Affairs of State (film)

Last updated
Affairs of State
Affairs of State poster.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Eric Bross
Written by Tom Cudworth
Produced byStephen Israel
Starring
CinematographyHoracio Marquínez
Edited byYaniv Dabach
Music by
  • Jonathan Shanes
  • Justin Bell
Production
companies
Distributed by Lionsgate
Release date
  • June 15, 2018 (2018-06-15)(United States)
Running time
97 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Affairs of State is a 2018 American political thriller film directed by Eric Bross and starring David Corenswet (in his film debut), Thora Birch, David James Elliott, Grace Victoria Cox, Mimi Rogers, and Adrian Grenier. It was released in select theaters and via video on demand on June 15, 2018, by Lionsgate. [1]

Contents

Synopsis

A young congressional aide, Michael Lawrence (David Corenswet), has an affair with the wife (Mimi Rogers) of his boss, Senator John Baines (David James Elliott). Meanwhile, Baines' ruthless top aide (Adrien Grenier) is in his way. Lawrence then unexpectedly falls for the Senator's daughter (Grace Victoria Cox) and must go tête à tête with his leftist activist housemate (Thora Birch). [2]

Critical response

Noel Murray of the Los Angeles Times stated, "an engaging if ungainly hybrid of The Graduate and House of Cards , the political potboiler Affairs of State benefits greatly from being both timely and, for this day and age, uncommon. In an era when so many indies are either genre exercises or quirky dramedies, a well-acted, ripped-from-the-headlines melodrama is a novelty." [3]

Conversely, Derek Smith of Slant Magazine offered in summation, "as Affairs of State's primary interests lie almost exclusively between the sheets, the intermittent jabs taken at establishment politics feel like disingenuous, cheap shots intended to give the film a sense of depth and gravity that it doesn't earn." [4]

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References

  1. Watters, Bill (June 8, 2018). "Exclusive Clip from Affairs of State: This is Insane!". Bleeding Cool . Retrieved June 20, 2020.
  2. Noel Murray. "Affairs of State Reviews". Metacritic . Retrieved May 5, 2020.
  3. "Review: Sex-tinged melodrama 'Affairs of State' mirrors real politics". Los Angeles Times . June 14, 2018.
  4. Smith, Derek. "Review: Affairs of State". Slant Magazine .