The Humans (film)

Last updated

The Humans
The Humans poster.jpeg
Official poster
Directed by Stephen Karam
Screenplay byStephen Karam
Based on The Humans
by Stephen Karam
Produced by
  • Louise Lovegrove
  • Stephen Karam
Starring
Cinematography Lol Crawley
Edited byNick Houy
Music by Nico Muhly
Production
companies
Distributed by
Release dates
  • September 12, 2021 (2021-09-12)(TIFF)
  • November 24, 2021 (2021-11-24)(United States)
Running time
108 minutes [1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

The Humans is a 2021 American psychological drama film [2] written and directed by Stephen Karam in his feature directorial debut, and based on his one-act play of the same name. It stars Richard Jenkins, Jayne Houdyshell, Amy Schumer, Beanie Feldstein, Steven Yeun, and June Squibb. It had its world premiere at the 2021 Toronto International Film Festival on September 12, 2021. The film was released by A24 on November 24, 2021, both in theaters and on Showtime.

Contents

Plot

On Thanksgiving, Erik and Deirdre Blake, their daughter Aimee, and Erik's senile mother, Momo, visit their other daughter, Brigid and her partner Richard at their new apartment in Chinatown. Erik is immediately disapproving of the run-down apartment in a flood risk zone and close to Ground Zero. On 9/11, he had driven Aimee to a job interview and had planned to visit the observation deck of the Twin Towers, but had waited across the street as the deck had not yet opened for the morning. He has also been haunted by memories of seeing a deceased victim who resembled Aimee.

As the evening wears on, tension and unhappiness in the family is evident. Brigid is openly resentful that her parents have not given her money to afford a better lifestyle, and privately wounded that her dreams of being a composer have not come into fruition. Both she and her partner face Deirdre's disapproval that they are not yet married. Richard has struggled with depression and is treading water in his personal life and career, as he will be a recipient of a trust fund that he will not receive until he is 40, five years from now. Aimee suffers from a chronic illness, recently lost both her job and her longtime girlfriend, and will need to get her colon removed. Deirdre suffers from arthritis and is on the receiving end of mockery from the rest of the family due to her religious attitude, and Erik, already depressed over Momo's condition, clashes with Brigid by judging her work ethic and new-age, urban lifestyle. There is a brief respite when Deirdre reads the daughter a letter that Momo wrote when still lucid, apologizing for her deterioration and assuring them that she will always love them, and to not get so worked up over life's problems.

The family eventually begins talking about their dreams and nightmares. Richard is open and honest about his own, but Erik is reserved about revealing his own. Eventually, he confesses that he suffers from nightmares about a faceless woman, implied to be reflective of his 9/11 trauma. The rest of the family teases him about the faceless woman, much to his discomfort. Prodded by Deirdre, Erik confesses to his daughters that he had an affair with one of the teachers at the Catholic school he was working at, resulting in loss of both his job as well as his pension. He reveals that their beloved lakehouse had to be sold to cover the costs of Momo's care. Despite Erik's assurance that he and Deirdre received counseling and have moved past his infidelity, the daughters are appalled and disillusioned with their father.

As Thanksgiving ends, the visiting family members depart for a hotel. As the rest help Momo get into the taxi, Erik lingers behind in the apartment, attempting to fix a power outage; however, he becomes disoriented and suffers a panic attack in the darkness, leaving him whimpering and praying. He only comes to his senses when Brigid re-enters the apartment to collect him, and they leave together.

Cast

Production

A24, IAC, Scott Rudin and Eli Bush made a deal in March 2019 with Stephen Karam to adapt his play into a feature-length film. Jayne Houdyshell was set to reprise her role from the Broadway production in the film, with Beanie Feldstein, Richard Jenkins, Amy Schumer, and Steven Yeun also cast. [4] In April 2021, Scott Rudin was removed as a producer on the film, following allegations of abuse. [5]

Principal photography began in September 2019, in New York City. [6]

Release

The Humans premiered at the 2021 Toronto International Film Festival on September 12, 2021. [1] The film screened at over 25 film festivals including Austin (Centerpiece screening), [7] Indianapolis (Centerpiece screening), [8] Nashville (Closing Night), [9] Middleburg, [10] San Diego, [11] Philadelphia, [12] Denver, [13] and Savannah. [14] The film was simultaneously released in theaters and aired on Showtime on November 24, 2021. [15]

Reception

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes , 92% of 140 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7.5/10.The website's consensus reads: "The Humans takes its Tony-winning source material from stage to screen without sacrificing the essence of writer-director Stephen Karam's dysfunctional drama." [16] Metacritic assigned the film a weighted average score of 78 out of 100 based on 38 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". [17]

The film landed on several 2021 Top 10 lists including Vanity Fair , [18] the Associated Press, [19] The Guardian , [20] Vogue, [21] The Austin Chronicle , [22] RogerEbert.com , [23] The Hollywood Reporter , [24] and Indiewire's list of top first feature films of 2021. [25] The film was selected as a "Critic's Pick" from The New York Times. [26]

Awards and nominations

AwardCategoryNominee(s)ResultRef.
Artios Awards Low Budget Feature - Comedy or Drama Ellen Chenoweth, Susanne ScheelWon [27]
Chlotrudis Awards Best Sound DesignPaul UrmsonNominated [28]
Independent Spirit Awards Best Cinematography Lol Crawley Nominated [29]
Gold List Best Supporting Actor Steven Yeun Won [30]
Indiana Film Journalists AssociationBest Ensemble Actingrunner-up [31]
Best Supporting Actor Richard Jenkins Nominated [32]
Munich Film Festival Best Film by an Emerging Director Stephen Karam Nominated [33]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jayne Houdyshell</span> American actress

Jayne Houdyshell is an American Tony-winning actress known for her performances on stage and screen. She earned her first Tony Award nomination for her Broadway debut as Ann in the play Well in 2006. Since then, she has received four more Tony Award nominations for her performances in the revival of Stephen Sondheim's musical Follies in 2012, the new play by Lucas Hnath A Doll's House, Part 2 in 2017, and the revival of Meredith Willson's The Music Man in 2022. She won the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play for the 2016 play The Humans.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Steven Yeun</span> American actor (born 1983)

Yeun Sang-yeop, known professionally as Steven Yeun, is an American actor. Yeun initially rose to prominence for playing Glenn Rhee in the television series The Walking Dead (2010–2016). He earned critical acclaim for starring in the thriller Burning (2018) and drama Minari (2020). The latter earned him a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actor, becoming the first Asian American actor to do so. Time magazine named him one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2021. In 2023, he starred in the dark comedy series Beef (2023), for which he was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award and a Golden Globe Award.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kaitlyn Dever</span> American actress (born 1996)

Kaitlyn Rochelle Dever is an American actress, musician, singer, and songwriter. She became known for her roles in series such as Justified (2011–2015), Last Man Standing (2011–2021), Unbelievable (2019), and Dopesick (2021). She earned Golden Globe Award and Critic's Choice Award nominations for Unbelievable and Dopesick, in addition to an Emmy Award nomination for Dopesick.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blake Jenner</span> American actor

Blake Alexander Jenner is an American actor. Jenner won the second season of Oxygen's The Glee Project and, as a result, portrayed Ryder Lynn on the Fox musical comedy-drama series Glee. He has since had starring and supporting roles in Everybody Wants Some!! (2016), The Edge of Seventeen (2016), American Animals (2018), and What/If (2019).

Stephen Karam is an American playwright, screenwriter and director. His plays Sons of the Prophet, a comedy-drama about a Lebanese-American family, and The Humans were finalists for the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 2012 and 2016, respectively. The Humans won the 2016 Tony Award for Best Play, and Karam wrote and directed a film adaptation of the play, released in 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beanie Feldstein</span> American actress (born 1993)

Elizabeth Greer "Beanie" Feldstein is an American actress. She first gained recognition for her starring roles in the comedy film Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising (2016), the comedy-drama film Lady Bird (2017), and the coming-of-age comedy film Booksmart (2019), the latter of which earned her a nomination for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress–Motion Picture Comedy or Musical.

The Humans is a one-act play written by Stephen Karam. The play opened on Broadway in 2016 after an engagement Off-Broadway in 2015. The Humans was a finalist for the 2016 Pulitzer Prize for Drama and won the 2016 Tony Award for Best Play.

<i>Lady Bird</i> (film) 2017 film by Greta Gerwig

Lady Bird is a 2017 American coming-of-age comedy-drama film written and directed by Greta Gerwig in her solo directorial debut. Set in Sacramento, California from fall 2002 to fall 2003, the film tells the story of a high school senior and her strained relationship with her mother. It stars Saoirse Ronan in the title role with Laurie Metcalf, Tracy Letts, Lucas Hedges, Timothée Chalamet, Beanie Feldstein, Stephen McKinley Henderson, and Lois Smith in supporting roles.

<i>Booksmart</i> 2019 film directed by Olivia Wilde

Booksmart is a 2019 American comedy film directed by Olivia Wilde and written by Emily Halpern, Sarah Haskins, Susanna Fogel, and Katie Silberman. It stars Beanie Feldstein and Kaitlyn Dever as two graduating high school girls who set out to finally break the rules and party on their last day of classes. Jessica Williams, Lisa Kudrow, Will Forte, and Jason Sudeikis also star.

<i>How to Build a Girl</i> 2019 American-British comedy film

How to Build a Girl is a 2019 coming-of-age comedy film directed by Coky Giedroyc, from a screenplay by Caitlin Moran, based on her 2014 novel of the same name. The film tells the story of Johanna Morrigan, an aspiring music journalist in 1990s Wolverhampton. It stars Beanie Feldstein, Paddy Considine, Sarah Solemani, Alfie Allen, Frank Dillane, Laurie Kynaston, Arinzé Kene, Tadhg Murphy, Ziggy Heath, Bobby Schofield, Chris O'Dowd, Joanna Scanlan and Emma Thompson.

<i>Zola</i> (film) 2021 American black comedy film

Zola is a 2020 American black comedy crime film directed by Janicza Bravo and co-written by Bravo and Jeremy O. Harris. It is based on a viral Twitter thread from 2015 by Aziah "Zola" King and the resulting Rolling Stone article "Zola Tells All: The Real Story Behind the Greatest Stripper Saga Ever Tweeted" by David Kushner. Starring Taylour Paige, Riley Keough, Nicholas Braun, and Colman Domingo, the film follows a part-time stripper who is convinced by her new friend to go on a roadtrip to Tampa, Florida, in order to earn money, only to get in over her head.

<i>The Tragedy of Macbeth</i> (2021 film) Film by Joel Coen

The Tragedy of Macbeth is a 2021 American historical thriller film written, directed and produced by Joel Coen, based on the play Macbeth by William Shakespeare. It is the first film directed by one of the Coen brothers without the other's involvement. The film stars Denzel Washington, Frances McDormand, Bertie Carvel, Alex Hassell, Garth Crooks, Corey Hawkins, Harry Melling, Kathryn Hunter, and Brendan Gleeson.

<i>Causeway</i> (film) 2022 film by Lila Neugebauer

Causeway is a 2022 American drama film directed by Lila Neugebauer and written by Ottessa Moshfegh, Luke Goebel, and Elizabeth Sanders. The film stars Jennifer Lawrence, Brian Tyree Henry, Linda Emond, Jayne Houdyshell, Stephen McKinley Henderson, and Russell Harvard. It follows a soldier struggling to adjust to her life after returning home to New Orleans.

<i>Minari</i> (film) 2020 comedy-drama film by Lee Isaac Chung

Minari is a 2020 American drama film written and directed by Lee Isaac Chung. It stars Steven Yeun, Han Ye-ri, Alan Kim, Noel Kate Cho, Youn Yuh-jung, and Will Patton. A semi-autobiographical take on Chung's upbringing, the plot follows a family of South Korean immigrants who try to make it in the rural United States during the 1980s.

<i>Impeachment: American Crime Story</i> Third season of American Crime Story

Impeachment: American Crime Story is the third season of the FX true-crime anthology television series American Crime Story. It consists of 10 episodes and premiered on September 7, 2021. The season portrays the Clinton–Lewinsky scandal, subsequent impeachment of Clinton and is based on the book A Vast Conspiracy: The Real Story of the Sex Scandal That Nearly Brought Down a President by Jeffrey Toobin.

Merrily We Roll Along is an upcoming American coming-of-age musical comedy film written and directed by Richard Linklater based on the 1981 stage musical of the same name by Stephen Sondheim and George Furth, which is in turn adapted from the 1934 play of the same name by George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart. Jason Blum serves as a producer under his Blumhouse Productions banner. Filming is planned to occur in stages over 20 years.

<i>The Whale</i> (2022 film) 2022 American drama film by Darren Aronofsky

The Whale is a 2022 American drama film directed by Darren Aronofsky and written by Samuel D. Hunter, based on his 2012 play of the same name. The film stars Brendan Fraser, Sadie Sink, Hong Chau, Ty Simpkins, and Samantha Morton. The plot follows a reclusive, morbidly obese English professor who tries to restore his relationship with his teenage daughter. The film was shot from March 8 to April 7, 2021, in Newburgh, New York.

<i>Beef</i> (TV series) 2023 American comedy-drama television miniseries

Beef is a 2023 American comedy-drama television limited series created by Korean director Lee Sung Jin for Netflix. It stars Steven Yeun and Ali Wong as Danny Cho and Amy Lau, two strangers whose involvement in a road rage incident escalates into a prolonged feud. Appearing in supporting roles are Joseph Lee, Young Mazino, David Choe, and Patti Yasutake.

I Saw the TV Glow is an upcoming American horror film, written and directed by Jane Schoenbrun. It stars Justice Smith and Brigette Lundy-Paine, with Ian Foreman, Helena Howard, Fred Durst and Danielle Deadwyler, amongst others, in supporting roles.

References

  1. 1 2 "The Humans". Toronto International Film Festival . Retrieved July 28, 2021.
  2. ↑ "Looking for a unique holiday movie? 'The Humans' is a dark, psychological drama". NPR.org. November 28, 2021. Retrieved December 28, 2021.
  3. ↑ Karam, Stephen [@stephenkaram] (October 26, 2019). "🎬That's a wrap! Thankful for this film fam 🧡 @wilsonwebb" . Retrieved October 26, 2019– via Instagram.
  4. ↑ Fleming, Mike Jr. (March 13, 2019). "Film Adaptation Of 'The Humans' Play In Works By A24, IAC, Scott Rudin & Eli Bush". Deadline. Retrieved September 21, 2019.
  5. ↑ Siegel, Tatiana (April 20, 2021). "Scott Rudin Steps Back From Upcoming Jennifer Lawrence, Denzel Washington Films". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved April 20, 2021.
  6. ↑ "The Humans". Production List. July 22, 2019. Retrieved September 19, 2019.
  7. ↑ "Austin Film Festival Announces Centerpiece and Closing Night Films". Austin Film Festival. October 6, 2021. Retrieved October 8, 2021.
  8. ↑ "Heartland International Film Festival". tickets.heartlandfilmfestival.org. Retrieved October 8, 2021.
  9. ↑ Siroky, Mary (October 7, 2021). "Nashville Film Festival Review: The Humans Is a Brilliant Exploration of Family and Fear". Consequence. Retrieved October 8, 2021.
  10. ↑ "Middleburg Film Festival Review: In Poignant "The Humans," Some Wounds Never Close". Film Festival Today. November 1, 2021. Retrieved November 30, 2021.
  11. ↑ "The Humans". San Diego International Film Festival. Archived from the original on October 20, 2021. Retrieved October 8, 2021.
  12. ↑ "30th Philadelphia Film Festival | Full line-up of movies". 6abc Philadelphia. October 7, 2021. Retrieved October 9, 2021.
  13. ↑ "Denver Film Festival Announces Award Recipients for 44th Annual Program". denverfilm.org. November 15, 2021. Retrieved December 15, 2022.
  14. ↑ "The Humans". SCAD Savannah Film Festival. Archived from the original on October 6, 2021. Retrieved October 8, 2021.
  15. ↑ D'Alessandro, Anthony (September 17, 2021). "'The Humans': In Wake Of Wowing At TIFF, Pic Sets Fall Release & Drops Trailer". Deadline. Retrieved September 17, 2021.
  16. ↑ "The Humans". Rotten Tomatoes . Fandango Media . Retrieved February 28, 2023. OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
  17. ↑ "The Humans Reviews". Metacritic . Fandom, Inc. Retrieved December 7, 2021.
  18. ↑ "The 10 Best Movies of 2021". Vanity Fair . December 1, 2021. Retrieved December 14, 2021.
  19. ↑ "The best movies of 2021". AP News . December 8, 2021. Retrieved December 14, 2021.
  20. ↑ "The 50 best films of 2021 in the US, No 8: The Humans". The Guardian . December 8, 2021. Retrieved December 14, 2021.
  21. ↑ "The Best Movies of 2021, According to Vogue Editors". Vogue. October 21, 2021. Retrieved December 30, 2021.
  22. ↑ Whittaker, Richard (December 17, 2021). "Top 10 Films of 2021". The Austin Chronicle . Retrieved December 20, 2021.
  23. ↑ "The Individual Top Tens of 2021". RogerEbert.com . December 15, 2021. Retrieved December 15, 2021.
  24. ↑ Rooney, David; Frosch, Jon; Gyarkye, Lovia; Linden, Sheri (December 14, 2021). "Hollywood Reporter Critics Pick the Best Films of 2021". The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved December 14, 2021.
  25. ↑ Ehrlich, David; Erbland, Kate (December 22, 2021). "The 10 Best First Feature Films of 2021". IndieWire. Retrieved December 29, 2021.
  26. ↑ Catsoulis, Jeannette (November 23, 2021). "'The Humans' Review: Reasons (Not) to Be Cheerful". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved December 29, 2021.
  27. ↑ "2022 Artios Awards Winners - March 23, 2022". Casting Society of America. Retrieved December 15, 2022.
  28. ↑ "28th Annual Chlotrudis Awards". Chlotrudis Society for Independent Film. Retrieved December 15, 2022.
  29. ↑ "Film Independent Spirit Awards Nominations: 'Zola', 'A Chiara', 'C'mon C'mon', 'The Lost Daughter', 'The Novice' In Best Feature Race As A24 Sweeps Nods". Deadline Hollywood. December 14, 2021. Retrieved December 15, 2022.
  30. ↑ "'Shang-Chi', Gemma Chan & 'Flee' Among Gold House & CAPE 2022 Gold List Honorees". Deadline Hollywood. January 18, 2022. Retrieved December 15, 2022.
  31. ↑ "IFJA 2021 Award Winners". Indiana Film Journalists. Retrieved December 15, 2022.
  32. ↑ "Nominations Announced for the 2021 Indiana Film Journalists Association Awards". Midwest Film Journal. December 14, 2021. Retrieved December 15, 2022.
  33. ↑ "The Humans (2021) Awards & Festivals". MUBI . December 15, 2022. Retrieved December 15, 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.