One is the continuation of a 20-year cinematic romance; the other is the jubilant story of a flighty 20-something New Yorker; and the other follows the romantic entanglements of a pair of vampires. Suffice it to say, fans of independent cinema are going to have a lot of options to choose from over the next few weeks, and now clips have been released for Before Midnight, Frances Ha, and Jim Jarmusch's Only Lovers Left Alive to provide a hint of what's to come.
It's been 18 years since Jesse (Ethan Hawke) and Celina (Julie Delpy) first met on a train in Richard Linklater's Before Sunrise, beginning what has been an incredible roller coaster romance that has captivated fans ever since. If you were willing to tag alone on the adventure twice before, chances are you're already excited for Before Midnight, which sees them in their 40s spending a vacation in Greece, and still taking through their issues with their usual passion. The clip doesn't give away too much, but does suggest that growing older has only created a whole new batch of problems for them hash out while exploring one of the most beautiful cities in the world. The film opens on May 24th, but you can check out my Sundance review of it here.
How does the guy who gave us scathing dramedies The Squid and the Whale, Margot at the Wedding, and Greenberg do a total 180 and produce a buoyant, lively pleasure like Frances Ha? Well, it helps to have the charming Greta Gerwig (also his gal pal) as the star. Shot basically in secret and free from typical movie production standards, the film works as a musical collage of moments in the life of Frances, a New York woman who is trying to come to grips with the reality that she may not fulfill all of her dreams. It's a drastic change of pace from Baumbach, and one I personally hope to see a lot more of. This particular clip is one of the most crucial, as Frances lashes out at her best friend Sophie (Mickey Sumner) who is intending to marry her boyfriend, a walking punchline nicknamed "Patch". Frances Ha opens in limited release on May 17th, before expanding on the 24th. If you're interested in attending a free screening, simply go here.
And then there's Only Lovers Left Alive, which it feels like Jim Jarmusch (Down By Law) has been teasing us with forever. A late entry into the Cannes line-up, the film stars Tom "Loki" Hiddleston and Tilda Swinton as Adam and Eve, centuries-long vampire lovers who are reunited and old passions rekindled. Mia Wasikowska plays Eve's spirited sister, Ava, who shows up and threatens to ruin everything. It certainly has the foreboding mood of a lot of Jarmusch films, and seeing Swinton and Hiddleston as a couple is automatically interesting, but especially as vampires. The cast is rounded out by Anton Yelchin, John Hurt, and Jeffrey Wright, so there's no shortage of talent. [IndieWire]
