The Neighbor (2017 film)

Last updated
The Neighbor (2018 Film)
The Neighbor (2018) Film Poster.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Aaron Harvey
Written byAaron Harvey
Richard Byard
Produced byRobert Ogden Barnum
William Fichtner
Aaron Harvey
Oliver Ridge
Starring
CinematographyJohn W. Rutland
Music byJames Curd
Production
companies
Michael Bruce Pictures
Blood Moon Creative
Distributed by Vertical Entertainment
Release dates
Running time
97 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$500,000 (estimated)

The Neighbor (also known as Last Days of Summer) is a 2018 American psychological thriller film co-written, produced and directed by Aaron Harvey. The film stars William Fichtner as Mike, a technical writer who sees his life shaken by the arrival of new, younger neighbors.

Contents

The Neighbor premiered at the 2016 Rhode Island International Film Festival where it won the festival's top prize for "Best Narrative Feature". [2] It was released theatrically in the United States on January 26, 2018 by Vertical Entertainment.

Summary

Mike Prentis (William Fichtner) is a middle-aged man in a routine marriage, who works from home as a technical writer. When a new couple moves in next door, Mike quickly befriends the young Jenna (Jessica McNamee) and her car-dealer husband, Scott (Michael Rosenbaum). Working from home, Mike has plenty of time to pay attention to Jenna who slowly begins to reveal the details of her life with Scott, and the fact that all isn't as carefree as Scott would like it to appear. While Mike watches as the young couple's relationship begins to unravel, his own marriage starts coming apart at the seams. Mike's wife Lisa (Jean Louisa Kelly) sees Mike's attraction to Jenna forming and pulls further away from him – pushing their own relationship to the breaking point. Compounding the fact is Mike's son Alex (Colin Woodell), who returns from college and forms an unwitting friendship with Jenna, much to the disdain of his father.

As Mike witnesses the perceived abuse of Jenna at the hands of Scott increasing, he makes one last dramatic and misguided effort to intervene.

Cast

Release

Reception

The film premiered at the 2016 Rhode Island International Film Festival where it won the "Grand Prize, Best Narrative Feature" award". [3] It went on to play multiple other festivals, including the Quebec City Film Festival, the Newport Beach Film Festival and the Hollywood Reel Independent Film Festival where it won both "Best Director" and "Best Actor" awards. [4]

Michael Rechtshaffen from the Los Angeles Times gave the film a good review writing: "Aaron Harvey's The Neighbor finds a sturdy constant in its thoughtfully delineated performances and handsome production values. Harvey's contained direction and John W. Rutland's impressive cinematography provide a sharply observed continuity that's as admirably contained as the Prentices' impeccably appointed, if spiritually anemic, home." [5] J.R. Southall gave the film 6 out of 10 and said: "The Neighbour... is just about absorbing enough to hold your attention until its powerful but bleak finale. But only just." [6] Niall Browne from "Movies In Focus" gave The Neighbour three stars out of five and stated: "A slow-burning domestic thriller, Aaron Harvey's The Neighbour is a tense little movie with a captivating central performance from William Fichtner." [7]

Author Stephen King tweeted of the film; "The Neighbor, now streaming: Low-key, but what a bravura performance from William Fichtner, one of America's great unsung actors." [8]

Accolades

The Neighbor received several awards and nominations.

AwardSubjectNomineeResultRef.
Beloit International Film Festival Director of Programming Award Aaron Harvey
Oliver Ridge
Won [9]
Hollywood Reel Independent Film FestivalBest Actor William Fichtner Won [4]
Best Director Aaron Harvey Won
Newport Beach Film Festival Best Film – Jury Award Aaron Harvey
Oliver Ridge
Nominated[ citation needed ]
Rhode Island International Film Festival Best Feature Film Aaron Harvey
Oliver Ridge
Won[ citation needed ]
Whistler Film Festival Narrative Feature – Audience Award Aaron Harvey
Oliver Ridge
Nominated[ citation needed ]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael Rosenbaum</span> American actor and podcaster (born 1972)

Michael Rosenbaum is an American actor and podcaster. He is known for portraying Lex Luthor on the television series Smallville, a role that TV Guide included in their 2013 list of "The 60 Nastiest Villains of All Time".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aaron Eckhart</span> American actor (born 1968)

Aaron Edward Eckhart is an American actor. Born in Cupertino, California, Eckhart moved to the United Kingdom at an early age. He began his acting career by performing in school plays, before moving to Australia for his high school senior year. He left high school without graduating, but earned a diploma through a professional education course, and then graduated from Brigham Young University (BYU) in Provo, Utah, in 1994 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in film.

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

Mika Sue Boorem is an American actress. She began her career as a child actress, appearing on television in small guest roles on Touched by an Angel and Ally McBeal, before earning critical acclaim for her performance in The Education of Little Tree (1997). After being cast in supporting roles in Jack Frost and Mighty Joe Young, Boorem had a lead role in the drama Hearts in Atlantis (2001), opposite Anton Yelchin and Anthony Hopkins, which garnered her further critical acclaim.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William Fichtner</span> American actor

William Edward Fichtner is an American actor. Born in New York, he started his career with supporting appearances in Virtuosity (1994), Heat and Strange Days. A prolific character actor in film, Fichtner is recognized for memorable performances in Contact (1997), Armageddon (1998), Go (1999), The Perfect Storm (2000), Black Hawk Down (2001), Crash (2004) and The Longest Yard.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jenna Fischer</span> American actress (born 1974)

Regina Marie Kirk, known professionally as Jenna Fischer, is an American actress. She is best known for her role as Pam Beesly on the NBC sitcom The Office (2005–2013), for which she was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series in 2007; she was also a producer for the series' ninth and final season.

Neighbor(s) or neighbour(s) may refer to:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Orson Welles filmography</span>

Orson Welles (1915–1985) was an American director, actor, writer, and producer who is best remembered for his innovative work in radio, theatre and film. He is widely considered one of the greatest and most influential filmmakers of all time.

Kelly Steven Blatz is an American actor, director, writer, producer, editor and musician. He is best known for playing the lead role in Aaron Stone.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marshall Curry</span> American film director (born 1970)

Marshall Curry is an American documentary director, producer, cinematographer and editor. His films include Street Fight, Racing Dreams, If a Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front, Point and Shoot, and A Night at the Garden. His first fiction film was the Academy Award-winning short film The Neighbors' Window (2019).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jessica McNamee</span> Australian actress

Jessica McNamee is an Australian actress. She rose to fame in Australia playing roles in the Seven Network television programs Home and Away and Packed to the Rafters. From 2014 to 2015, she starred as patrol officer Theresa Kelly in the USA Network series Sirens. Her film roles include The Vow (2012), Chips (2017), Battle of the Sexes (2017), The Meg (2018) and Mortal Kombat (2021).

Suits is an American legal drama television series created and written by Aaron Korsh. Produced by Universal Content Productions, it premiered on USA Network on June 23, 2011.

<i>Out to Kill</i> 2014 American film

Out to Kill is a 2014 film written and directed by independent filmmaker Rob Williams, who has made a name for himself in the gay genre. It was produced by GHF Films Productions and released on Guest House Films.

<i>Measure of a Man</i> (film) 2018 American film

Measure of a Man, also known as American Summer in the United Kingdom, is a 2018 American comedy-drama film directed by Jim Loach and written by David Scearce, based on the 1977 novel One Fat Summer by the author Robert Lipsyte. The film stars Blake Cooper, Donald Sutherland, Judy Greer, and Luke Wilson.

<i>Chokeslam</i> (film) 2016 Canadian film

Chokeslam is a 2016 Canadian romantic comedy film directed by Robert Cuffley and starring Chris Marquette, Amanda Crew, Niall Matter, Michael Eklund and Mick Foley. The film follows Corey Swanson (Marquette) prior to a high school reunion, as he tries to make amends with a girlfriend who had publicly rejected him, and had since become a professional wrestler.

Crazy Jones is a 2002 American comedy-drama film written, produced, and directed by Joe Aaron, who also stars with Francesca Catalano.

Aaron Douglas Johnston is an American filmmaker who is based in the Netherlands. He is known for the films Bumblefuck, USA, and My Sister's Quinceañera. Both films focus on outsider themes and mixup the boundary between documentary and fiction through his use of non-professional actors. He has used community funding to provide the small budgets for his films.

<i>The Purge</i> (TV series) American horror television series

The Purge is an American action horror anthology television series, based on the franchise of the same name and created by James DeMonaco. The first season premiered on USA Network on September 4, 2018, and stars Gabriel Chavarria, Hannah Emily Anderson, Jessica Garza, Lili Simmons, Amanda Warren, Colin Woodell, and Lee Tergesen, with Cindy Robinson reprising her role as the voice of the Purge Emergency Broadcast System from the films.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Samantha Robinson (American actress)</span> English/American actress (born 1991)

Samantha Robinson is an American actress. She is known for playing the lead role in the film The Love Witch, directed by Anna Biller. Her other roles include coffee heiress Abigail Folger in the 2019 film Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, directed by Quentin Tarantino.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aaron Harvey</span> American film director and writer

Aaron Harvey is an American film director and writer. He wrote and directed the feature films Catch .44, The Neighbor, Into the Ashes and the upcoming Come With Me.

<i>Being Canadian</i> 2015 Canadian documentary comedy

Being Canadian is a 2015 Canadian documentary comedy film that was written and directed by Robert Cohen and produced by The Sibs, in association with Movie Central and The Movie Network. The film is an examination of Canadian identity and is structured around a cross-country road trip. Cohen interviews Canadian celebrities, most of whom are comedians.

References

  1. "2017 Newport Beach Film Festival". newportbeachfilmfest.com. Archived from the original on 2019-04-27. Retrieved 2020-07-02.
  2. August 19, matthew; Reply, 2016 at 12:11 AM · (2016-08-18). "LAST DAYS OF SUMMER, PRISON DOGS, TWO WORLDS Win Top Awards at FLICKERS: Rhode Island International Film Festival". VIMOOZ. Archived from the original on 2020-08-08. Retrieved 2020-09-09.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  3. "RIFF 2017 AWARD WINNERS". Vimooz.com. Archived from the original on 18 August 2016. Retrieved 18 August 2016.
  4. 1 2 "HRIFF 2017 AWARD WINNERS". Hollywood Reel Independent Film Festival. Archived from the original on 5 February 2017. Retrieved 9 March 2019.
  5. Rechtshaffen, Michael (25 January 2018). "Upper-middle-class male angst fuels 'The Neighbor'". Los Angeles Times . Archived from the original on 5 May 2019. Retrieved 9 March 2019.
  6. Southall, J.R. "THE NEIGHBOUR". Starburst Magazine. Archived from the original on 3 May 2019. Retrieved 9 March 2019.
  7. Browne, Niall (5 November 2018). "Review: William Fichtner Is Captivating In THE NEIGHBOUR". Movies in Focus. Archived from the original on 3 May 2019. Retrieved 9 March 2019.
  8. "THE NEIGHBOR". Twitter. Archived from the original on 5 September 2021. Retrieved 16 January 2021.
  9. "The 2017 BIFFY Award Winners!". Beloit International Film Festival. Archived from the original on 24 September 2020. Retrieved 9 March 2019.