Passion Fish

Last updated

Passion Fish
Passion Fish.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by John Sayles
Screenplay byJohn Sayles
Produced bySarah Green
Maggie Renzi
Starring
Cinematography Roger Deakins
Edited byJohn Sayles
Music by Mason Daring
Distributed by Miramax Films
Release date
  • December 9, 1992 (1992-12-09)(United States)
Running time
135 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$5 million [1] [2]
Box office$4 million [3]

Passion Fish is a 1992 American drama film written and directed by John Sayles. The film stars Mary McDonnell, Alfre Woodard, Vondie Curtis-Hall, David Strathairn, Leo Burmester, and Angela Bassett. It tells the story of a soap opera star (McDonnell), who after getting paralyzed in a car accident, is forced to return to her family home and rely upon a series of nurses, forcing each of them to leave her employment until one shows up guaranteed to stay.

Contents

Sayles based the screenplay on his experiences working as an orderly in hospitals and nursing homes. Filming took place in the Acadiana region of Louisiana in May 1992. The film premiered in the United States on December 9, 1992, by Miramax Films. It received widespread critical acclaim for its performances, direction, cinematography, and story. McDonnell received an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress and Woodard won an Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Female.

Plot

May-Alice Culhane, a New York actress on a daytime soap opera, lies in a hospital bed, confused and scared because she is unable to sit up. She attempts to press the call button but ends up switching on the TV, which happens to be playing a scene from the soap featuring her.

Culhane has been left paralyzed after an accident on her way to getting her legs waxed. With no other options, she returns to her family's old and empty home in Louisiana, where she drinks hard, is dissatisfied with every caregiver, and wallows in self-pity.

Her outlook begins to change with the arrival of Chantelle, a nurse with her own problems. The two gradually find a heartfelt connection with each other, and as a result, their lives subtly change.

Cast

Production

Director John Sayles said his inspiration for the story came from the film Persona , as well as his own experiences working as a hospital orderly. [4] In recovery for a back injury, Sayles was in the queue for X-rays and observed many of the wheelchair-using patients were women accompanied by their nurses. Sayles said, “A lot of them were really bored with each other and not especially nice to each other. And these are people who spend at least eight hours a day together — sometimes 24 — and they may have nothing in common. So I started thinking about that relationship." [4]

Sayles wrote the role of May-Alice with Mary McDonnell, whom he had previously collaborated with on Matewan , in mind. [2] Filming took place over 34 days in Louisiana, beginning in May 1992. [2]

Reception

Critical reception

On Rotten Tomatoes, it has an approval rating of 100% based on reviews from 25 critics. [5]

Critics praised the film for its exploration of relationship dynamics, female friendship, and character detail. [6] [7] [8] Emanuel Levy noted, "Working again in the 'woman’s picture' domain, Sayles showed he could deal with material usually seen in 'TV Movie of the Week' in a mature, non-melodramatic way. Centering on female friendship, Passion Fish coincided with a cycle of studio films about female bonding, such as Thelma and Louise , A League of Their Own , and Fried Green Tomatoes ." [9] Levy continued, "On the surface, the heroines play familiar types, but Sayles again shows his forte in etching deft characterizations, detailing the emotional transformation of each woman and the bond they establish once they get to know one another." [9]

Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times gave Passion Fish four out of four stars and wrote, "There are elements here of a vaguely similar relationship in ' Driving Miss Daisy ,' but Sayles has his own film, direct and original, and in the struggle of wills between these two characters he creates two of the most interesting human portraits of the year." [10] Janet Maslin of The New York Times also lauded the film and observed Sayles "refuses to make his characters simple or stupid for the movies." [11]

Praise for the acting was unanimous. Michael Wilmington of the Los Angeles Times wrote, "It’s a critical cliche to talk about Oscar-worthy performances in the flood of year-end candidates, but Woodard and McDonnell deserve a look—from everybody. In the movie, the two show us a developing love and respect that is subterranean, almost unspoken, seeping up beneath a contentious surface. They have the easy, emotion-stretching mastery and limber spontaneity that marks the best screen acting." [12]

Critic Malcolm Johnson of the Hartford Courant also praised the cinematography and setting. He wrote, "as photographed by Roger Deakins, 'Passion Fish' mirrors May-Alice's growing fascination with photographing the reclaimed world of her lost youth, a milieu Mason Daring amplifies with Cajun music. But more than a voyage into the bayous, 'Passion Fish' is a celebration of sisterhood and rebirth, movingly enacted by two of our finest actresses." [13]

In November 2021, the film was featured as part of The Criterion Channel's series "Between Us Girls: Bonds Between Women". [14]

Box office

Passion Fish received a limited release on December 9, 1992, [3] running for one week, the minimum required to make it eligible for consideration at the next year's Academy Awards. [11] The film earned $36,332 (14,385 of that in the weekend) in the week from showings in two theaters. [3] After receiving Academy Award nominations in February 1993, the film was released to 191 theaters, where it earned over 99% of its gross of $4.8 million. [15]

Awards and nominations

AwardCategoryNomineeResultRef.
Academy Awards Best Actress Mary McDonnell Nominated [16]
Best Screenplay – Written Directly for the Screen John Sayles Nominated
Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association Awards Best Film Passion FishNominated
Film Fest Gent Grand PrixJohn SaylesWon [17]
Golden Globe Awards Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama Mary McDonnellNominated [18]
Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture Alfre Woodard Nominated
Independent Spirit Awards Best Supporting Male David Strathairn Nominated [19]
Best Supporting Female Alfre WoodardWon
Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards Best Actress Nominated [20]
NAACP Image Awards Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture Nominated [21]
New York Film Critics Circle Awards Best Supporting Actress Nominated [22]
Turkish Film Critics Association Awards Best Foreign FilmPassion Fish17th Place
Writers Guild of America Awards Best Screenplay – Written Directly for the Screenplay John SaylesNominated [23]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Sayles</span> American film director

John Thomas Sayles is an American independent film director, screenwriter, editor, actor, and novelist. He is known for writing and directing the films The Brother from Another Planet (1984), Matewan (1987), Eight Men Out (1988), Passion Fish (1992), The Secret of Roan Inish (1994), Lone Star (1996), and Men with Guns (1997).

<i>Return of the Secaucus 7</i> 1980 film directed by John Sayles

Return of the Secaucus 7 is a 1980 American independent drama film written and directed by John Sayles and starring Bruce MacDonald, Maggie Renzi, David Strathairn, Adam LeFevre, Maggie Cousineau, Gordon Clapp, and Jean Passanante, and others. The film tells the story of seven friends who spend a weekend together in New Hampshire. The weekend is marred by the break-up of a relationship between two of the friends. This causes a ripple effect among the group and brings up old desires and problems.

<i>Howards End</i> (film) 1992 film

Howards End is a 1992 historical romantic drama film directed by James Ivory, from a screenplay written by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala based on the 1910 novel by E. M. Forster. Marking Merchant Ivory Productions' third adaptation of a Forster novel, it was the first film to be released by Sony Pictures Classics. The film's narrative explores class relations in turn-of-the-20th-century Britain, through events in the lives of the Schlegel sisters. The film starred Emma Thompson, Anthony Hopkins, Helena Bonham Carter and Vanessa Redgrave, with James Wilby, Samuel West, Jemma Redgrave and Prunella Scales in supporting roles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Diane Ladd</span> American actress

Diane Ladd is an American actress. She has appeared in over 200 films and television shows. She received three Academy Award nominations for her roles in Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore (1974), Wild at Heart (1990), and Rambling Rose (1991), the first of which won her a British Academy Film Award. She was also nominated for three Primetime Emmy Awards and four Golden Globe Awards, winning one for her role in the sitcom Alice (1980–1981).

<i>The Player</i> (1992 film) 1992 film by Robert Altman

The Player is a 1992 American satirical black comedy mystery film directed by Robert Altman and written by Michael Tolkin, based on his 1988 novel. The film stars Tim Robbins, Greta Scacchi, Fred Ward, Whoopi Goldberg, Peter Gallagher, Brion James and Cynthia Stevenson, and is the story of a Hollywood film studio executive who kills an aspiring screenwriter he believes is sending him death threats.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mary McDonnell</span> American actress

Mary Eileen McDonnell is an American film, stage, and television actress. She received Academy Award nominations for her roles as Stands with a Fist in Dances with Wolves and May-Alice Culhane in Passion Fish. McDonnell is well known for her performances as President Laura Roslin in Battlestar Galactica, First Lady Marilyn Whitmore in Independence Day, and Rose in Donnie Darko. She was featured as Captain Sharon Raydor during seasons 5–7 of the TNT series The Closer and starred as Commander Sharon Raydor in the spin-off series Major Crimes on the same network. In 2023, she played Madeleine Usher in the miniseries The Fall of the House of Usher on Netflix.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alfre Woodard</span> American actress (born 1952)

Alfre Woodard is an American actress. Known for portraying strong-willed and dignified roles on stage and screen, she has received various accolades, including four Emmy Awards, a Golden Globe Award, and three Screen Actors Guild Awards as well as nominations for an Academy Award, BAFTA Award, and two Grammy Awards. In 2020, The New York Times ranked her as one of "The 25 Greatest Actors of the 21st Century". She is a board member of Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Strathairn</span> American actor (born 1949)

David Russell Strathairn is an American actor. Known for his leading roles on stage and screen, he has often portrayed historical figures such as Edward R. Murrow, J. Robert Oppenheimer, William H. Seward, and John Dos Passos. He has received various accolades including an Independent Spirit Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, and a Volpi Cup, and has been nominated for an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, two Golden Globe Awards, and four Screen Actors Guild Awards.

<i>Lone Star</i> (1996 film) 1996 film

Lone Star is a 1996 American neo-Western mystery film written, edited, and directed by John Sayles and set in a small town in South Texas. The ensemble cast features Chris Cooper, Kris Kristofferson, Elizabeth Peña and Matthew McConaughey and deals with a sheriff's investigation into the murder of one of his predecessors. Filmed on location along the Rio Grande in southern and southwestern Texas, the film received critical acclaim, with critics regarding it as a high point of 1990s independent cinema as well as one of Sayles' best films. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay, and also appeared on the ballot for the AFI's 10 Top 10 in the Western category.

<i>Matewan</i> 1987 American drama film by John Sayles

Matewan is a 1987 American independent drama film written and directed by John Sayles, and starring Chris Cooper, James Earl Jones, Mary McDonnell and Will Oldham, with David Strathairn, Kevin Tighe and Gordon Clapp in supporting roles. The film dramatizes the events of the Battle of Matewan, a coal miners' strike in 1920 in Matewan, a small town in the hills of West Virginia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vondie Curtis-Hall</span> American actor and director

Vondie Curtis-Hall is an American actor, film director, and television director. As an actor, he is known for his role as Dr. Dennis Hancock on the CBS medical drama Chicago Hope created by David E. Kelley and as Ben Urich in the Netflix TV series Daredevil. He wrote and directed the cult film Gridlock'd.

<i>Grand Canyon</i> (1991 film) Film by Lawrence Kasdan

Grand Canyon is a 1991 American drama film directed and produced by Lawrence Kasdan, and written by Kasdan with his wife Meg. Featuring an ensemble cast, the film is about random events affecting a diverse group of people, exploring the race- and class-imposed chasms which separate members of the same community.

<i>Limbo</i> (1999 film) 1999 drama film by John Sayles

Limbo is a 1999 American adventure drama film written, produced, edited, and directed by John Sayles. It stars Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, David Strathairn, Vanessa Martinez, and Kris Kristofferson. It is the first theatrical film to be released and distributed by Screen Gems.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ayelet Zurer</span> Israeli actress

Ayelet Zurer is an Israeli actress known for her work in independent films, major blockbusters, and television. She has received several awards throughout her career including, Best Actress at the Israeli Academy Awards for her role in Nina's Tragedies (2003), and Best Actress by the Israeli Academy of Television for her roles in BeTipul and Hostages in 2006 and 2013.

<i>Sunshine State</i> (film) 2002 American film

Sunshine State is a 2002 American drama film written and directed by John Sayles. The picture stars an ensemble cast that features Angela Bassett, Edie Falco, Jane Alexander, Alan King, Timothy Hutton, Mary Steenburgen, Bill Cobbs, and others. It was filmed on Amelia Island, Florida, which includes settings in historic Fernandina Beach. For her performance in the film, Falco received the Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actress.

The 58th New York Film Critics Circle Awards honored the best filmmaking of 1992. The winners were announced on 17 December 1992 and the awards were given on 17 January 1993.

Sarah Green is an American film producer. She currently sits on the National Board of Directors for the Producers Guild of America. On January 24, 2012, she was nominated for an Academy Award for the film The Tree of Life.

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

Knucklehead is a 2015 American drama film directed by Ben Bowman. It premiered at the 2015 BAMCinématek New Voices in Black Cinema festival.

Unnatural Causes is an American television film directed by Lamont Johnson and with a teleplay by John Sayles and story by Martin M. Goldstein and Stephen Doran & Robert Jacobs that is based on the true story of Maude DeVictor, a United States Department of Veterans Affairs counselor who worked to expose the government coverup of the dangers of Agent Orange. The film premiered on NBC on November 10, 1986. The film stars Alfre Woodard as Maude DeVictor, John Ritter as Frank Coleman, Patti LaBelle as Jeanette Thompson, John Vargas as Fernando 'Nando' Sanchez, Belinda Lang as Helen Cassady, and Richard Yearwood as Vincent. For their work, Woodard was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series or Movie and Johnson was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing in a Limited Series or Special.

<i>Summer Camp</i> (2024 film) Film by Castille Landon

Summer Camp is a 2024 American comedy film written and directed by Castille Landon. It stars Diane Keaton, Kathy Bates, Alfre Woodard, Beverly D'Angelo, Nicole Richie, Josh Peck, Betsy Sodaro, Dennis Haysbert, and Eugene Levy.

References

  1. ↑ Molyneaux, Gerry (2000). John Sayles: An Unauthorized Biography of the Pioneer Indy Filmmaker. Renaissance Books. p. 205. ISBN   978-1580631259.
  2. 1 2 3 "Passion Fish". AFI Catalog of Feature Films . American Film Institute . Retrieved September 4, 2023.
  3. 1 2 3 "Passion Fish". Box Office Mojo . Retrieved May 11, 2011.
  4. 1 2 Horn, John (February 23, 1993). "Sayles shows a passion for independence". The Associated Press . pp. 4 DA. Retrieved July 14, 2022– via Deseret News.
  5. ↑ "Passion Fish (1992)". Rotten Tomatoes .
  6. ↑ "Passion Fish". Empire . January 1, 2000. Retrieved July 1, 2022.
  7. ↑ Cho, Seongyong (August 23, 2012). ""Passion Fish:" A struggle of wills". RogerEbert.com . Retrieved July 1, 2022.
  8. ↑ Vesey, Alyx (December 7, 2011). "Bechdel Test Canon: Passion Fish". Bitch Media . Archived from the original on October 18, 2015. Retrieved July 1, 2022.
  9. 1 2 Levy, Emanuel (April 28, 2006). "Passion Fish (1992): John Sayles Best Film?". EmaunuelLevy.com. Retrieved July 1, 2022.
  10. ↑ Ebert, Roger (January 29, 1993). "Passion Fish". Chicago Sun-Times .
  11. 1 2 Maslin, Janet (December 14, 1992). "Passion Fish". The New York Times . Retrieved May 11, 2011.
  12. ↑ Wilmington, Michael (December 9, 1992). "MOVIE REVIEW : 'Passion': Soap Opera Without the Soap". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved July 1, 2022.
  13. ↑ Johnson, Malcolm (March 12, 1993). "Bayou's Passion Frees Secrets of Two Women". Hartford Courant . Archived from the original on October 8, 2020. Retrieved July 1, 2022.
  14. ↑ "The Criterion Channel's November 2021 Lineup". The Criterion Collection . October 27, 2021. Retrieved July 14, 2022.
  15. ↑ "Passion Fish - 1992 Academy Awards". Box Office Mojo . Archived from the original on October 22, 2012. Retrieved May 11, 2011.
  16. ↑ "The 65th Academy Awards | 1993". Oscars.org | Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Retrieved July 1, 2022.
  17. ↑ "Official Competition". Film Festival Gent. Retrieved July 1, 2022.
  18. ↑ "Winners & Nominees 1993". Golden Globes. Retrieved July 1, 2022.
  19. ↑ "1993 Nominees" (PDF). Film Independent Spirit Awards . p. 48. Retrieved July 1, 2022.
  20. ↑ "The Home Stretch -- Academy Award Hopefuls Are Finally Coming To Local Screens As Nomination Time Nears". The Seattle Times . January 3, 1993. Retrieved July 1, 2022.
  21. ↑ "The movie of Tina Turner's story, 'What's Love Got..." UPI . November 16, 1993. Retrieved July 1, 2022.
  22. ↑ "N.Y. Film Critics Honor 'Player,' Altman". Los Angeles Times. December 18, 1992. Retrieved July 1, 2022.
  23. ↑ "'The Player' and 'Crying Game' Top WGA Picks : Awards: Writers Guild trophies often indicate who'll win Oscars". Los Angeles Times. March 23, 1993. Retrieved July 1, 2022.
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.