The Historian (film)

Last updated
The Historian
The Historian - poster.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Miles Doleac
Written byMiles Doleac
Produced byMiles Doleac
Mackenzie Westmoreland
Ryan H. Jackson
Starring
CinematographyBen Powell
Edited byD.J. Sing
Music by
  • D.J. Sing
Production
company
Distributed byDevolver Digital Films
Release dates
Running time
124 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

The Historian is a 2014 drama film written, directed, produced by Miles Doleac. [1] The film also stars Doleac along with William Sadler, Colin Cunningham, Jillian Taylor, Glynnis O'Connor, Leticia Jimenez and John Cullum. [2]

Contents

Plot

The film follows history professor Dr. Ben Rhodes who has confrontational relationship with his new boss Dr. Valerian Hadley played by William Sadler. Hadley is also the faculty adviser for Anna Densmore played by Jillian Taylor and who develops a problematic sexual relationship with Rhodes. However, Rhodes also has a supposedly non-romantic sexual relationship with Stacey Castillo played by Leticia Jimenez. [2] [3] All the relationships come to a dramatic confrontation in the end which includes a sexual assault which Cynthia Kirkeby of the Point Of View Reviews describes as likely to "polarize many discussions around the script." [4]

Reception

The Historian was the first feature-length movie from Historia Films. [5] It first premiered May 20 New York City's SoHo International Film Festival. [6] It was also featured in the Los Angeles's Dances With Films 17. [7] On July 11, it opened the Long Island International Film Expo in Bellmore, New York. On October 20, it was featured at the Gulfport Sun and Sand Film Festival. Also in Mississippi, it was shown locally at theaters in Hattiesburg and D'Iberville starting on November 7. [8]

The Historian has garnered mixed receptions from the few critics that have reviewed. [9] [10] Ben Kenigsberg of The New York Times stated, "Despite low production values, The Historian... sustains curiosity over what.. is a long running time." [2] While Serena Donadoni of The Village Voice derides Doleac as "a filmmaker [who] can't reconcile all his story lines." [1]

Cast

Related Research Articles

John Densmore American drummer

John Paul Densmore is an American musician, songwriter, author and actor. He is best known as the drummer of the rock band the Doors, and as such is a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He appeared on every recording made by the band, with drumming inspired by jazz and world music as much as by rock and roll.

<i>Monsters Ball</i> 2001 film by Marc Forster

Monster's Ball is a 2001 American drama film directed by Marc Forster, produced by Lee Daniels and written by Milo Addica and Will Rokos, who also appear in the film. It stars Billy Bob Thornton, Heath Ledger, Halle Berry, and Peter Boyle, with Sean Combs, Mos Def, and Coronji Calhoun in supporting roles.

Jillian Murray American actress

Jillian Murray is an American actress. She is known for her roles as Portlyn on Sonny with a Chance, Olivia on MTV's Awkward, Gwen Adams in American High School, Lex Mitchell in Forget Me Not, Brandi Cox in Wild Things: Foursome, and as the body model for Dr. Liara T'Soni for the Mass Effect video game series. She played Dr. Heather Pinkney in the first two seasons of the CBS medical drama Code Black.

<i>Religulous</i> 2008 American film

Religulous is a 2008 American documentary film written by and starring comedian Bill Maher and directed by Larry Charles. The title of the film is a portmanteau derived from the words religious and ridiculous. The documentary examines and challenges religion and religious belief.

Ben Russell (filmmaker)

Ben Russell is an American artist and experimental filmmaker. Russell developed his reputation over the numerous shorts he made throughout the 2000s, many as part of his "Trypps" series,and as the curator of the Magic Lantern Cinema in Providence, Rhode Island. In 2009, he made his acclaimed feature debut, Let Each One Go Where He May, shot in Suriname in a series of 13 long takes accomplished with a Steadicam. Both a Guggenheim Fellow and participating artist in documenta 14, Russell's work has been described as drawing on elements of ethnography, psychedelia and Surrealism.

Jillian Tamaki Canadian American illustrator and comic artist

Jillian Tamaki is a Canadian American illustrator and comic artist known for her work in The New York Times and The New Yorker in addition to the graphic novels Boundless, as well as Skim and This One Summer written by her cousin Mariko Tamaki.

<i>Mortal Engines</i> (film) 2018 film by Christian Rivers

Mortal Engines is a 2018 steampunk film directed by Christian Rivers and with a screenplay by Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens, and Peter Jackson, based on the 2001 novel of the same name by Philip Reeve, and starring Hera Hilmar, Robert Sheehan, Hugo Weaving, Jihae, Ronan Raftery, Leila George, Patrick Malahide, and Stephen Lang. An American–New Zealand co-production, the film is set in a post-apocalyptic world where entire cities have been mounted on wheels and motorised, and practise municipal Darwinism; its movie universe is different from that of the books.

<i>Affluenza</i> (film) 2014 American film

Affluenza is a 2014 American drama film directed by Kevin Asch and written by Antonio Macia. It is loosely based on The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. The first leading role for Ben Rosenfield, it also stars Gregg Sulkin, Nicola Peltz and Grant Gustin.

<i>The Moment</i> (2013 film) 2013 American film

The Moment is a 2013 American psychological thriller film directed by Jane Weinstock, written by Gloria Norris and Weinstock, and starring Jennifer Jason Leigh, Martin Henderson, Alia Shawkat, and Meat Loaf. Leigh plays a war photographer who, suffering from PTSD, becomes unsure whether she is responsible for her ex-boyfriend's disappearance.

<i>The Amina Profile</i> 2015 Canadian film

The Amina Profile is a Canadian documentary film directed by Sophie Deraspe and coproduced by Esperamos and the National Film Board of Canada, which premiered at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival in the World Cinema category. It was pitched at Sheffield Doc/Fest's MeetMarket in 2014. The film was retitled A Gay Girl in Damascus: The Amina Profile by its U.S. distributor IFC for the theatrical release and for subsequent film festival screenings.

Miles Doleac American film director

Miles Christopher Doleac is an American film and television actor, director, writer and producer. Along with his film career, he is also a singer, songwriter, theater actor, author, and professor. He has had acting roles in several films and television shows since 2011 including Watchmen, Lovecraft Country, Treme, Sleepy Hollow, American Horror Story, Salem, Complications, Roots, and several episodes of the CW's Containment. He also has acting roles in the films The Magnificent Seven and Don't Kill It.

<i>Five Came Back</i> (TV series) US television program

Five Came Back is an American documentary based on the 2014 book Five Came Back: A Story of Hollywood and the Second World War by journalist Mark Harris. It was released as a stand-alone documentary in New York and Los Angeles, and as a three-part series on Netflix, on March 31, 2017.

<i>The Settlers</i> (film) 2016 Israeli film

The Settlers is a 2016 Israeli documentary film directed by Shimon Dotan. The film takes a critical look at the Israeli settlements in the West Bank.

<i>A Gray State</i> 2017 film

A Gray State is a 2017 documentary film directed by Erik Nelson and executive produced by Werner Herzog, first broadcast on the A&E Network. It explores the death of aspiring filmmaker David Crowley and the murders of his wife and child in 2014. The film tells the story of Crowley's military service in the Middle East, his efforts to fund and make a film, and explores the circumstances surrounding the deaths. Crowley had been working on a feature film he called Gray State. Herzog and Nelson had previously worked together on 2005's Grizzly Man, which Nelson produced, and Herzog directed.

What Is Democracy? is a 2018 documentary film written and directed by Astra Taylor. The documentary blends everyday experience and political theory to address questions viewed as central to democracy. Interview subjects include academics, activists, politicians, refugees, trauma surgeons, students, and a barber. While attempting to address the primary question, the documentary also looks at pressing issues of contemporary times, including the Greek debt crisis. In the documentary, Taylor suggests that the current form of democracy is bad and people should seek a more direct democracy. Reviewers noted that the documentary never directly answers the title question.

<i>Plus One</i> (2019 film) 2019 American film

Plus One is a 2019 American romantic comedy film, written, directed, and produced by Jeff Chan and Andrew Rhymer. Starring Maya Erskine, Jack Quaid, Beck Bennett, Rosalind Chao, Perrey Reeves, and Ed Begley Jr., the film follows two longtime single friends who agree to be each other's plus one at every wedding they're invited to.

<i>School Life</i> (2016 film) 2016 Irish-Spanish documentary film

School Life also known as In Loco Parentis is a 2016 Irish-Spanish documentary film written and directed by Neasa Ní Chianáin and David Rane. The film stars Amanda Leyden and John Leyden in the lead roles. The film was premiered in several international film festivals in 2016 and 2017 while had its theatrical release in the United States on 8 September 2017. The documentary film was released in Ireland and Spain with the title In Loco Parentis but the title was later changed to School Life due to its theatrical release in the US. The film was well received and opened to positive reviews from the critics. The documentary was critically acclaimed for its storyline and screenplay and was also lauded by critics as one of the finest ever documentary films. It also received several awards and nominations in several film festivals.

<i>Jawline</i> (film) 2019 American film

Jawline is a 2019 documentary film about social media and Internet celebrities. The documentary received several reviews. In February 2019, Hulu acquired United States distribution rights for the film. The film is directed by Liza Mandelup.

Lucas Leyva is an American director, screenwriter, and producer. He has written and directed multiple acclaimed short films, as well as several music videos for bands such as Arcade Fire, Jacuzzi Boys, and Hundred Waters. Leyva is the founder of the Borscht Film Festival and the Borscht Corporation.

References

  1. 1 2 Donadoni, Serena (2014-11-26). "The Historian Lays Bare the Cost of Academic Life". Village Voice. Archived from the original on 2017-02-05. Retrieved 2017-02-05.
  2. 1 2 3 Kenigsberg, Ben (2014-11-27). "'The Historian' Stars Miles Doleac in a Higher-Ed Drama". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331. Archived from the original on 2017-02-05. Retrieved 2017-02-05.
  3. Doleac, Miles (2014-11-07), The Historian , retrieved 2017-02-25
  4. Kirkeby, Cynthia (2014-11-07). "The Historian". Point Of View Reviews. Archived from the original on 2015-02-20. Retrieved 2017-02-05.
  5. Cruz, Yolanda (2015-06-12). "'The Hollow' begins filming in Hub City". Hattiesburg American. Retrieved 2017-02-05.
  6. "Movies made in Miss. making rounds". Hattiesburg American. Retrieved 2017-02-04.
  7. Kilday, Gregg. "Dances With Films Unveils Festival Lineup". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2017-02-04.
  8. "Doleac dedicates talents to film industry, Mississippi". Hattiesburg American. 2014-10-27. Retrieved 2017-02-04.
  9. Other reviews of The Historian:
  10. The Historian at Rotten Tomatoes