapt at the opportunity because I had admired him from afar for a very long time as an artist for all the choices he makes; whenever he’s in a film, I’m super-excited to see it just because his choices are surprising and bold and thoughtful in the role and in the scenes. So we chatted, artist to artist, and it was in the middle of the conversation – I was swept up by his amazing sense of humor and personality, and incredible wisdom and insights on the world – and it was interesting because Michael as an artist has such integrity and the things he does are for the purpose of the art. In many ways, that’s very similar to Ian who is doing the purpose of the work. It felt like to capture the truth of a Ph.D. student whose prime goal is discovery, something just gelled, and right in that moment I said, ‘Michael, can I tell you a story?!’ I told him about the duplicate eyes and Ian Grey and he was very encouraging and said, ‘You’ve got a future, kid.’ (Laughs)
MICHAEL PITT : He explained to me the story as though it was something he read in the science journal about duplicates coming up, and I was like, ‘This is amazing. This is true?’ and he was like, ‘No, I just made it up.’ (Laughs) I was like, ‘Who the fuck is this guy?’ But then two really interesting things happened when he did that: 1) I wasn’t surprised. In thinking about it, I wasn’t surprised. I wanted to read up on it, what was going on, but there was this weird realization for that minute that I believed he was informing of something that had just occurred. I wasn’t surprised. That was really interesting. And then, I was like, ‘At the end of the movie or later at some point, if you can put the audience in the same place that you just put me where they believe it or want to believe it or go on a suspension of disbelief, I think we can do something really cool.’
What about the leap of faith aspect and the balance of science versus religion?
MIKE CAHILL : Throughout history, science and spirituality have collided. This is not a new thing at all; this has been going on forever.
MICHAEL PITT : It used to be dangerous to discover scientific things.
MIKE CAHILL : Yeah, burned at the stake. But I had this feeling that science and spirituality don’t have to be at odds with each other. There’s an experiment Karen does in the film, which is based on a real experiment, which is modifying worms that have two senses – smell and touch – and modifying them to have vision. Scientists can do that in a laboratory today. They do, do that. When I learned about that, that blew my mind, and all of a sudden it shed a lot of light on how science and spirituality actually are right, not on the same plane, but they don’t have to be colliding with one another. If this worm all of a sudden has access to another world that we know is there, it’s right there on top of it – light, sound is all around – and sound and light are indirectly influencing each other – the light of the sun will warm an apple and the worm can smell that – and through that metaphor, you understand how, first of all, five sense are by no means the limit. That’s too much hubris to say we’re the top of the sensorial perception species. So it follows that there must be more domains that we don’t have access to; that’s the metaphysical. There are so many religions – there’s like five or six huge religions with hundreds of millions of followers – and we’ve been trying to create narratives to explain that which is only having its echoes in our tangible, touchable, testable realm. And when you can wrap your head around that thought – the worms – you find that you can reconcile the two quite easily. I find. Does that make sense?
Which comes first for you – the scientific what-ifs you’re asking, or the characters?
MIKE CAHILL : For me, as a writer the way it works is, concept comes first, and then the imperative story within that concept emerges. So with Another Earth, it was string theories, concept of multi-verse and duplicate earth, and who needs to meet themselves most – so that’s where the character emerges. With this, it’s iris biometrics, the iris returning, whose story do we need to tell in that paradigm – so all this science stuff is just the texture, but the story is about a man who loves deeply and loses that love, then loves again in a totally new and different way, and coming to terms with that loss and the different types of love, which you could tell without science-fiction at all, but it just makes it cooler.
So you’re a bit of a romantic then?
MIKE CAHILL : Yeah, totally. No, not at all.
MICHAEL PITT : The kid’s a Romeo.
You said that you would like to challenge your audience with the roles that you take. Is there any particular role or challenge that you are looking for next?
MICHAEL PITT : I have a couple of projects that I’m developing right now. I probably shouldn’t talk about them. [Laughs] What I’m trying to do right now in my career is… I’ve had a really amazing career where I’ve gotten to work with some amazing directors who’ve sort of taken me under their wing. They’ve had huge resumes, and have changed cinema in a lot of ways. I’m really trying to be active in working with the new generation of filmmakers – Mike being one of them. I’m putting what i’ve learned into that, and supporting that. Also, being more active and not sitting around waiting for the projects to come, because if you are selective it can… Before I did ‘Boardwalk Empire’ I had just done a film with Michael Haneke, who’s an amazing director. He may be the smartest director – most intellectual director that I’ve ever worked with. [Looks at Mike Cahill and laughs] He’s in his 70’s though, so you’ve got some time.[Laughs]
MIKE CAHILL : I bow down. [Laughs]
MICHAEL PITT : You know, working on a level – you know, some of his films are really hard to watch. It’s not necessarily a pleasant experience – but working with him… that guy is working on a whole nother level. After having that experience, it kind of messed with my head… a little bit. I was like “I’m not going to work on something if I’m not positive. Unless creatively it interests me. I’m not going to go backwards after having that experience.” and I didn’t work for three years. I was either going to have to move out of my house in Bed-Stuy, and I was like “First of all, aren’t I supposed to be some sort of a famous actor? Second of all, where do you go when you have to leave Bed-Stuy? [Laughs] Where the fuck do you go?” Luckily, [Martin] Scorsese gave me that project. What was amazing about meeting him was he saw my choices. It had a lot to do with it, and when that happens you’re just like ‘Whew!’ [Laughs] You’re not doing it for nothing. There are people…
Both Michael and Brit seem to have that same language where they’re both trying to be choosey in their roles. What is that like, as a director, to work with actors that are so responsible with their careers, and what they want to do, and their storytelling?
MIKE CAHILL : I mean, it’s a huge privilege. It’s no secret that this movie is a very inexpensive movie. You know everyone who’s involved is passionate about it. They’re not coming for a paycheck. They’re coming because of the art form. What I was so impressed with everyday in working with Michael and continuing to work with Brit is the amount of work that they put into it – building up to it – to build these characters. He doesn’t just show up on set. He’s so involved. Ian Gray is his. He created Ian Gray, and that involved spending time in the laboratory, working with scientists, learning the mundane movements that they would do, extracting DNA, eye cleansing with saline solution, and burning gels.These guys would soak it up and make these mannerisms baked in to their own DNA. I witnessed the shift in energy. We called Michael Ian when we were filming, the entire time. Even when the cameras weren’t rolling. It was as if an ionic charge of all his cells became Ian. It’s something that is really, really hard to describe… but really easy to witness, or to pinpoint and see. You know that people are coming together because they want to be there, and they want to do the work. It just makes life a lot easier.
How much does location inform an actor, because obviously New York, you live there, you film there… there’s an energy…
MICHAEL PITT : …I love California though… I want to say that for the record. I’m not a hater. [Laughs] People assume that if you’re from New York that you hate California.
No, no, no. I’m leading somewhere different…
MICHAEL PITT : Sorry. [Laughs] What was the question?
When you go to New Dehli, how does that inform you – the environment there? Most people will never get an opportunity to partake in that landscape, so…
MICHAEL PITT : What do you mean?
Didn’t you shoot in India?
MICHAEL PITT : That was a set.
MIKE CAHILL : No. That was a set!
That was a set?
MICHAEL PITT : No, I’m just kidding! [Laughs] We did that in the studio.[Laughs] That would be amazing! One thing, that I’m super blessed to do… One of the advantages of being an actor is that you do get to travel to these places, all over the world. Early on in my career, it just so happens that I was digging a lot of filmmakers were doing in Europe, so I got a chance to go there, and work there, and I kind of went the other way. I mean, I love traveling. People ask me ‘What place don’t you like?’ and I’m like ‘None!’
Did you sense the spirituality there?
MICHAEL PITT : Oh! That place is a pulse. It’s a giant place of spirituality, science, corruption, extreme beauty, extreme tragedy. I had to shoot a film right after. If I didn’t, and this is not that uncommon, I probably would have gotten lost for a couple of months.
This movie was a breath of fresh air because I had just watched ‘Hannibal’, and then there you are [in this film] looking beautiful. You’re not crazy… Safety!
MICHAEL PITT : It’s safe for my mother! ‘Can I watch this one?’ [Laughs] Poor mom.
You’re saying you warned her about THE DREAMERS?
MICHAEL PITT : Ahh… yeah. She was warned about that.
You have made such interesting choices. Obviously, you’ve kind of touched on that. I know it may seem like a very simplistic question, but what was it in Ian? What kind of muscles did you get to stretch, or what was it that you got to do that you haven’t really gotten to explore before in your character?
MICHAEL PITT : Well, I’m constantly trying to learn. I would be very nervous if I get to the point where I wasn’t. I just don’t even know where you would go after that. It’s a character that I haven’t been able to… I haven’t played yet. It’s kind of something that I think… It was really technical. It was a seriously challenging role. I wish I had more time with that role. That’s kind of normal. I always feel that way, but this one in particular wasn’t easy. Just getting over the scientific jargon… I don’t say line that I don’t understand, so you’ve got to get a general understanding of the lines. Mike was amazing because he spent a lot of time with me. Also, his brother was a scientist who really taught me to understand the basis of what they are doing. That’s just like a technical thing. And then, he’s {Mike Cahill] just, like, this creative genius who’s got a short hand in science. It wasn’t that uncommon for him to get inspired at 2 o’clock in the morning and say ‘Oh! I just wrote a three page scene.’ [Laughs] So, there were those technical things, just character things, that were needed to technically run its repetition. But then, on a more instinctual level, I loved playing this character. It was… he was so passionate about science, and so, sort of… in one direction about data, and proof, and trying to create this little light that’s burning about what he believes… and in another sense, how does a guy who’s a little socially awkward, what does he look like. That was fun, but difficult. It was a really challenging role.
Did you empathize with the plight of losing someone that you love right in front of them, and then starting the next chapter of his life, and starting over again… letting love be rebirther to him, and seeing something new?
MICHAEL PITT : Do you mean at the end?
Not to give too much away, but after the tragic element occurs in his life, he allows himself, with Karen…
MICHAEL PITT : Yeah.
… to love again.
MICHAEL PITT : Working with Brit, and deciding how we were going to approach that relationship was really interesting. We gave a lot of thought to it. It was something that’s difficult. The way that I looked at it was that these things were, this love was happening. He had no idea that this was evolving, and then in that scene when they kiss, I think it was as surprising to him, at that moment. It came out of a really desperate moment, that these two bonded, and it was like that they had been turning into this relationship and from that moment fourth moment, I never played it in a way where that was ever shaken. He new that she was the one. The only thing that through that off balance was when tragic things happen is not having closure. It’s important to take the time to close whatever chapter, whatever that means. He never did it. He kind of lived with it. Stuffed it aside and lived with it. Of course, at some point it comes back.
I ORIGINS is in select theaters now, opens everywhere tomorrow
2011 saw the release of one of the quirkiest of the many independent film releases (and there were many oddball little flicks), ANOTHER EARTH. This weird drama/science fiction/fantasy hybrid (it does indeed concern a twin to our big, blue marble) was the first collaboration between director Mike Cahill and actress Brit Marling (the two co-wrote the script). It was an uneven blend of mysticism and intimate character study. Since then Marling became one of the “indie” film scene’s “it” girls with leads in THE SOUND OF MY VOICE and THE EAST, while scoring some supporting roles in mainstream studio flicks like THE COMPANY YOU KEEP and ARBITRAGE. Now the two are back, working together (but not writing) on a science speculative/drama/love story I ORIGINS. And while Marling is not the lead player this time out, it still has that offbeat, off-center vibe while being much more down to (just this one) Earth.
The film begins with a voice-over by the movie’s main protagonist Ian (Michael Pitt) as we see intense close-ups of human eyes. Ian is a molecular biologist who has collected eye photos ever since he could pick up a camera, even concocting a special flash/lens set-up for just that purpose. The story then shifts backwards six or seven years to the college lab he shared with fellow scientist Kenny (Steven Yeun). Much to Ian’s annoyance they are assigned a student assistant Karen (Marling) who’s earning extra credit for her time. Ian hopes to eradicate color blindness and thinks the key may be to actually build or grow an eye on a test animal. Karen takes her internship seriously and begins the search for a sightless, eyeless animal from thousands of candidates, which would have the right molecular make-up that will allow them to add vision. That evening at a friend’s Halloween party, Ian is accosted by a woman wearing a full face ninja-like black stocking mask. He whips out his camera to snap a shot of her exposed eyes. But just as they are getting better “acquainted” in the bathroom, she dashes away like Cinderella at midnight. Spotting the same eyes on a billboard for cosmetics, he tracks down the model, the gorgeous Sofi (Astrid Berges-Frisbey). They begin a whirlwind, doomed, passionate affair. Flash forward to the present day. Ian and Kenny are behind a worldwide internet database of eyes and their owners. When some researchers make some odd tests on his newborn son, this sets Ian on another worldwide quest in search of those unique eyes from a party so long ago.
Pitt, so menacing in FUNNY GAMES and the TV series “Hannibal”, isn’t given a lot to do as the lead here. He’s aloof as the scientist, fervent (and a bit creepy) as the pursuing lover, and testy as the doubting researcher. Yeun, so wonderful as Glen on AMC’s “The Walking Dead”, is regulated to observer role when he’s not helping to explain the convoluted proceedings. And Marling must spew endless science-speak as her character tries to hide her feelings and motivations. She an engaging screen presence saddled with a glorified “Ygor” part. Berges-Frisbey is supposed to be the free spirit that saves Ian from his work, but besides the physical (and she is quite lovely), there’s no convincing reason that Sofi and Ian should be together (she’s visibly repulsed by Ian’s lab) besides plot mechanics (plus I had a difficult time with her thick accent). Marlin’s co-star from EARTH, William Mapother is brought in as a pointless “red herring” while “The Good Wife” cast member Archie Panjabi is required to furl her brow and push Ian toward the film’s final fade-out.
Director Cahill makes good use of the NYC locations (love the view out the lab window), but keeps the film moving at a snail’s pace. For the first half we’re supposed to be enthralled by the romantic search (the stalking subway waltz feels very off), then we’re slammed with lots of metaphysical mumbo-jumbo that’s never fully resolved. Is this about reincarnation? Are souls transferred from the dead to newborns via shared eye colors? A last act trip overseas seems a desperate attempt to liven things up, but only re-enforces tired cultural stereotypes. Just when it appears that Ian has made some revelation (we almost expect the bright lightbulb to materialize above his noggin), the film just thuds to an abrupt stop. Cahill raises some interesting concepts and theories, but doesn’t follow-through on many of the plot points. Perhaps he wished to challenge movie-goers, but the real challenge is keeping your own eyes open during this long, dull slog.
1.5 Out of 5
I ORIGINS screens exclusively in St. Louis at Landmark’s Tivoli Theatre and Plaza Frontenac Cinemas
I ORIGINS tells the story of Dr. Ian Gray (Michael Pitt), a molecular biologist studying the evolution of the eye. He finds his work permeating his life after a brief encounter with an exotic young woman (Astrid Bergès- Frisbey) who slips away from him.
As his research continues years later with his lab partner Karen (Brit Marling), they make a stunning scientific discovery that has far reaching implications and complicates both his scientific and spiritual beliefs. Traveling half way around the world, he risks everything he has ever known to validate his theory.
Like director Mike Cahill’s first film, 2011 Sundance Film Festival winner ANOTHER EARTH, I ORIGINS is a personal and unconventional exploration of the mysteries of the scientific world. To Cahill, scientists are important role models for filmmakers.
“They spend their lives asking the big questions,” he explains. “Why are we here? What are we made of? They explore the minutest levels of matter and they look at the biggest things, like the universe. I wish I were a scientist, but I’m a filmmaker, so I make films about scientists.”
Fox Searchlight Pictures Presents a Verisimilitude / WeWork Studios Production, in association with Bersin Pictures and Penny Jane Films, I ORIGINS starring Michael Pitt, Brit Marling, Astrid Bergès-Frisbey, Steven Yeun, Archie Panjabi, Cara Seymour, Venida Evans, William Mapother and introducing Kashish.
Written, directed and edited by Mike Cahill, I ORIGINS hits theaters July 18th and opens July 25th in St. Louis at the Landmark Theatres.
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The shelf life of a Hollywood leading men can sometimes be quite short. When the A-list scripts or name directors cease to call ( or return calls ) many leading men have turned to television (especially now with the quirky shows on basic cable and premium channels ). Some actors will turn to smaller supporting or character roles: the gruff father or grumpy grandpa’ parts. And then there’s Richard Gere. He emerged as a major heart-throb in the late 70’s with splashy performances in BLOOD BROTHERS and LOOKING FOR MR. GOODBAR. Of course, posters of him in AMERICAN GIGOLO adorned many a bedroom wall in the early 80’s. Even then he balanced these main stream flicks with quirkier fare like DAYS OF HEAVEN. Through the next decades he cemented his box office status with romantic roles in box office smashes such as AN OFFICER AND A GENTLEMAN and PRETTY WOMAN. But Gere seems more eager now than ever to take a chance, whether learning tap for CHICAGO or playing a real life fraud, Clifford Irving, in HOAX. Now he’s parlaying his still considerable charms ( making that silver mane look good! ) as a character loosely based on recent, shady Wall Street-types in the dramatic thriller ARBITRAGE. And this time out, Gere just may finally take that gold statuette home.
In ARBITRAGE Gere plays Robert Miller, one of the so-called ” masters of the universe “. You can imagine him downing a scotch with Gordon Gekko at a swank private club. But, not as the film opens. Miller’s private jet touches down after a fruitless business meeting. He’s immediately transported via limo to the plush NYC digs he shares with his gorgeous socialite wife of many years, Ellen ( Susan Sarandon ). Ellen’s put together a birthday party for him with his son ( and wife, and grandkids ) and business partner daughter Brooke ( Brit Marling ) in attendance. Rushing out early ( ” Gotta’ stop by the office” ), Robert dashes to meet his mistress, up-and-coming artist Julie ( Laetita Casta ). She’s frustrated that he spends so little time with her, while he insists he’ll be at her big gallery opening tomorrow night. When he really goes into the office the next morning, things are not as rosy as the media believes. Miller has borrowed millions from a colleague so that his hedge fund company will look more attractive for a potential buyer. Robert’s itching to cash in and retire, while Brooke knows nothing of the loan. That night, after the gallery reception, Robert whisks Julie away for a relaxing country weekend upstate. Tragedy strikes. Robert calls on Jimmy Grant ( Nate Parker ), the son of his deceased driver, to help him out. Police detective Michael Bryer ( Tim Roth ) investigates the incident and becomes aware of Grant’s involvement. Will Grant expose Robert before he can sell his firm and hide his secrets from his family?
ARBITRAGE is almost two films. One is the police investigation led by Roth’s character. His dogged detective is almost the Columbo of the occupy movement. He wants Robert Miller, that slick one-percenter, in the slammer, pronto. Parker brings a lot of intensity to this young man caught between two worlds. Will he crack? Roth does a serviceable street accent, but this plot seems too similar to stories on any of the ” Law and Order ” TV spin-offs. What’s really interesting is the story of financial deception. It’s a bit flashier here than in last year’s MARGIN CALL and the WALL STREET flicks. The Millers must constantly put on a show for the public, so that no one will know that he and his company are barely treading water. The macho posturing of buyer and selling is on full display along with veiled threats and passive/aggressive behaviors. Every phone call or text may be a another deadly attack. Can the accountants keep quiet will the feds are sniffing about? These fellas may look civilized, but they’re really sharks, waiting for that first hint of blood.
And Gere’s Robert Miller is the smoothest, deadliest shark of the bunch. This guy’s done a lot of rotten things, but somewhat Gere has us rooting for him. He lets us see the confusion on his face as Robert struggles to keep all the lies from strangling his brain. This is stand-out work from an actor who keeps surprising us. But he also helps his co-stars shine. Marling was quite an indie smash in last year’s ANOTHER EARTH, and here she jumps into the big leagues with a terrific duet with Gere in a powerful father and daughter confrontation on a bench in Central Park. She’s very strong in this role as is Sarandon as her, apparently clueless, mother. This woman who runs the house staff and arranges charity events proves her own strength as she also confronts Robert late in the film. Being a big fan of TV’s ” The Rockford Files “, I was so pleased to see Stuart Margolin in a quietly scene stealing role as Robert’s long time attorney ( ” I can’t hear this.”, as he exits the limo ). Way to go ” Angel”! ARBITAGE is an involving look at the lies and secrets that are part of the business scandals that make up so many news headlines. And it’s a showcase for Gere. In his fifth decade as a film star, he’s doing some of his best work ever. Turns out that dreamboat poster guy is still quite an actor.
Sony Pictures Classics has announced that they have acquired all US Rights to Robert Redford’s THE COMPANY YOU KEEP. Redford, who directed and produced the film, also stars alongside a stellar cast including Shia LeBeouf, Julie Christie, Sam Elliott, Brendan Gleeson, Terence Howard, Richard Jenkins, Anna Kendrick, Brit Marling, Stanley Tucci, Nick Nolte, Chris Cooper, and Susan Sarandon. Additional producers include Nicolas Chartier (THE HURT LOCKER), and Bill Holderman (THE CONSPIRATOR).
Redford also assembled a prestigious crew to work on THE COMPANY YOU KEEP, Director of Photography Adriano Goldman (JANE EYRE, SIN NOMBRE), Composer Cliff Martinez (DRIVE, TRAFFIC), Editor Mark Day (HARRY POTTER films) and Production Designer Laurence Bennett (THE ARTIST, CRASH).
A thriller centered on a former Weather Underground activist who goes on the run from a journalist who has discovered his identity, THE COMPANY YOU KEEP, will premiere Out of Competition at the Venice Film Festival and at the Toronto International Film Festival.
THE COMPANY YOU KEEP was financed by Voltage Pictures, who is also the international sales agent on the film.
“Robert Redford’s film is classic storytelling at its best and we are really looking forward to bringing the film to the American audience,” states Sony Pictures Classics.
“I’ve known Tom and Michael for many years. I have great respect for what they do and how they do it. So it’s a pleasant connection,” adds Redford.
The deal with Sony Pictures Classics was negotiated by CAA on behalf of the filmmakers.
Art house cinemas seem to get a flood of low-budget indie dramas about drifting twenty-somethings every year. Well, here’s one with an interesting twist. ANOTHER EARTH, as it’s title suggests, is indeed about another, parallel, earth. It’s like our planet’s looking into a mirror. This film focuses not on that twin, but on how it’s sudden appearance effects the residents of this earth. And you guessed it- how this effects a woman in her twenties who seem to be adrift.
Said woman is Rhoda Williams, played by the film’s co-writer Brit Marling. We first see her celebrating at a party. Seems the young genius has been accepted by MIT. Driving home she hears on the radio the news of the discovered twin earth. Craning her head out the car window, she causes a horrific accident. We next see Rhoda being released from prison after serving four years. Her Mom, Dad and younger brother pick her up and take her back to the family home. She makes almost no effort to re-connect with them. At her request a job agency gets her work as a janitor at a high school. Returning home one evening she stops by the scene of that accident fours years ago. She sees a man leaving flowers at the site. She follows him back to his home and decides to clean the run down house of this composer, John Burroughs (William Mapother). In the time she’s been incarcerated, the twin planet has drifting much closer. A Richard Branson-type is mounting an expedition to this planet. He announces an essay contest that will offer a seat on the spaceship as first place. Will Rhoda enter the contest? Will she reveal the truth to John?
When I learned of the film’s premise I looked forward to an interesting speculation on the arrival of a twin earth. Unfortunately this film stays fairly grounded. We get to see the family watching an attempt at interplanetary communication on live TV and that’s it, aside from people staring up at the approaching planet. Co-writer and director Mike Cahill is very creative with these shots considering his very low budget. I just wished the scenes had some energy. This dreary-looking film moves at a snail’s pace. The addition of a older Native-American janitor that Rhoda befriends seems a tad pretentious. There’s not much life to Rhoda’s character. She spends most of the film silently trudging through the snow, staring up, cleaning, and gazing at John. I admire that Ms. Marling worked on the script, but wish she would’ve made her character more compelling. I enjoyed seeing Mapother break away from the evil characters he’s played in films (IN THE BEDROOM) and TV (Lost), but this composer often behaves illogically. ANOTHER EARTH has a tantalizing idea, but it’s never very involving.
Here’s a look at the official trailer for ANOTHER EARTH from Fox Searchlight Pictures. Director Mike Cahill’s film was winner of the Special Jury Prize: Dramatic at 2011 Sundance Film Festival.
Synopsis:
In ANOTHER EARTH, Rhoda Williams (Brit Marling), a bright young woman accepted into MIT’s astrophysics program, aspires to explore the cosmos. A brilliant composer, John Burroughs (William Mapother), has just reached the pinnacle of his profession and is about to have a second child. On the eve of the discovery of a duplicate Earth, tragedy strikes and the lives of these strangers become irrevocably intertwined.
ANOTHER EARTH will be in select theaters July 22nd, 2011.
