A strangely difficult film to get hold of, at time of writing it doesn't appear to have had a UK release (our copy came from Germany). Which is odd, as it's fabulous. OK, it wasn't his debut as director (also directed Pieces of April and Dan in Real Life) and it's not quite the first time he's directed his son Lucas (he was 'Lilly's Dance Partner' in Dan). But this is a real achievement - a family drama about addiction that turns into a tense thriller. I love the 'drip plot' way of writing, that you are drip-fed the back story, such as the significance of the dog - dog as plot point, if you will - and the husband's re-mortgaging to pay for rehab.
Lucas is exceptional - we'd seen him in Three Billboards, Lady Bird and Manchester By the Sea. The lady that plays his mom, Julia Roberts, isn't bad either. With Courtney Vance (husband), Kathryn Newton as the initially mistrustful sister (Big Little Lies; also Three Billboards and Lady Bird), Rachel Bay Jones (mother of dead junkie), David Zaldivar, Alexandra Park.
Photographed in widescreen by Stuart Dryburgh, lots hand held, edited with momentum by Ian Blume.
All Hedges' films seem to be about family, and the Christmas setting parallels with Pieces of April's Thanksgiving background (a useful way to amplify a character in crisis). He co-wrote About a Boy too.
This excerpt from an interview on RogerEbert.com is revealing about Hedges Senior:
My formative years were all shaped by a mother who was very sad and had a drinking problem, while my father was lonely and angry. He was an Episcopal priest and raised four kids on his own. Both of my parents finished their lives very strong and healthy, and they proved to be quite helpful and useful to other people. My dad ministered for 58 years, and once my mom got sober, she spent the last 22 years of her life devoting her time to helping other people get sober. I grew up in a very loving but very broken family, and I suppose that’s why I’m drawn to telling stories about well-intentioned people who are doing their best—but are not always successful—in figuring out how to maneuver through this complicated, bumpy and broken world.
Peter liked the fact his son called him 'Dad' by accident once on set; Vance didn't even realise they were related.
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