Five Nights in Maine

Last updated

Five Nights in Maine
Five Nights in Maine poster.jpg
Film poster
Directed by Maris Curran
Written byMaris Curran
Starring David Oyelowo
Distributed by FilmRise
Release dates
  • September 13, 2015 (2015-09-13)(TIFF)
  • August 5, 2016 (2016-08-05)(United States)
Running time
82 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Five Nights in Maine is a 2015 American drama film written and directed by Maris Curran. [1] It was screened in the Discovery section of the 2015 Toronto International Film Festival. [2]

Contents

Plot

After his dearest wife Fiona is suddenly killed in a car accident due to a traffic jam, Sherwin Owens goes to Maine to stay with his terminally ill mother-in-law, Lucinda, so they can grieve together. However, Lucinda is resentful and distant, and Sherwin later discovers that she herself feels confronting guilt and grief over her daughter's death.

Cast

Reception

The A V Club says it is "admirable in its avoidance of easy sentiment", but concludes "the less-is-more approach doesn’t entirely work here". [3] Observer calls Five Nights in Maine "inconsequential" and "disappointing". [4] The Wrap notes the detachment in the film, saying "'Five Nights in Maine' is as frustrating as it is mannered; we never see these characters truly engaging the pain they clearly feel." [5] A review in Maine Today says "The film is like a short story, in that we are presented with this snapshot of two lives and are left to fill in much of the meaning and the context. Processed that way, what can seem inconsequential or thin in traditional movie terms sticks with you." [6] Variety describes it as a "tasteful, challenging yet ultimately inscrutable debut feature [that] never quite lives up to the caliber of her fine cast." [1]

Related Research Articles

<i>Practical Magic</i> 1998 film by Griffin Dunne

Practical Magic is a 1998 American romantic fantasy film based on the 1995 novel Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman. The film was directed by Griffin Dunne and stars Sandra Bullock, Nicole Kidman, Dianne Wiest, Stockard Channing, Aidan Quinn, and Goran Višnjić.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lucinda Williams</span> American musician (born 1953)

Lucinda Gayl Williams is an American singer-songwriter and a solo guitarist. She recorded her first two albums, Ramblin' on My Mind (1979) and Happy Woman Blues (1980), in a traditional country and blues style that received critical praise but little public or radio attention. In 1988, she released her third album, Lucinda Williams, to widespread critical acclaim. Regarded as "an Americana classic", the album also features "Passionate Kisses", a song later recorded by Mary Chapin Carpenter for her 1992 album Come On Come On, which garnered Williams her first Grammy Award for Best Country Song in 1994. Known for working slowly, Williams released her fourth album, Sweet Old World, four years later in 1992. Sweet Old World was met with further critical acclaim and was voted the 11th best album of 1992 in The Village Voice's Pazz & Jop, an annual poll of prominent music critics. Robert Christgau, the poll's creator, ranked it 6th on his own year-end list, later writing that the album as well as Lucinda Williams were "gorgeous, flawless, brilliant".

<i>Edward Scissorhands</i> 1990 film by Tim Burton

Edward Scissorhands is a 1990 American gothic romantic fantasy film directed by Tim Burton. It was produced by Burton and Denise Di Novi, written by Caroline Thompson from a story by her and Burton, and starring Johnny Depp, Winona Ryder, Dianne Wiest, Anthony Michael Hall, Kathy Baker, Vincent Price, and Alan Arkin. It tells the story of an unfinished artificial humanoid who has scissor blades instead of hands, is taken in by a suburban family, and falls in love with their teenage daughter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dianne Wiest</span> American actress (born 1948)

Dianne Evelyn Wiest is an American actress. She has won two Academy Awards for Best Supporting Actress for 1986's Hannah and Her Sisters and 1994's Bullets Over Broadway, one Golden Globe Award for Bullets Over Broadway, the 1997 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series for Road to Avonlea, and the 2008 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series for In Treatment. In addition, she was nominated for an Academy Award for 1989's Parenthood.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Oyelowo</span> British actor (born 1976)

David Oyetokunbo Oyelowo is a British-American actor, director and producer. His accolades include a Critics' Choice Award and two NAACP Image Awards as well as nominations for three Golden Globe Awards, two Primetime Emmy Awards, a Screen Actors Guild Award, and a BAFTA Award. In 2016, he was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for his services to drama.

<i>Rabbit Hole</i> (play) 2006 play by David Lindsay-Abaire

Rabbit Hole is a play written by David Lindsay-Abaire. It was the recipient of the 2007 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. The play premiered on Broadway in 2006, and it has also been produced by regional theatres in cities such as Los Angeles, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. The play had its Spanish language premiere in San Juan, Puerto Rico in the Autumn of 2010.

<i>Derailed</i> (2005 film) 2005 film by Mikael Håfström

Derailed is a 2005 crime thriller film directed by Mikael Håfström and written by Stuart Beattie, based on the 2003 novel of the same name by James Siegel. Starring Clive Owen, Jennifer Aniston, Vincent Cassel, Melissa George, Giancarlo Esposito, David Morrissey, RZA, and Xzibit, the film follows Charles Schine and Lucinda Harris who are having an extramarital affair and are assaulted and robbed by Philippe LaRoche in a hotel room. When LaRoche later threatens to kill Charles's family unless he pays him a ransom, Charles finds himself the victim of a conspiracy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Supporting Actress</span>

The New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Supporting Actress is an award given by the New York Film Critics Circle, honoring the finest achievements in film-making.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Supporting Actress</span> Award

The National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Supporting Actress is one of the annual awards given by the National Society of Film Critics.

<i>Rabbit Hole</i> (2010 film) 2010 film directed by John Cameron Mitchell

Rabbit Hole is a 2010 American drama film directed by John Cameron Mitchell and written by David Lindsay-Abaire, based on his 2006 play of the same name. The film stars Nicole Kidman and Aaron Eckhart as a grieving couple coping with the death of their four-year-old son. It also stars Dianne Wiest, Tammy Blanchard, Giancarlo Esposito, Jon Tenney, Sandra Oh and Miles Teller in his film debut.

<i>Spooks</i> series 3 Third series of the British spy drama television series Spooks

The third series of the British spy drama television series Spooks began broadcasting on 11 October 2004 on BBC One, and ended on 13 December 2004. It consists of ten episodes which continue to follow the actions of Section D, a counter-terrorism division of the British Security Service (MI5). It also sees the departure of three principal characters: Tom Quinn is decommissioned in the second episode, Zoe Reynolds is exiled to Chile in the sixth episode, and Danny Hunter is killed in the series finale. In addition to Macfadyen, Hawes and Oyelowo, Peter Firth, Rupert Penry-Jones, Nicola Walker, Hugh Simon, Shauna Macdonald and Rory MacGregor are listed as the main cast.

<i>The East</i> (2013 film) 2013 film

The East is a 2013 thriller film directed by Zal Batmanglij and starring Brit Marling, Alexander Skarsgård, and Elliot Page. Writers Batmanglij and Marling spent two months in 2009 practicing freeganism and co-wrote a screenplay inspired by their experiences and drawing on thrillers from the 1970s. The American studio Fox Searchlight Pictures had bought rights to distribute Batmanglij's previous film Sound of My Voice and also collaborated with the director to produce The East. With Ridley Scott as producer and Tony Scott as executive producer, Fox Searchlight contracted Scott Free Productions, headquartered in London, to produce the film. The East was filmed in two months in Shreveport, Louisiana at the end of 2011. The film premiered to strong reviews at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival on January 20, 2013. It was released in theaters on May 31, 2013.

<i>The Humbling</i> (film) 2014 film by Barry Levinson

The Humbling is a 2014 comedy-drama film directed by Barry Levinson and written by Buck Henry and Michal Zebede, based on the 2009 novel of the same name by Philip Roth. The film stars Al Pacino, Greta Gerwig, Dianne Wiest, Nina Arianda, Dylan Baker, Charles Grodin, Dan Hedaya, Billy Porter, Kyra Sedgwick, and Mary Louise Wilson.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Teyonah Parris</span> American actress (born 1987)

Teyonah Parris is an American actress. A graduate of Juilliard School, she began acting in 2010. Her first prominent roles were those of secretary Dawn Chambers in the AMC drama series Mad Men (2012–2015), and a starring role in the 2014 independent film Dear White People. Since then, she has appeared in the drama series Empire (2014), Spike Lee's crime comedy Chi-Raq (2015), and the drama film If Beale Street Could Talk (2018).

<i>Captive</i> (2015 film) 2015 American film

Captive is a 2015 American crime-drama thriller film directed by Jerry Jameson and written by Brian Bird and Reinhard Denke, based on the non-fiction book Unlikely Angel by Ashley Smith.

<i>The Mule</i> (2018 film) 2018 film directed by Clint Eastwood

The Mule is a 2018 American crime drama film starring and directed by Clint Eastwood, and produced by Eastwood, Dan Friedkin, Jessica Meier, Tim Moore, Kristina Rivera, and Bradley Thomas. The screenplay, written by Nick Schenk, is based on the 2014 The New York Times article "The Sinaloa Cartel's 90-Year-Old Drug Mule" by Sam Dolnick, which recounts the story of Leo Sharp, a World War II veteran in his 80s who became a drug courier for the Sinaloa Cartel.

<i>On the Rocks</i> (film) 2020 film directed by Sofia Coppola

On the Rocks is a 2020 American comedy-drama film written and directed by Sofia Coppola. It follows a father and daughter as they harbor suspicions about her husband's fidelity. It had its world premiere at the New York Film Festival on September 22, 2020. It received a limited theatrical release on October 2, 2020, by A24, followed by digital streaming on October 23, 2020, by Apple TV+. It received positive reviews from critics, who noted it as lighter than Coppola's previous films, and praised Murray's performance.

<i>Let Them All Talk</i> (film) 2020 film directed by Steven Soderbergh

Let Them All Talk is a 2020 American comedy-drama film directed by Steven Soderbergh from a screenplay by Deborah Eisenberg. The film stars Meryl Streep, Dianne Wiest, Candice Bergen, Lucas Hedges, and Gemma Chan. Much of the dialogue was improvised by the cast, and Soderbergh shot the film using natural light and little equipment aboard the Queen Mary 2.

Maris Curran is an American filmmaker. She is best known for directing the films Five Nights in Maine and Jeannette.

<i>The After</i> (film) 2023 British short film

The After is a 2023 British short film directed by Misan Harriman in his directorial debut and written by John Julius Schwabach from a story by Harriman. The film starring David Oyelowo and Jessica Plummer, tells the story of Dayo, a grieving rideshare driver who, after losing family members to a violent crime, picks up a passenger who helps him confront the past.

References

  1. 1 2 "Five Nights in Maine Review". Variety. Retrieved November 13, 2015.
  2. "Five Nights in Maine". TIFF. Archived from the original on November 17, 2015. Retrieved November 13, 2015.
  3. Hassenger, Jesse. "Five Nights In Maine looks at grief close up". The A V Club. Retrieved May 30, 2019.
  4. Reed, Rex. "'Five Nights in Maine' Is Inconsequential, Despite the Superb Dianne Wiest". Observer. Retrieved May 30, 2019.
  5. Fischer, Russ. "'Five Nights in Maine' Review: David Oyelowo and Dianne Wiest Paint a Chilly Portrait of Grief". The Wrap. Retrieved May 30, 2019.
  6. Perkins, Dennis. "'Five nights in Maine' shows the state's real, raw side". Maine Today. Retrieved May 30, 2019.