Behind the Red Door (film)

Last updated

Behind the Red Door
BehindtheredDoor.jpg
Behind the Red Door Poster
Directed byMatia Karrell
Written by
Produced by
  • Kjehl Rasmussen
  • Matia Karrell
  • Jeff Geoffray
Starring
Cinematography Robert Elswit
Edited by Barry Farrell
Music byDavid Fleury [1]
Production
companies
Blue Rider Pictures
Praxis Entertainment
Distributed by Columbia Pictures
Release date
  • January 12, 2003 (2003-01-12)
Running time
105 minutes
Countries
  • United States
  • Japan
  • Finland
  • Spain

Behind the Red Door is a 2003 drama film directed by Matia Karrell. [2] The lead characters in the movie are Kyra Sedgwick, Kiefer Sutherland and Stockard Channing. [1] The film depicts the relationship between a sister and her brother, who is suffering from the fatal disease AIDS.

Contents

Plot

Natalie Haddad (Kyra Sedgwick) is a talented photographer living in New York City who is undergoing a financial crisis. Her friend Julia (Stockard Channing) finds for her a two-day job in Boston for US$20,000, which Natalie has to accept. Upon her arrival at Boston, she finds that her arrogant gay brother Roy (Kiefer Sutherland), a successful designer, had hired her. Their relationship was broken 10 years earlier and since then they had not seen each other. When Natalie finishes her assignment, her brother Roy asks her to stay for the next day, as he has organised a birthday party for himself. After the birthday party, Roy tells her that he is suffering from AIDS. Although Roy is insufferably snobbish and manipulative, he manages to exert a curious control over Natalie, forcing her to confront several disturbing, long-suppressed memories of her past (shown in black-and-white flashbacks). She agrees to stay with him and in due course of time their fraternal relationship develops again.

Cast

Release and reception

The film was initially broadcast on the Showtime network as part of "a multiyear initiative" by Viacom, Showtime's parent, "to address HIV/AIDS issues." [3] The film received mostly positive reviews from critics. Rotten Tomatoes rated its freshness at 78%. [4]

Jerry Weinstein of Culturevulture.net said: "The awkward set-up finally gives way to a portrait of a family of two, who are at last there for one another." [4] Weinstein praised Sedgwick and Sutherland's portrayal of sister and brother, saying, "Although Behind the Red Door is in parts a schematic, more than a nuanced drama, both Kyra Sedgwick and Kiefer Sutherland portray sister and brother with dignity." [5] He also praised the portrayal of a gay man suffering from AIDS and expressed hope that Viacom's corporate "synergy" might "be leveraged in such a fashion that it can make a positive difference, fostering dialogue and promoting understanding". [5]

Multichannel News liked the film, calling it "[a]n elegant little Showtime telefilm . . . saddled with a truly unfortunate name". [6] Houston Chronicle critic Ann Hodges said that it "comes close, at times, to sentimental melodrama, but it recovers" and "builds to a two-hanky ending." In a brief review, the Chicago Tribune noted the "sensitive performances" by Sedgwick and Sutherland, but found the murder subplot to be "unnecessary". [7]

On the other hand, The New York Times critic Anita Gates wrote a mainly negative review, concluding that despite the director's evident personal connection to the material (her own brother had died of AIDS), the film "is undermined by simplistic dialog and one-note direction" as well as by what Gates found to be the unpleasant personalities of the main characters. [8]

Related Research Articles

<i>Prime Suspect</i> British police procedural TV series (1991–2006)

Prime Suspect is a British police procedural television series devised by Lynda La Plante. It stars Helen Mirren as Jane Tennison, one of the first female Detective Chief Inspectors in Greater London's Metropolitan Police Service, who rises to the rank of Detective Superintendent while confronting institutionalised sexism within the police force.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kiefer Sutherland</span> Canadian actor (born 1966)

Kiefer William Frederick Dempsey George Rufus Sutherland is a Canadian actor. He is best known for his starring role as Jack Bauer in the Fox drama series 24, for which he won a Primetime Emmy Award and a Golden Globe Award.

Paramount Media Networks is an American mass media division of Paramount Global that oversees the operations of its television channels and online brands. The division was originally founded as MTV Networks in 1984, named after the MTV cable network. It would be known under this name until 2011; when it would be thereafter known as Viacom Media Networks until 2019; and ViacomCBS Domestic Media Networks until 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stockard Channing</span> American actress (born 1944)

Stockard Channing is an American actress. She played Betty Rizzo in the film Grease (1978) and First Lady Abbey Bartlet in the NBC television series The West Wing (1999–2006). She also originated the role of Ouisa Kittredge in the stage and film versions of Six Degrees of Separation; the 1993 film version earned her an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jason Patric</span> American actor

Jason Patric is an American film, television and stage actor. He is known for his roles in films such as The Lost Boys (1987), Rush (1991), Geronimo: An American Legend (1993), Sleepers (1996), Speed 2: Cruise Control (1997), Your Friends & Neighbors (1998), Narc (2002), The Alamo (2004), My Sister's Keeper (2009), and The Losers (2010). His father was actor/playwright Jason Miller, and his maternal grandfather was actor Jackie Gleason.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Movie Channel</span> American movie-oriented pay television network

The Movie Channel (TMC) is an American premium television network owned by Showtime Networks, a subsidiary of Paramount Global operated through its Paramount Media Networks division. The network's programming mainly features first-run theatrically released and independently produced motion pictures, and during promotional breaks between films, special behind-the-scenes features and movie trivia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kyra Sedgwick</span> American actress (born 1965)

Kyra Minturn Sedgwick is an American film and television actress. She is best known for her starring role as Deputy Chief Brenda Leigh Johnson on the crime drama The Closer (2005–2012), for which she won a Golden Globe in 2007 and an Emmy Award in 2010. She also starred in the 1992 TV film Miss Rose White, which won an Emmy Award. She was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for her performance in the 1995 film Something to Talk About. Sedgwick's other film credits include Oliver Stone's Born on the Fourth of July (1989) and Cameron Crowe's Singles (1992). She also had a recurring role as Madeline Wuntch on the sitcom Brooklyn Nine-Nine. Sedgwick is married to fellow actor Kevin Bacon.

Home of the Brave is a 2004 documentary film about Viola Liuzzo, an American anti-racist activist during the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s.

<i>The Girl Most Likely To...</i> 1973 television film directed by Lee Philips

The Girl Most Likely To... is a 1973 American black comedy television film directed by Lee Philips and written by Joan Rivers and Agnes Gallin. It stars Stockard Channing and Ed Asner. The film premiered on November 6, 1973, as part of the ABC Movie of the Week. The story has plot elements similar to the 1950 film The Second Face.

Red Mercury is a 2005 British film thriller directed by Roy Battersby and starring Stockard Channing, Pete Postlethwaite, Juliet Stevenson, Ron Silver and David Bradley.

<i>Six Degrees of Separation</i> (film) 1993 film by Fred Schepisi

Six Degrees of Separation is a 1993 American comedy-drama film released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and directed by Fred Schepisi, adapted from John Guare's Pulitzer Prize-nominated 1990 play of the same name.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">MGM+</span> American pay television network

MGM+, is an American premium cable and satellite television network owned by the MGMPlus Entertainment subsidiary of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), which is itself a subsidiary of Amazon MGM Studios. The network's programming consists of recent and older theatrically released motion pictures, original television series, documentaries, and music and comedy specials.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sosie Bacon</span> American actress (born 1992)

Sosie Ruth Bacon is an American actress. The daughter of actors Kevin Bacon and Kyra Sedgwick, her first role was playing 10-year-old Emily in the film Loverboy (2005). While her parents did not push for her to continue acting, she was encouraged by producer James Duff to appear in The Closer (2009).

Matia Anne Karrell is an American film and television director, producer, and screenwriter. She is best known for directing the 1988 short film Cadillac Dreams, which was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Short Film.

<i>Big Sky</i> (film) 2015 American film

Big Sky is a 2015 American drama thriller film directed by Jorge Michel Grau and starring Bella Thorne, Kyra Sedgwick, Frank Grillo, and Aaron Tveit. It was produced by The Archive and Papagjika Salloway Productions. Entertainment One gave it a limited release on August 14, 2015. The film received negative reviews from critics with criticism for the screenplay and Thorne's performance.

<i>Fatal Instinct</i> (2014 film) 2014 American film

Fatal Instinct is a 2014 American thriller film, written, directed and produced by Luciano Saber, starring Ivan Sergei, Masiela Lusha, Richard Burgi, Drew Fuller, Krista Allen, Peter Dobson, and Anne Winters. The film premiered in the United States on June 3, 2014, airing on the Showtime network.

Cindy Vela is an American actress and model. She appeared in Black November (2012), Endgame (2015), Camino (2016) and Run Hide Fight (2020).

<i>After Yang</i> 2021 American film by Kogonada

After Yang is a 2021 American science fiction drama film written, directed, and edited by Kogonada. It stars Colin Farrell, Jodie Turner-Smith, Justin H. Min, Malea Emma Tjandrawidjaja, and Haley Lu Richardson. It is one of the final feature films scored by composer Ryuichi Sakamoto before his death in 2023. The plot follows a family's attempts to repair their android son after he becomes unresponsive, and can no longer assist their adoptive Chinese daughter. It delves into themes of memory, death, loss, and humanness.

2019 merger of CBS and Viacom 2019 merger transaction

The 2019 merger of CBS Corporation and Viacom was announced on August 13, 2019, and was completed on December 4, 2019. The merger of equals reunited CBS Corporation and Viacom into a single company known as ViacomCBS after their separation from the first incarnation of Viacom on December 31, 2005. Both companies were owned by the theater company National Amusements, which remains the owner of the merged entity.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Showtime (TV network)</span> American pay television network

Showtime, also known as Paramount+ with Showtime, is an American premium television network and the flagship property of Showtime Networks, a sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Paramount+ with Showtime's programming includes original television series produced exclusively for the linear network and developed for the co-owned Paramount+ streaming service, theatrically released and independent motion pictures, documentaries, and occasional stand-up comedy specials, made-for-TV movies, and softcore adult programming.

References

  1. 1 2 "Behind-the-Red-Door – Cast, Crew, Director and Awards". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times . 2014. Archived from the original on 24 January 2014. Retrieved 14 January 2014.
  2. ↑ "Behind the Red Door (2003) – Overview". TCM.com. 28 October 2009. Retrieved 14 January 2014.
  3. ↑ "Kiefer madness". The Advocate . 24 December 2002. p. 24. Retrieved 8 May 2018.
  4. 1 2 "Behind the Red Door". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 14 January 2014.
  5. 1 2 Film. "Behind the Red Door Review". CultureVulture. Retrieved 14 January 2014.
  6. ↑ Haugsted, Linda (22 December 2002). "Please Open the 'Red Door'". Multichannel News . Retrieved 8 May 2018.
  7. ↑ Johnson, Allan (10 January 2003). "Culthit "Farscape" in the home stretch". Chicago Tribune . Archived from the original on 25 October 2015. Retrieved 8 May 2018.
  8. ↑ Gates, Anita (10 January 2003). "TV Weekend; A family story of AIDS where no one is a hero". The New York Times . Retrieved 8 May 2018.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.