Earthquake Bird | |
---|---|
Directed by | Wash Westmoreland |
Screenplay by | Wash Westmoreland |
Based on | The Earthquake Bird by Susanna Jones |
Produced by |
|
Starring | |
Cinematography | Chung Chung-hoon |
Edited by | Jonathan Alberts |
Music by |
|
Production companies |
|
Distributed by | Netflix |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 107 minutes |
Countries | United Kingdom United States |
Languages |
|
Earthquake Bird is a 2019 psychological thriller film written and directed by Wash Westmoreland based on the 2001 novel of the same name by Susanna Jones. It stars Alicia Vikander, Riley Keough, Naoki Kobayashi and Jack Huston.
It had its world premiere at the BFI London Film Festival on October 10, 2019. It was released on November 1, 2019, before digital streaming on November 15, 2019, by Netflix.
In 1989 Tokyo, Japan, Lucy Fly is a young Swedish immigrant who is working as a translator at a manufacturing company, and is suspected of murder when her American friend Lily Bridges goes missing.
The plot is sometimes shown in flashbacks, including some of Lucy's childhood, as well as scenes of her romantic relationship with Teiji and friendship with Lily. Teiji's hobby includes taking photographs of nature scenes such as water reflections and abandoned buildings. When Teiji first meets Lucy, he says he rarely takes photos of people, yet wants to take her portrait. Teiji has a peculiar habit of locking his favorite photos away in a filing cabinet rather than displaying them to the public.
During a vacation to Sado Island, Lucy's friendship with Lily sours when she discovers that Teiji has begun a romantic relationship with Lily behind her back. Following the disappearance of Lily, Lucy is arrested and interrogated by Japanese detectives. Lucy claims that she murdered Lily in a fit of jealous rage, but is cleared after the body is identified as belonging to someone else. After being released, Lucy discovers evidence in Teiji's photo collection implicating him in Lily's murder and disappearance. Teiji attacks Lucy but she kills him in self-defense.
The film ends with Lucy in a cemetery with her Japanese friend Ms. Kato, reflecting on the past.
In August 2016, it was announced Wash Westmoreland would write and direct the film, based upon the novel of the same name by Susanna Jones. Michael Schaefer, Michael Pruss, Ann Ruark, Georgina Pope will produce the film, while Ridley Scott will serve as an executive producer on the film, under their Scott Free Productions and Twenty First City banners, respectively, with Amazon Studios originally set to distribute. [1] In March 2018, Alicia Vikander and Riley Keough joined the cast of the film, with Netflix distributing. [2] In April 2018, Jack Huston joined the cast of the film. [3] In May 2018, Naoki Kobayashi joined the cast of the film, with production beginning that same month, in Tokyo. [4] Sado Island was also used as a filming location. [5]
It had its world premiere at the BFI London Film Festival on October 10, 2019. [6] [7] It was released on November 1, 2019, in a limited release before digital streaming on November 15, 2019. [8]
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 50% based on 40 reviews, with an average of 5.5/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "Riley Keough and Alicia Vikander give it their all, but Earthquake Bird suffers from a frustrating inability to bring its literary source material consistently to life." [9] On Metacritic, the film holds a rating of 48 out of 100, based on 10 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". [10]
Danielle Riley Keough is an American actress. She made her feature film debut in a supporting part in the musical biopic The Runaways (2010), portraying Marie Currie. Keough subsequently starred in the independent thriller The Good Doctor (2011), before being cast in a minor role in Steven Soderbergh's comedy film Magic Mike (2012). She had her first big-budget release in the action feature Mad Max: Fury Road (2015).
Paul "Wash" Westmoreland, previously known professionally as Wash West, is a British director who has worked in television, documentaries, and independent films. He frequently collaborated with his husband, writer-director Richard Glatzer. Together, they wrote and directed the 2014 film Still Alice, based on Lisa Genova's NYT best-selling book and starring Julianne Moore, Kristen Stewart, and Alec Baldwin. The film won many awards, including the Academy Award for Best Actress for Julianne Moore and Humanitas Prize for feature film for the duo. Their 2006 coming-of-age feature film, Quinceañera, won the Audience Award and the Grand Jury Prize at the 2006 Sundance Film Festival.
Ben Wheatley is an English filmmaker, film editor, and animator. Beginning his career in advertising, Wheatley first gained recognition and acclaim for his commercials and short films, before transitioning into feature films and television programmes. He is best known for his work in the thriller and horror genres, with his films frequently incorporating heavy elements of black comedy and satire.
James Ponsoldt is an American film director, actor and screenwriter. He directed the drama films Off the Black (2006) and Smashed (2012), the romantic comedy-drama The Spectacular Now (2013), and the dramas The End of the Tour (2015) and The Circle (2017).
Alicia Amanda Vikander is a Swedish actress. She is the recipient of various accolades, including an Academy Award, and nominations for two Golden Globe Awards and three British Academy Film Awards. She is best known globally for playing the British heroine Lara Croft in the 2018 reboot Tomb Raider.
Tye Kayle Sheridan is an American actor. He is known for playing the young Scott Summers / Cyclops in the X-Men film series (2016–2019) and for his starring role in the science fiction film Ready Player One (2018).
Burnt is a 2015 American comedy-drama film directed by John Wells and written by Steven Knight, from a story by Michael Kalesniko. The film stars an ensemble cast including Bradley Cooper, Sienna Miller, Omar Sy, Daniel Brühl, Matthew Rhys, Riccardo Scamarcio, Alicia Vikander, Uma Thurman and Emma Thompson. The film was released on October 30, 2015, by The Weinstein Company. The film was not well received by critics and grossed $36.6 million.
The Light Between Oceans is a 2016 romantic drama film written and directed by Derek Cianfrance and based on the 2012 novel of the same name by M. L. Stedman. An international co-production between the United Kingdom, the United States, India and Canada, the film stars Michael Fassbender, Alicia Vikander, Rachel Weisz, Bryan Brown, and Jack Thompson. The film tells the story of a lighthouse keeper and his wife who rescue an infant girl adrift at sea and raise her as their own. Years later, the couple discover the child's true parentage and are faced with the consequences of their actions.
Tomb Raider is a 2018 action-adventure film directed by Roar Uthaug, with a screenplay by Geneva Robertson-Dworet and Alastair Siddons, from a story by Evan Daugherty and Robertson-Dworet. An American and British co-production, it is based on the 2013 video game of the same name, with some elements of its sequel by Crystal Dynamics, a reboot, and the third installment in the Tomb Raider film series. The film stars Alicia Vikander as Lara Croft, who embarks on a perilous journey to her father's last-known destination, hoping to solve the mystery of his disappearance. Dominic West, Walton Goggins, Daniel Wu, and Kristin Scott Thomas appear in supporting roles.
Ken Yamamura, born Kennosuke Yamamura, is a Japanese actor best known for playing the younger Ichirō Yashida / Silver Samurai in the 2013 film The Wolverine, and Takashi in the 2014 remake of Godzilla.
Dude is a 2018 American coming-of-age comedy-drama film directed by Olivia Milch and written by Milch and Kendall McKinnon. The film stars Lucy Hale, Kathryn Prescott, Alexandra Shipp, Awkwafina, Austin Butler and Michaela Watkins.
Misha Green is an American screenwriter, director, and producer. She is best known as the showrunner of the supernatural series Lovecraft Country on HBO and creator and executive producer of the historical drama Underground.
The Earthquake Bird is the 2001 debut novel by British author Susanna Jones. It won the John Llewellyn Rhys Prize, a Betty Trask Award, and the Crime Writers' Association John Creasy Dagger. The novel was later adapted by Wash Westmoreland into a film called Earthquake Bird, which was released by Netflix in November 2019.
Naoki Kobayashi is a Japanese actor, dancer, choreographer, and model. He is a performer of J-Pop dance and vocal group Exile, and is a leader and performer of J-Pop dance and vocal group Sandaime J Soul Brothers. He was also a member of Nidaime J Soul Brothers until their migration to Exile in 2009. As a member of Sandaime J Soul Brothers, he has received the Japan Record Awards twice, and has received the same award three times as a member of Exile. He choreographed the famous "Pocky Dance" for Pocky's advertisement in 2015.
Geneva Robertson-Dworet is an American screenwriter. She rose to prominence after being hired in 2015 to rewrite the script for the 2018 Tomb Raider reboot, starring Alicia Vikander and directed by Roar Uthaug. She co-wrote the screenplay for Marvel Studios' Captain Marvel (2019) and is the co-showrunner and co-creator of the television adaptation of the Fallout video game franchise for Amazon Prime Video.
Studio 8 is an American entertainment company founded in 2014, by Jeff Robinov, John Graham, Mark Miner and based in Culver City. It specializes in film and television production.
Savage Salvation is a 2022 American thriller film directed by Randall Emmett and starring Jack Huston, Robert De Niro, and John Malkovich.
The Guilty is a 2021 American crime thriller film directed and produced by Antoine Fuqua, from a screenplay by Nic Pizzolatto. A remake of the 2018 Danish film of the same name, the film stars Jake Gyllenhaal and Christina Vidal, with the voices of Ethan Hawke, Riley Keough, Eli Goree, Da'Vine Joy Randolph, Paul Dano, and Peter Sarsgaard.
Firebrand is a 2024 British historical drama film directed by Karim Aïnouz and written by Henrietta Ashworth and Jessica Ashworth, based on the 2013 novel Queen's Gambit by Elizabeth Fremantle. The film focuses on Katherine Parr, Queen of England and the wife and widow of Henry VIII. It stars Alicia Vikander, Jude Law, and Eddie Marsan. The film marks Aïnouz's first directorial effort in the English language.