Stars: James D’Arcy, Sophie Lowe, Daryl Sabara, Freddie Stroma, Rhys Wakefield, Bonnie Wright, Jacob Artist, George Blagden, Philippa Coulthard, Katie Findlay, Natasha Gott, Taser Hassan | Written and Directed by John Huddles
To base a film on making philosophical ideas is a tricky thing. First it has to be aimed at a big enough audience who may not understand the concept, but then it could alienate the ones who truly understand it. The Philosophers is a movie that raises a few interesting questions, but proves in the end where true flaws are found.
When a philosophy teacher challenges his class of graduating seniors with choosing ten people who would survive in an underground shelter to repopulate the earth once an apocalypse hit it raises many questions. One of the most important one being just what influence the teacher himself is having.
At the start of the film The Philosophers introduces the concepts in a good way,...
To base a film on making philosophical ideas is a tricky thing. First it has to be aimed at a big enough audience who may not understand the concept, but then it could alienate the ones who truly understand it. The Philosophers is a movie that raises a few interesting questions, but proves in the end where true flaws are found.
When a philosophy teacher challenges his class of graduating seniors with choosing ten people who would survive in an underground shelter to repopulate the earth once an apocalypse hit it raises many questions. One of the most important one being just what influence the teacher himself is having.
At the start of the film The Philosophers introduces the concepts in a good way,...
- 6/3/2021
- by Paul Metcalf
- Nerdly
A philosophy class playing out moral quandaries makes for a fun sci-fi fable in theory, but poor acting and flawed logic let it down in practice
John Huddles’s sci-fi thriller unintentionally succeeds in replicating the exact experience of playing “would you rather?” with a friend in a pub, as in it starts out with vague philosophical questions but ends up being utterly ridiculous. And just like the silly game, for the right viewers The Philosophers could be quite a fun watch, despite the sub-par film-making.
The film opens with a sweet love scene between Petra (Sophie Lowe) and James (Rhys Wakefield), shot with an awful Vaseline-like sheen that plagues the entire film’s cinematography. Petra and James meet on a philosophy course, which, for some reason, takes place in Indonesia – and yet most of the students are white. For the final class, their professor Mr Zimit (James D’Arcy) proposes...
John Huddles’s sci-fi thriller unintentionally succeeds in replicating the exact experience of playing “would you rather?” with a friend in a pub, as in it starts out with vague philosophical questions but ends up being utterly ridiculous. And just like the silly game, for the right viewers The Philosophers could be quite a fun watch, despite the sub-par film-making.
The film opens with a sweet love scene between Petra (Sophie Lowe) and James (Rhys Wakefield), shot with an awful Vaseline-like sheen that plagues the entire film’s cinematography. Petra and James meet on a philosophy course, which, for some reason, takes place in Indonesia – and yet most of the students are white. For the final class, their professor Mr Zimit (James D’Arcy) proposes...
- 5/20/2021
- by Phuong Le
- The Guardian - Film News
Simon Brew Jun 5, 2017
A 1996 movie originally went by the title of Mr Spielberg's Boat. Until lawyers got involved...
In recent years, film writer and director John Huddles has been busying himself with several projects, not least his reasonably well-received thriller After The Dark. Yet he nearly came a cropper with his debut feature, 1996’s Far Harbor.
The film, which would go on to star Jennifer Connolly, Dan Futterman and Marcia Gay Holden, originally went by a different title. A title that brought it to the attention of director Steven Spielberg’s lawyers.
Huddles named the movie Mr Spielberg’s Boat, after seeing the bearded-director's then 131-foot yacht anchored at Sag Harbor, in the New York area of the USA. The draft of the film followed the story of a bunch of young professionals who see the yacht anchored off-shore, and production duly began.
As Premiere magazine reported back in August...
A 1996 movie originally went by the title of Mr Spielberg's Boat. Until lawyers got involved...
In recent years, film writer and director John Huddles has been busying himself with several projects, not least his reasonably well-received thriller After The Dark. Yet he nearly came a cropper with his debut feature, 1996’s Far Harbor.
The film, which would go on to star Jennifer Connolly, Dan Futterman and Marcia Gay Holden, originally went by a different title. A title that brought it to the attention of director Steven Spielberg’s lawyers.
Huddles named the movie Mr Spielberg’s Boat, after seeing the bearded-director's then 131-foot yacht anchored at Sag Harbor, in the New York area of the USA. The draft of the film followed the story of a bunch of young professionals who see the yacht anchored off-shore, and production duly began.
As Premiere magazine reported back in August...
- 2/7/2017
- Den of Geek
To mark the release of After The Dark on 21st July, we’ve been given 5 copies to give away on DVD.
A philosophy teacher challenges his graduating seniors to choose which ten of them would take shelter underground and reboot the human race in the event of a nuclear apocalypse.
After the Dark also known as The Philosophers was directed by John Huddles who claimed that “multiculturalism was a major theme in the movie, which revolves around a challenge to reboot humanity in the event of a nuclear apocalypse”.
Cast: Bonnie Wright, James D’Arcy, Sophie Lowe, Daryl Sabara
Please note: This competition is open to UK residents only
a Rafflecopter giveaway
The Small Print
Open to UK residents only The competition will close 24th July at 23.59 GMT The winner will be picked at random from entries received No cash alternative is available
The usual T&Cs can be found here.
A philosophy teacher challenges his graduating seniors to choose which ten of them would take shelter underground and reboot the human race in the event of a nuclear apocalypse.
After the Dark also known as The Philosophers was directed by John Huddles who claimed that “multiculturalism was a major theme in the movie, which revolves around a challenge to reboot humanity in the event of a nuclear apocalypse”.
Cast: Bonnie Wright, James D’Arcy, Sophie Lowe, Daryl Sabara
Please note: This competition is open to UK residents only
a Rafflecopter giveaway
The Small Print
Open to UK residents only The competition will close 24th July at 23.59 GMT The winner will be picked at random from entries received No cash alternative is available
The usual T&Cs can be found here.
- 7/14/2014
- by Competitions
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
A thrilling combination of drama, near-science-fiction, suspense, coming-of-age agita, and intellectual exploration of ideas. Pity it derails itself. I’m “biast” (pro): was intrigued by the trailer
I’m “biast” (con): nothing
(what is this about? see my critic’s minifesto)
It’s the last day of school before graduation, but philosophy teacher Mr. Zimit (James D’Arcy: Cloud Atlas) isn’t about to let his 20 seniors go without one more brain teaser. The students are superbright overachievers from around the world — they’re at an international school in Jakarta — so there’s only a hint of a grumble before they’re off into philosophical speculation. The scenario is this: Nuclear armageddon has arrived, and they have mere minutes to decide which of the 21 of them (the students plus Zimit) will hunker down in the convenient nearby radiation-proof bunker, which can sustain 10 people, and no more, for a...
I’m “biast” (con): nothing
(what is this about? see my critic’s minifesto)
It’s the last day of school before graduation, but philosophy teacher Mr. Zimit (James D’Arcy: Cloud Atlas) isn’t about to let his 20 seniors go without one more brain teaser. The students are superbright overachievers from around the world — they’re at an international school in Jakarta — so there’s only a hint of a grumble before they’re off into philosophical speculation. The scenario is this: Nuclear armageddon has arrived, and they have mere minutes to decide which of the 21 of them (the students plus Zimit) will hunker down in the convenient nearby radiation-proof bunker, which can sustain 10 people, and no more, for a...
- 2/7/2014
- by MaryAnn Johanson
- www.flickfilosopher.com
Titled The Philosophers in Europe, John Huddles’ most recent film After the Dark is a sneakily beautiful, remarkably thoughtful rumination on the final day of school for a portion of Abercrombie & Fitch photo shoot-ready philosophy students at an international school in Indonesia who engage in a thought experiment with their equally fetching professor (James D’Arcy). The experiment? Were the world to be nearly destroyed that very day by nuclear war, who amongst the group would be chosen to take shelter in a bunker, one too small for all of them, during the atomic holocaust and be charged with repopulating the world? Feelings are hurt, suppositions about […]...
- 2/7/2014
- by Brandon Harris
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
Titled The Philosophers in Europe, John Huddles’ most recent film After the Dark is a sneakily beautiful, remarkably thoughtful rumination on the final day of school for a portion of Abercrombie & Fitch photo shoot-ready philosophy students at an international school in Indonesia who engage in a thought experiment with their equally fetching professor (James D’Arcy). The experiment? Were the world to be nearly destroyed that very day by nuclear war, who amongst the group would be chosen to take shelter in a bunker, one too small for all of them, during the atomic holocaust and be charged with repopulating the world? Feelings are hurt, suppositions about […]...
- 2/7/2014
- by Brandon Harris
- Filmmaker Magazine-Director Interviews
Formerly titled The Philosophers, John Huddles's After the Dark is a shaggy dog story but an intriguing and frequently beautiful one.
On the final day of class, a group of impossibly pretty philosophy students at an international school in Jakarta engage in thought games with their handsome teacher (James D'Arcy), mostly revolving around who would get to take shelter in a bunker during variations on an atomic holocaust, and therefore eventually reboot the human race. ("Rebooting" is what we're calling it now.)
There are no real stakes other than bruised egos and potentially lowered GPAs — we're never expected to forget that it's all hypothetical, that there's no war, and they're all safe in the classroom — but the fantasy sequences shot in spe...
On the final day of class, a group of impossibly pretty philosophy students at an international school in Jakarta engage in thought games with their handsome teacher (James D'Arcy), mostly revolving around who would get to take shelter in a bunker during variations on an atomic holocaust, and therefore eventually reboot the human race. ("Rebooting" is what we're calling it now.)
There are no real stakes other than bruised egos and potentially lowered GPAs — we're never expected to forget that it's all hypothetical, that there's no war, and they're all safe in the classroom — but the fantasy sequences shot in spe...
- 2/5/2014
- Village Voice
While I admittedly love to switch my brain off and enjoy gory, mindless horror silliness, I still possess enough cognitive skills to appreciate a good thinking man’s thriller every now and then. Deep philosophical debating about apocalyptic survival, complete with hypothetical test scenarios, and the serious technicalities that come along with the world’s end transform simple bar banter into logical, calculated decision-making. After The Dark gives horror fans such an opportunity, turning gore and death into worthwhile ideological conversations based on different scenario rules, a multitude of character skill sets, and a bunker that can only fit ten survivors. Let the games begin?
Mr. Zimit (James D’Arcy) appears to be the teacher any student would be lucky to have – exciting, engaging, and extremely intelligent. Philosophy is far more than textbooks and regurgitated theories, something Mr. Zimit works into his final class of the year. Sure, these students...
Mr. Zimit (James D’Arcy) appears to be the teacher any student would be lucky to have – exciting, engaging, and extremely intelligent. Philosophy is far more than textbooks and regurgitated theories, something Mr. Zimit works into his final class of the year. Sure, these students...
- 2/4/2014
- by Matt Donato
- We Got This Covered
If you've ever taken a philosophy class in high-school or university, then John Huddles' new film “After The Dark” is going to hook you within its first three minutes. Depending on whether you were completely bored or absorbed in this class will determine how much you'll connect to this movie, which plays out more like an adaptation of a philosophy student's first, second and final thesis paper draft than an original screenplay written by Huddles himself. If, on the other hand, you've never had the pleasure of learning about Socrates' endless questioning or Plato's allegories about caves you might walk away thinking that philosophy classes are actually like this. Please don't. The concept at work here is pretty great because it's one you can't help but want to see through to its end, but the third act derails everything into a nonsensical mash-up of rationale and emotion which spits...
- 2/4/2014
- by Nikola Grozdanovic
- The Playlist
The post-apocalyptic focused website Quiet Earth has announced that John Huddles' After the Dark will release February 7th, 2014. This title will be available on video-on-demand formats and in a few theatres, on this date. Also, After the Dark stars James D’Arcy (Cloud Atlas), Bonnie Wright, Daryl Sabara (Spy Kids), Sophie Lowe (Once Upon a Time in Wonderland), Rhys Wakefield (The Purge), Freddie Stroma, Maia Mitchell and others. The official artwork for the release signals the conflict in the film. A nuclear apocalypse forces several students below ground, into a modern bunker. However, there are twenty students and only ten spots available in the bunker. These characters will have to fight it out for one of the cherished spots, in this safe haven. As well, a new clip has been released for the film and the clip is titled "The Bunker." This clip shows the students descending below as...
- 1/22/2014
- by noreply@blogger.com (Michael Allen)
- 28 Days Later Analysis
John Huddles' After the Dark (formerly "The Philosophers?") is finally seeing release! This intriguing film sees an undergrad class enacting a moral thought experiment around the apocalypse and visualizing the hypothetical outcomes of their decisions.
After the Dark hits select theatres and VOD on February 7, 2014 so keep an eye out for it. We're trying to get a screener too so watch for a review.
Synopsis:
Faced with an impending nuclear apocalypse, a group of twenty college students must determine which ten of them would take shelter underground and reboot the human race. The decision quickly becomes deadly as each in the group turns against each [Continued ...]...
After the Dark hits select theatres and VOD on February 7, 2014 so keep an eye out for it. We're trying to get a screener too so watch for a review.
Synopsis:
Faced with an impending nuclear apocalypse, a group of twenty college students must determine which ten of them would take shelter underground and reboot the human race. The decision quickly becomes deadly as each in the group turns against each [Continued ...]...
- 1/22/2014
- QuietEarth.us
Fitzgibbon, Sitaru, Vicari, Huddles, Runarsson and van Geffen will be at Les Arcs this December.
Ireland’s Ian Fitzgibbon, Romania’s Adrian Sitaru, Iceland’s Runar Runarsson (pictured), Italy’s Daniele Vicari and America’s John Huddles are among the directors who will be presenting their new projects at the Les Arcs Co-production village this year.
The event, which runs Dec 14-17 within France’s alpine, Sundance-style Les Arcs European Film Festival (Dec 14-21), unveiled the production line-up on Thursday as well as the productions that will be presented in the Works in Progress section on Dec 15.
This year’s co-pro selection mixes upcoming productions from established independent filmmakers with a slew of projects from feted shorts directors who are embarking on their first features.
“We pretty proud of this year’s line-up. There’s a lot of projects I would be seriously looking at if I were going to Les Arcs in a professional capacity rather...
Ireland’s Ian Fitzgibbon, Romania’s Adrian Sitaru, Iceland’s Runar Runarsson (pictured), Italy’s Daniele Vicari and America’s John Huddles are among the directors who will be presenting their new projects at the Les Arcs Co-production village this year.
The event, which runs Dec 14-17 within France’s alpine, Sundance-style Les Arcs European Film Festival (Dec 14-21), unveiled the production line-up on Thursday as well as the productions that will be presented in the Works in Progress section on Dec 15.
This year’s co-pro selection mixes upcoming productions from established independent filmmakers with a slew of projects from feted shorts directors who are embarking on their first features.
“We pretty proud of this year’s line-up. There’s a lot of projects I would be seriously looking at if I were going to Les Arcs in a professional capacity rather...
- 11/14/2013
- ScreenDaily
Fitzgibbon, Sitaru, Vicari, Huddles, Runarsson and van Geffen will be at Les Arcs this December.
Ireland’s Ian Fitzgibbon, Romania’s Adrian Sitaru, Iceland’s Runar Runarsson (pictured), Italy’s Daniele Vicari and America’s John Huddles are among the directors who will be presenting their new projects at the Les Arcs Co-production village this year.
The event, which runs Dec 14-17 within France’s alpine, Sundance-style Les Arcs European Film Festival (Dec 14-21), unveiled the production line-up on Thursday as well as the productions that will be presented in the Works in Progress section on Dec 15.
This year’s co-pro selection mixes upcoming productions from established independent filmmakers with a slew of projects from feted shorts directors who are embarking on their first features.
“We pretty proud of this year’s line-up. There’s a lot of projects I would be seriously looking at if I were going to Les Arcs in a professional capacity rather...
Ireland’s Ian Fitzgibbon, Romania’s Adrian Sitaru, Iceland’s Runar Runarsson (pictured), Italy’s Daniele Vicari and America’s John Huddles are among the directors who will be presenting their new projects at the Les Arcs Co-production village this year.
The event, which runs Dec 14-17 within France’s alpine, Sundance-style Les Arcs European Film Festival (Dec 14-21), unveiled the production line-up on Thursday as well as the productions that will be presented in the Works in Progress section on Dec 15.
This year’s co-pro selection mixes upcoming productions from established independent filmmakers with a slew of projects from feted shorts directors who are embarking on their first features.
“We pretty proud of this year’s line-up. There’s a lot of projects I would be seriously looking at if I were going to Les Arcs in a professional capacity rather...
- 11/14/2013
- ScreenDaily
Fitzgibbon, Sitaru, Vicari, Huddles, Runarsson and van Geffen will be at Les Arcs this December.
Ireland’s Ian Fitzgibbon, Romania’s Adrian Sitaru, Iceland’s Runar Runarsson (pictured), Italy’s Daniele Vicari and America’s John Huddles are among the directors who will be presenting their new projects at the Les Arcs Co-production village this year.
The event, which runs Dec 14-17 within France’s alpine, Sundance-style Les Arcs European Film Festival (Dec 14-21), unveiled the production line-up on Thursday as well as the productions that will be presented in the Works in Progress section on Dec 15.
This year’s co-pro selection mixes upcoming productions from established independent filmmakers with a slew of projects from feted shorts directors who are embarking on their first features.
“We pretty proud of this year’s line-up. There’s a lot of projects I would be seriously looking at if I were going to Les Arcs in a professional capacity rather...
Ireland’s Ian Fitzgibbon, Romania’s Adrian Sitaru, Iceland’s Runar Runarsson (pictured), Italy’s Daniele Vicari and America’s John Huddles are among the directors who will be presenting their new projects at the Les Arcs Co-production village this year.
The event, which runs Dec 14-17 within France’s alpine, Sundance-style Les Arcs European Film Festival (Dec 14-21), unveiled the production line-up on Thursday as well as the productions that will be presented in the Works in Progress section on Dec 15.
This year’s co-pro selection mixes upcoming productions from established independent filmmakers with a slew of projects from feted shorts directors who are embarking on their first features.
“We pretty proud of this year’s line-up. There’s a lot of projects I would be seriously looking at if I were going to Les Arcs in a professional capacity rather...
- 11/14/2013
- ScreenDaily
It.s all happening for Sophie Lowe. After scoring the lead role in the American ABC network series Once Upon a Time in Wonderland, the English-born, Aussie actress is set to star in Us-set road movie What Lola Wants.
Sophie plays the title character who runs away from home and fakes her disappearance as a kidnapping. In a desert diner she meets a guy played by Beau Knapp (Super 8) and they head for Mobile, Alabama, pursued by sinister forces. Her parents offer a reward of $1 million for her safe return.
Written and directed by Aussie Rupert Glasson, who.s based in Los Angeles, the film starts shooting in La and the city.s outskirts on June 27. The cast includes Robert Taylor, who stars in the Us TV crime series Longmire, and Dale Dickey.
Glasson is producing the film with Ayisha Davies of Ultrafilms, with whom he collaborated on his first film,...
Sophie plays the title character who runs away from home and fakes her disappearance as a kidnapping. In a desert diner she meets a guy played by Beau Knapp (Super 8) and they head for Mobile, Alabama, pursued by sinister forces. Her parents offer a reward of $1 million for her safe return.
Written and directed by Aussie Rupert Glasson, who.s based in Los Angeles, the film starts shooting in La and the city.s outskirts on June 27. The cast includes Robert Taylor, who stars in the Us TV crime series Longmire, and Dale Dickey.
Glasson is producing the film with Ayisha Davies of Ultrafilms, with whom he collaborated on his first film,...
- 5/28/2013
- by Don Groves
- IF.com.au
In more quick news coming out of the Cannes Film Market, Phase 4 has acquired all rights in the Us and Canada to John Huddles’ Philosophers, a sci-fi thriller starring James Darcy (In Their Skin).
Bankside Films handles international sales on the Croisette. Sophie Lowe, Daryl Sabara, Freddie Stroma, Rhys Wakefield, and Bonnie Wright also star.
“The Philosophers centers on a philosophy teacher at an international school in Jakarta who challenges his graduate class of 20 to elect which 10 they would send into an underground shelter in the event of a nuclear apocalypse.”
Visit The Evilshop @ Amazon!
Got news? Click here to submit it!
Philosophize in the comments section below!
Bankside Films handles international sales on the Croisette. Sophie Lowe, Daryl Sabara, Freddie Stroma, Rhys Wakefield, and Bonnie Wright also star.
“The Philosophers centers on a philosophy teacher at an international school in Jakarta who challenges his graduate class of 20 to elect which 10 they would send into an underground shelter in the event of a nuclear apocalypse.”
Visit The Evilshop @ Amazon!
Got news? Click here to submit it!
Philosophize in the comments section below!
- 5/19/2013
- by Uncle Creepy
- DreadCentral.com
[1] After months of speculation, rumors, and reports, Tom Hooper's Les Misérables has finally found its Éponine. Producer Cameron Mackintosh has just announced that 21-year-old stage vet Samantha Barks has landed the role. Barks is a newcomer when it comes to film and television, but has racked up plenty of experience in the theater -- including a stint playing Éponine in a London production of Les Misérables. Meanwhile, another fresh face, George Blagden, has also boarded the project, in the part of cynical young revolutionary Grantaire. Blagden and Barks join a high-profile cast that includes Russell Crowe, Hugh Jackman, Anne Hathaway, Eddie Redmayne, Amanda Seyfried, Sacha Baron Cohen, Helena Bonham Carter, and Aaron Tveit. Read more after the jump. Though Barks is undoubtedly qualified to play the part, her casting comes as something of a surprise. After all, it wasn't so long ago that top-tier screen stars like Lea Michele,...
- 2/1/2012
- by Angie Han
- Slash Film
Film review: 'Far Harbor'
Writer-director John Huddles is clearly working out psychological issues in his debut feature, "Far Harbor", which opened exclusively Friday at New York's Quad Cinema.
In this tale of a bunch of Generation X-ers hanging during a weekend marked by emotional confrontations, the central character is a filmmaker filled with bitter resentment at the mega-director whose 120-foot yacht berthed in the town's harbor is a visual symbol of unattainable success. This unseen figure is referred to as "Mr. Spreckman", a name that was used after Steven Spielberg expressed his displeasure over the film's original title, "Mr. Spielberg's Boat".
The boat reminds the bitter young English filmmaker Frick (Edward Atterton) of his own recent failures in the movie business. He finds his friends little comfort. They include: Ellie (Jennifer Connelly), a young woman of fragile emotional stability; her husband Ry (Jim True), and her tough-talking, protective sister, Arabella (Marcia Gay Harden); Bradley (Dan Futterman), a successful New York surgeon, and his younger girlfriend Kiki Tracee Ellis Ross, Diana's daughter); Jordan (George Newbern), an heir to a dairy farm fortune; and his free-spirited friend Trey (Andrew Lauren, Ralph's son).
Feel-good emotions are little evident in this modern-day "Big Chill"; these friends are more likely to attack than comfort each other. Frick, the central character, is a particularly unpleasant creation, a thoroughly repugnant sort who uses hostility as a way to counter his own insecurities. The film is an endless cycle of nasty comments, veiled insults and bitter recriminations, with a minimum of comic relief.
The chief virtue of this laborious effort is the outstanding ensemble cast of future stars. Some -- such as Connelly, Futterman ("The Birdcage") and Harden -- already have extensive film credits but haven't yet hit the right break. Others are newcomers; Ross is just as beautiful as her mother and has an impressive naturalness in front of the camera. And Atterton, a British stage actor, manages the difficult feat of making the obnoxious Frick a compelling character.
FAR HARBOR
Castle Hill Prods.
Director-screenplay John Huddles
Producer Gigi De Pourtales Davis
Executive producers John Huddles,
Gary Huddles, John Wolstenholme
Co-producer Laura Barnett
Director of photography Tami Reiker
Editors Wilton Henderson, Margaret Guinee,
Janice Keuhnelian
Cast:
Frick Edward Atterton
Ellie Jennifer Connelly
Brad Dan Futterman
Arabella Marcia Gay Harden
Trey Andrew Lauren
Jordan George Newbern
Kiki Tracee Ellis Ross
Ryland Jim True
Running time -- 101 minutes
No MPAA rating...
In this tale of a bunch of Generation X-ers hanging during a weekend marked by emotional confrontations, the central character is a filmmaker filled with bitter resentment at the mega-director whose 120-foot yacht berthed in the town's harbor is a visual symbol of unattainable success. This unseen figure is referred to as "Mr. Spreckman", a name that was used after Steven Spielberg expressed his displeasure over the film's original title, "Mr. Spielberg's Boat".
The boat reminds the bitter young English filmmaker Frick (Edward Atterton) of his own recent failures in the movie business. He finds his friends little comfort. They include: Ellie (Jennifer Connelly), a young woman of fragile emotional stability; her husband Ry (Jim True), and her tough-talking, protective sister, Arabella (Marcia Gay Harden); Bradley (Dan Futterman), a successful New York surgeon, and his younger girlfriend Kiki Tracee Ellis Ross, Diana's daughter); Jordan (George Newbern), an heir to a dairy farm fortune; and his free-spirited friend Trey (Andrew Lauren, Ralph's son).
Feel-good emotions are little evident in this modern-day "Big Chill"; these friends are more likely to attack than comfort each other. Frick, the central character, is a particularly unpleasant creation, a thoroughly repugnant sort who uses hostility as a way to counter his own insecurities. The film is an endless cycle of nasty comments, veiled insults and bitter recriminations, with a minimum of comic relief.
The chief virtue of this laborious effort is the outstanding ensemble cast of future stars. Some -- such as Connelly, Futterman ("The Birdcage") and Harden -- already have extensive film credits but haven't yet hit the right break. Others are newcomers; Ross is just as beautiful as her mother and has an impressive naturalness in front of the camera. And Atterton, a British stage actor, manages the difficult feat of making the obnoxious Frick a compelling character.
FAR HARBOR
Castle Hill Prods.
Director-screenplay John Huddles
Producer Gigi De Pourtales Davis
Executive producers John Huddles,
Gary Huddles, John Wolstenholme
Co-producer Laura Barnett
Director of photography Tami Reiker
Editors Wilton Henderson, Margaret Guinee,
Janice Keuhnelian
Cast:
Frick Edward Atterton
Ellie Jennifer Connelly
Brad Dan Futterman
Arabella Marcia Gay Harden
Trey Andrew Lauren
Jordan George Newbern
Kiki Tracee Ellis Ross
Ryland Jim True
Running time -- 101 minutes
No MPAA rating...
- 11/25/1996
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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