ruth negga
#FIRSTLOOK: DAN LEVY MAKES DIRECTORIAL DEBUT IN “GOOD GRIEF”
Four-time Emmy-winner Dan Levy makes his directorial film debut with Good Grief, which he also wrote and will star in alongside Ruth Negga (Passing, Loving), Himesh Patel (Station Eleven, Yesterday), Luke Evans (Echo 3, Beauty and the Beast), Celia Imrie (Better Things, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel), Arnaud Valois (BPM (Beats Per Minute), Spring Blossom), David Bradley (Harry Potter, Game of Thrones) and Jamael Westman (Hamilton, The Essex Serpent) for Netflix.
Director/Writer: Dan Levy (Schitt’s Creek)
Producers: Not A Real Production Company’s Dan Levy, Megan Zehmer; Sister’s Stacey Snider, Kate Fenske, Debra Hayward
Logline:
Marc Dreyfus chose to distract himself from the loss of his mom with a comfortable marriage. But when his husband also dies, unexpectedly, Marc is forced to finally confront the grief he’s tried so hard to avoid, sending him and his two closest friends on a Parisian weekend of self discovery.
Dan Levy said, “Good Grief is a cautionary tale about friendship and loss and all the mess that comes with it when the truth is something you’ve evaded for most of your life. It’s funny, it’s bittersweet, it’s a project that has helped me work through my own grief. And I hope it does the same for other people as well.”
Good Grief marks the first project under Levy’s Not A Real Production Company and Netflix’s creative partnership.
(Photo credit: José Mandojana)
#FIRSTLOOK: NEW TRAILER FOR “PASSING”
Coming soon to Netflix after much praise out of Sundance earlier this year, is PASSING, from Actor/Director Rebecca Hall. The Film stars Ruth Negga and Tessa Thompson.
Synopsis:
Adapted from the celebrated 1929 novel of the same name by Nella Larsen, PASSING tells the story of two Black women, Irene Redfield (Tessa Thompson) and Clare Kendry (Academy Award nominee Ruth Negga), who can “pass” as white but choose to live on opposite sides of the color line during the height of the Harlem Renaissance in late 1920s New York. After a chance encounter reunites the former childhood friends one summer afternoon, Irene reluctantly allows Clare into her home, where she ingratiates herself to Irene’s husband (André Holland) and family, and soon her larger social circle as well. As their lives become more deeply intertwined, Irene finds her once-steady existence upended by Clare, and PASSING becomes a riveting examination of obsession, repression and the lies people tell themselves and others to protect their carefully constructed realities.
PASSING arrives on Netflix November 10, 2021.
(Photo/video credit: Netflix)
#SUNDANCE: “PASSING”
Review by Amanda Gilmore for Mr. Will Wong
Irene (Tessa Thompson) is an upper-class 1920s woman who lives in Harlem with her husband, Brian (André Holland), and their two sons. One day, while out at the Grand Tearoom in New York City’s Drayton Hotel, she runs into an old high school acquaintance, Clare (Ruth Negga). She finds out that Clare has been passing as white. Her ability to pass is proven as Irene learns she’s married to a white man (Alexander Skarsgård) and have children of their own. However, when Clare decides to ignite a friendship with Irene, both their lives become threatened.
Nella Larsen’s ground-breaking Novella is brought eloquently to the screen by Rebecca Hall. She unpacks central themes of race, identity, community, repression and constructed realities all while making her Feature directorial debut a technical marvel. She shoots this quiet, Psychological Drama with the filmmaking aesthetics of the time in which the story is set. Passing is shot in Black and White, has a 4:3 Aspect Ratio, and the music mimics an era past.
Her decision to shoot in Black and White strips all colour out of this film about race. What’s left is a beautiful composition of gray frames that perfectly reflect the gray-areas of race the Film explores. Hall’s cinematographic decisions go further in her choice of Aspect Ratio. Not only does a 4:3 image create a nostalgic look of old Hollywood glamour, it also forces us to really look at the faces of the characters. This is an integral part of Passing because Thompson and Negga’s impactful performances become the focus, with scenes framed tightly around their faces. This aids in helping us see Irene and Clare’s hidden desires and restrained longing.
Furthermore, the Sound Design thrusts us into the inner turmoil these characters are facing. In addition to taking us back to 1929, the Film’s Costume Design by Marci Rodgers, help us visualize the stark contrasts between both women. Irene is constrained, she wears modest clothing and a hat that covers much of her face. While Clare is beguiling, she wears outfits that swing as she walks and a hat that’s lifted-up showing herself completely. This is compelling because Clare is the one who’s passing, yet Irene appears to be hiding.
These two characters were captivating and nuanced when Larsen wrote them in the ’20s. Thankfully, Hall has kept them richly complex, enabling Thompson and Negga to be mesmerizing in their roles. It’s rare, even today, for female friendships to be examined in Film with such intricacy. Yet, this is what’s at the heart of Passing. The two women are each missing something the other has. Passing analyzes how you can equally admire and envy a friend for something you are missing. This is a story about the duality of human beings, expressed articulately through its two leads.
Thompson gives an unbelievably expressive performance as the quiet Irene, and Negga is a magnetic presence as Clare. She shows the life Irene has conformed to and her desire to break-free of those boxes. This is where cunning Clare fills the voids in Irene. Clare longs finally to be with her community again. And this is where Irene fills the voids in Clare. Thompson and Negga have a strong, layered chemistry. The Film plays with the ambiguity of the feelings between these women. It appears that there’s something simmering beneath the surface of this friendship, but it isn’t quite known exactly what. Additionally, these Actors nail one of the most integral parts of telling a story that takes place in 1929, the diction and way of speaking. No detail is spared.
Passing is a quiet film that manages to say so much. It has a Psychological Thriller that becomes more apparent as time progresses. Hall crafts something that’s rich in technicality and highlighted by its superb performances. Its intricate Screenplay is brought to life by a Director who has a clear vision and knows how perfectly to execute it. A remarkable debut as Director by Hall.
Passing screens at Sundance:
Live Premiere: January 30 at 6 PM (EST)
On-Demand (available for 24 hours): February 1 at 10 AM (EST)
#TIFF16: DAY 2 SIGHTINGS – LEONARDO DICAPRIO, ANNE HATHAWAY, DOUGLAS BOOTH, CHADWICK BOSEMAN, DAVID OYELOWO, SANDRA OH, ANNE HECHE, BEL POWLEY, MELANIE LYNSKEY, VANESSA BAYER, SHAILENE WOODLEY, MELISSA LEO, BRYCE DALLAS HOWARD, VALORIE CURRY + MORE
It was a massively star-studded second day in Toronto and Team Mr. Will had a bit better luck after a bit of a slow start to TIFF ‘ 16! Newly-minted Academy Award winner Leonardo DiCaprio had King Street shut down as he walked the Red Carpet with grace for Global Warming Documentary BEFORE THE FLOOD, signing a whole lot of autographs for Fans who queued hours to see him in a rare visit to the City! Later on in the day, Joseph Gordon-Levitt faced the Media and Fans at the Premiere for his Award Season vehicle, SNOWDEN at Roy Thomson Hall. Meanwhile, Anne Hathaway brought a sizable crowd to Ryerson Theatre to see her latest effort, COLOSSAL at its World Premiere. While immersed in controversy of late, THE BIRTH OF NATION, starring, written and directed by Nate Parker got two Premieres tonight around town and its run at TIFF ’16 just might be the publicity it needs to get itself back on the right path.
Leonardo DiCaprio, BEFORE THE FLOOD
More #LeonardoDiCaprio. #BeforetheFlood #TIFF16
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Anne Hathaway, COLOSSAL
Anne. #TIFF16 #COLOSSAL #AnneHathaway
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Douglas Booth, THE LIMEHOUSE GOLEM
Bel Powley, CARRIE PILBY
Breakout star #BelPowley, star of #CarriePilby. #TIFF16
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Melanie Lynskey + Jason Ritter, CARRIE PILBY
Vanessa Bayer, CARRIE PILBY
#SNL’s #VanessaBayer at #TIFF16 with #CarriePilby.
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David Oyelowo, A UNITED KINGDOM + QUEEN OF KATWE
Sandra Oh, CATFIGHT + WINDOW HORSES
#SandraOh at #TIFF16 with #Catfight and #WindowHorses.
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Anne Heche, CATFIGHT
Sam Underwood + Valorie Curry – Curry is here for both BLAIR WITCH + AMERICAN PASTORAL
With #SamUnderwood + #ValorieCurry. #TIFF16 #TheFollowing #AmericanPastoral
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Chadwick Boseman, MESSAGE FROM THE KING
Nolan Funk – here to enjoy TIFF
Melissa Leo, SNOWDEN
Ruth Negga, LOVING
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Bryce Dallas Howard, BLACK MIRROR
Shailene Woodley, SNOWDEN
#ShaileneWoodley makes a quiet entrance in a stunning gown. She is at #TIFF16 with #Snowden.
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(Photo/video credit: Mr. Will Wong)
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