by Nathaniel R
The Middleburg Film Festival is halfway over and we've yet to report! We were off to a troubed start with a very late flight (8 hours in the airport for a 45 minute flight. ARGH!). Given the gusty NYC weather, we missed the Virginia premiere of Marriage Story, the opening night film. We'd already seen it at TIFF and loved and are pleased to report that the movie was met with great enthusiasm yet again. A Los Angeles friend came directly towards us at the Q&A (which we arrived just in time to see ending) apologizing for her wet face. Never apologize for crying at beautiful movies...
Noah Baumbach was the toast of the after-party. The cast couldn't make it -- you may have surmised that Adam Driver and Scarlett Johansson are in (more than) constant demand. The writer/director was generous with his time staying for the full party and speaking to anyone who approached... which was, well, everyone. We asked him if he was sick of all this "Marriage Story is [insert breathless praise here]" talk and he looked at us incredulously. He looked genuninely excited and grateful at the well-wishing. We had to bring up the twin Sondheim numbers. Was that in the original script or did he add that once he had two movie stars who can sing sign on as the leads? It was always in the script; he and Adam are big fans of Sondheim's "Company" and had even been discussing whether it could work itself as a film, before Marriage Story came into being. They decided against it. "It's too much of its own thing". Scarlett Johansson signed on very early as well so Baumbach knew his stars' talents well.
The Spotlight films on Friday were Harriet (more on which soon) and Waves. Waves was jam-packed with half of its ensemble in attendance. Writer/Director Trey Edward Shults (of Krisha and It Comes at Night fame), and stars Sterling K Brown, Kelvin Harrison Jr, and Taylor Russell were there to introduce the film and provide a Q & A afterwards. We were disappointed that Taylor didn't get many questions (what a gorgeously felt performance from an actress we weren't familiar with but are now huge fans of). Sterling K Brown, as the most famous actor among them and the ambitious drama's patriarch, got more than his fair share of the time. For an actor who has built his career on very serious dramatic work, he sure likes to keep crowds laughing! The audience was smitten. He even took it upon himself to run the mic around the theater to anyone asking a question "As a bonus for asking a question, you get to meet Sterling," Trey quipped.
We have been hearing some scuttlebut around the circuit that some have dismissed Sterling K Brown's awards prospects because 'oh, he's just playing another father like on This Is Us' but this is, to put it frankly, insane. His character Ronald is nothing like his signature role Randall apart from similar first names and having fathered two children. There's an intimidating severity this time and an emotional impatience, and his chemistry with his screenwife (Tony-winner Renée Elise Goldberry, also fabulous) is much different, too. Let's just say that Ronald and Randall definitely wouldn't like each other if they were to meet.
Waves came out of Telluride with breathless Oscars all around buzz but we don't see that happening. It's too polarizing a film and strains at time for affect -- and many will balk at his bifurcated structure. A colleague sitting two seats away from us was loudly complaining as the credits rolled, 'NO. NO. NO. THAT IS TWO MOVIES, NOT ONE.' But we kind of loved it, especially the two part structure, the shift (about halfway through?) marked by an aspect ratio change, and a refocusing on different characters. At the very least it would be easy to root for it to nab a Screen Actors Guild Outstanding Cast nomination. Brown, Harrison Jr, Russell, and Goldsberry play the central family, but Lucas Hedges and Euphoria's Alexa Demie are also terrific in supporting roles. Though we worry for Demie with casting directors -- can someone please give her a part where her high school jock boyfriend doesn't mistreat her?
Related:
Marriage Story at TIFF
Waves Review (Chris Feil didn't like it as much as we did)