Bonobo (2014 film)

Last updated

Bonobo
Bonobo (2014 film poster).png
Theatrical release poster
Directed byMatthew Hammett Knott
Written by
Produced byFarhana Bhula
Starring
CinematographyJames Aspinall
Edited bySean Barton
Music byEugene Feygelson
Production
company
Fable Films
Distributed byMonteCristo International
Release dates
Running time
83 minutes
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish

Bonobo is a 2014 British comedy-drama film written and directed by Matthew Hammett Knott and starring Tessa Peake-Jones, Josie Lawrence, and James Norton.

Contents

The film is about middle-aged widow Judith (Tessa Peake-Jones), and her attempts to convince her daughter Lily to leave an alternative commune and return to university. Bonobo premiered at the Raindance Film Festival, [1] where it was nominated for Best British Feature. [2]

Plot

Members of Bonobo House share a meal Bonobo publicity shot.jpg
Members of Bonobo House share a meal

Middle-aged widow Judith is worried about her 23-year-old daughter Lily, who has joined what she thinks is a sect. In fact, a group of youngsters overseen by middle-aged Anita have set up a commune based on the lifestyle of the Bonobo chimpanzee (Pan paniscus), in which all social conflicts are resolved by having sex.

Deciding that she'll ‘rescue’ Lily, Judith turns up at the commune, only to be told that she'll have to wait until she's in the right state of mind to talk to her daughter. Judith herself starts opening up, but at a party rejects Anita's advances. Back home, Lily tells her mother that she has to be true to herself. Judith admits her formerly hidden desires and tells Lily she is going to let her decide her future for herself.

Meanwhile, sex itself becomes a problem for the group, and one member is asked to leave. When mother and daughter return to the commune, Judith is able to show her feelings for Anita. A young woman, a neighbour, arrives and is welcomed by the group. As everyone hugs and welcomes her, Judith says, "I'll leave you to it", then she turns and slowly, quietly leaves and walks away.

Cast

Production

Bonobo was privately financed and shot on location in Wimborne Minster, Dorset.

Reception

Bonobo received positive reviews from critics. Total Film gave it four stars calling it "smart, funny and original", while Tim Robey of The Telegraph called it "frisky, liberated, funny, alive".[ citation needed ]

Related Research Articles

<i>Claudine</i> (film) 1974 film by John Berry

Claudine is a 1974 American romantic comedy-drama film, directed by John Berry. Claudine was written by Lester Pine and Tina Pine, produced by Third World Cinema, and distributed by 20th Century Fox, starring James Earl Jones, Diahann Carroll, and Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs. The film was released on April 22, 1974, grossing about $6 million, a modest hit for the times. It was praised for showing a new dimension in black cinema during the height of blaxploitation.

<i>Saving Silverman</i> 2001 film by Dennis Dugan

Saving Silverman is a 2001 American romantic comedy film directed by Dennis Dugan and starring Jason Biggs, Steve Zahn, Jack Black and Amanda Peet. Neil Diamond has a cameo role playing himself. In the film, Darren Silverman's longtime friends try to save him from marrying his controlling new girlfriend, whose behavior threatens the friends, their band, and Darren's chance at happiness with his lifelong true love.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Angie Watts</span> Fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders

Angie Watts is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Anita Dobson from the first episode of the series until 1988, when Dobson decided to leave, and the character was written out.

Samantha Jones (<i>Sex and the City</i>) Fictional character

Samantha Jones is a fictional character created by Candace Bushnell who appears in the Sex and the City media franchise. The character first appeared in Bushnell's newspaper column Sex and the City, which was published in The New York Observer from 1994 to 1996, and as a book of the same name in 1996. A semi-fictionalized version of one of Bushnell's real-life friends, Samantha is a confident and sexually liberated woman in her forties with a propensity for dating multiple men.

Dustin "Dusty" Donovan is a fictional character on CBS's daytime drama As the World Turns. He was recently portrayed by Grayson McCouch from February 18, 2003, to January 18, 2008. McCouch returned to the role on September 24, 2008.

Bahay Kubo: A Pinoy Mano Po! is a 2007 Filipino comedy-drama film starring Maricel Soriano and Eric Quizon. It was one of the official entries of the Metro Manila Film Festival. The story setting is patterned after the films of the Mano Po series with Mestizo/Austronesian Filipino characters instead of Chinese Filipino characters.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Callum Rebecchi</span> Fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours

Callum Rebecchi is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours played by actor Morgan Baker. He made his first screen appearance during the episode broadcast on 9 June 2008. The character was introduced to the show following the decision to stop a storyline that saw Toadfish Rebecchi adopt a child from Indonesia. Baker began filming his first scenes in March. Callum departed Neighbours on 12 June 2014, following Baker's decision to concentrate on his schooling. Baker reprised the role for a cameo appearance on 17 September 2015. He has made subsequent guest appearances from 7 June until 12 June 2017 and again from 20 February until 13 March 2019. In 2022 it was announced that Baker would once again reprise the role as part of the series finale.

Lovers and Friends is an American soap opera that aired on NBC from January 3 to May 6, 1977. When the show didn't catch on immediately, NBC put the show on hiatus for seven months, and then brought it back on December 6, 1977, as a retooled show with the title For Richer, For Poorer. The show continued on until it came to an end on September 29, 1978.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anita Roy</span> UK soap opera character, created 2008

Anita Roy is a fictional character from the Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Saira Choudhry. Choudhry was cast in 2008 as part of the new Roy family and arrived in November and stayed in the serial for 2 years before she left Hollyoaks on 20 January 2011. Her more notable storylines include being racially bullied, which was nominated for an award at the Inside Soap Awards and which led to her self-harming storyline. In her time on the show she also discovered that she is adopted and began an on-line relationship. Anita also suffered an identity crisis.

<i>The Secret Diaries of Miss Anne Lister</i> 2010 film by James Kent

The Secret Diaries of Miss Anne Lister is a 2010 British biographical historical drama film about 19th-century Yorkshire landowner Anne Lister. Made for television, the film was directed by James Kent and starred Maxine Peake as Lister. The script by Jane English drew from Lister's diaries, written in code, and decoded many years after her death. The story follows Lister's lesbian relationships and her independent lifestyle as an industrialist. The Secret Diaries of Miss Anne Lister held its world premiere screening at the London Lesbian and Gay Film Festival in March 2010 and was broadcast in the United Kingdom by the BBC in May 2010.

<i>Temptation: Confessions of a Marriage Counselor</i> 2013 US romance drama film by Tyler Perry

Temptation: Confessions of a Marriage Counselor is a 2013 American romantic drama film produced, written, and directed by Tyler Perry. The film is adapted from Perry's play The Marriage Counselor, with several changes. It was released on March 29, 2013.

<i>Unforgivable</i> (2011 film) 2011 French film

Unforgivable is a 2011 French drama film directed by André Téchiné, starring André Dussollier, Carole Bouquet, and Mélanie Thierry. The film is an adaptation of Philippe Djian's novel Unforgivable which received the Jean Freustié award in 2009. It was previously called The Angels Terminus. The film premiered at the Directors' Fortnight at the 2011 Cannes film festival.

"Virgin Territory" is the 16th episode of the third season of the American sitcom Modern Family and the series' 64th episode overall. It aired on February 22, 2012. The episode was written by Elaine Ko and directed by Jason Winer.

<i>The Hot Flashes</i> 2013 American comedy film

The Hot Flashes is a 2013 American sports comedy film directed by Susan Seidelman and starring Brooke Shields, Daryl Hannah, Wanda Sykes, Virginia Madsen, Camryn Manheim, Eric Roberts and Mark Povinelli. This film was also an attempt to raise awareness for breast cancer as well as defy stereotypes of age. It was released on July 12, 2013.

<i>Unforgettable</i> (2017 film) 2017 film directed by Denise Di Novi

Unforgettable is a 2017 American drama thriller film directed by Denise Di Novi and written by Christina Hodson. The film stars Rosario Dawson, Katherine Heigl, Geoff Stults, Isabella Rice, and Cheryl Ladd, and follows a divorcée who begins to torment her ex-husband's new fiancée.

<i>Blockers</i> (film) 2018 American sex comedy film

Blockers is a 2018 American sex comedy film directed by Kay Cannon in her directorial debut, and written by Brian and Jim Kehoe, and starring John Cena, Leslie Mann, and Ike Barinholtz with supporting roles by Kathryn Newton, Geraldine Viswanathan, Gideon Adlon, Graham Phillips, Miles Robbins, Jimmy Bellinger, Colton Dunn, Sarayu Blue, Gary Cole, Gina Gershon, June Diane Raphael, and Hannibal Buress. It tells the story of a trio of parents who try to stop their respective daughters from losing their virginity on prom night. The title of the film is a reference to the act of "cockblocking", with marketing materials displaying a rooster above the title.

<i>Little Woods</i> 2018 film

Little Woods is a 2018 crime drama film, written and directed by Nia DaCosta in her feature directorial debut. The film stars Tessa Thompson, Lily James, Luke Kirby, James Badge Dale and Lance Reddick.

<i>Love at First Sight</i> (2023 film) American film by Vanessa Caswill

Love at First Sight is a 2023 American romantic comedy film directed by Vanessa Caswill and written by Katie Lovejoy, based upon the 2011 novel The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith. It stars Haley Lu Richardson, Ben Hardy, Dexter Fletcher, Rob Delaney, Sally Phillips and Jameela Jamil. The film premiered on Netflix on September 15, 2023.

<i>Soft & Quiet</i> American horror film

Soft & Quiet is a 2022 American thriller film written, produced and directed by Beth de Araújo in her directorial debut. It stars Stefanie Estes and Olivia Luccardi. Jason Blum serves as an executive producer under his Blumhouse Productions banner.

References

  1. "Home".
  2. @Raindance (2 September 2014). "Best UK Feature Noms:Luna,The Quiet Hour,Bonobo,Panic, United We Fall, Hinterland" (Tweet) via Twitter.