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Stars at Noon (2022 film)
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Wikipedia article
'Stars at Noon' is a 2022 romantic thriller film directed by Claire Denis, based on the 1986 novel 'The Stars at Noon' by Denis Johnson, starring Margaret Qualley, Joe Alwyn, Danny Ramirez, Benny Safdie, and John C. Reilly. The film was selected to compete for the Palme d'Or at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival, where it won the Grand Prix. It is scheduled to be released in the United States by A24 on October 14, 2022. The film received mixed-to-positive reviews from critics, who praised its dialogue and Qualley's performance but criticized the film's pacing, Alwyn's performance, and the chemistry between Qualley and Alwyn.
Premise
A young American journalist stranded in present-day Nicaragua falls for an enigmatic Englishman who seems like her best chance of escape. She soon realizes, though, that he may be in even greater danger than she is. The film, unlike the novel, which is set during the Nicaraguan Revolution, is set in the pandemic-era present day.
Cast
The cast includes:
* Margaret Qualley as Trish
* Joe Alwyn as Daniel
* Danny Ramirez as Costa Rican Policeman
* Benny Safdie as CIA Man
* Nick Romano as Second Lieutenant
* Stephan Proao as Vice President
* Monica Bartholomew as La Seora
* Carlos Bennett as Taxi Driver Mercado
* Sebastin Donoso as Taxi Driver 1
* Hector Moreno as Travel Agent
* Robin Duran as Costa Rican Border Chief
* Jose Leonel Hernandez as Night Watchman
* John C. Reilly as American Boss
Production
Claire Denis read Johnson's novel a decade earlier and assessed it as a love story between two people who develop a relationship solely due to the context of the revolution. She added, "It's also about the fear and the terror of love, the fear of failure."
In April 2019, Denis tentatively announced the film's development and casting of Robert Pattinson after a screening at the Brattle Theatre of her 2018 film 'High Life', which also starred Pattinson. It was announced in February 2020 that A24 had acquired North American distribution rights to Claire Denis' next directorial effort, with Robert Pattinson and Margaret Qualley. Filming was planned to begin that summer.[https://deadline.com/2020/02/robert-pattinson-movie-a24-swoops-us-rights-claire-denis-stars-at-noon-margaret-qualley-1202862098/ A24 Swoops On North American Rights To Claire Denis' Next Movie 'The Stars At Noon' With Robert Pattinson & Margaret Qualley To Star EFM] Filming was then expected to begin in April 2021 but did not begin at that time.[https://www.screendaily.com/wild-bunch-launches-sales-on-zhang-yimous-pulled-berlin-title-one-second-exclusive/5154616.article Wild Bunch International launches sales on Zhang Yimou's pulled Berlin title 'One Second' (exclusive)] Pattinson would exit the film due to scheduling conflicts by July, with Taron Egerton replacing him, and filming now set for an October 2021 start in Panama.[https://www.screendaily.com/news/taron-egerton-boards-claire-denis-stars-at-noon-exclusive/5161287.article Taron Egerton boards Claire Denis' 'Stars At Noon' (exclusive)] This did not come to pass, and in November Egerton left the project due to personal reasons, being replaced by Joe Alwyn.[https://deadline.com/2021/11/joe-alwyn-margaret-qualley-a24s-stars-at-noon-claire-denis-1234867177/ Joe Alwyn To Co-Star Opposite Margaret Qualley In A24's 'The Stars At Noon' From Claire Denis] In January 2022 Danny Ramirez was announced as part of the cast. Additional casting including Benny Safdie and John C. Reilly was revealed in April.
Filming took place in Panama, beginning by December 2021. Production wrapped later that same month. Denis wished to shoot the film in Nicaragua but the re-election of President Daniel Ortega swayed her away from doing so, saying, "I knew I could not, it would have been immoral."
Release
The film was selected to compete for the Palme d'Or at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival, where it had its world premiere on May 25, 2022. At Cannes, it was the co-winner of the Grand Prix. It is scheduled to be released by A24 in the United States and on demand on October 14, 2022.
Reception
On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 68% based on 25 reviews, with an average rating of 6.2/10. According to Metacritic, which assigned a weighted average score of 63 out of 100 based on 12 critics, the film received "generally favorable reviews".
Guy Lodge of 'Variety' wrote, "The American setting and perspective may be new for her; the rest, from the film's bristling, dust-licked atmospherics to its frank, corporeal eroticism to yet another shivery, enveloping score by longtime collaborators Tindersticks, is vintage Denis." David Ehrlich of 'IndieWire' praised the film's dialogue, writing that it is "only strengthened by its occasional awkwardness, as it subsumes Trish and Daniel into the same disordered humidity that swamps the film around them. The frequent sex scenes become a dialogue of their own the lovers feeling each other out in search of something they can actually trust." Ben Croll of 'TheWrap' praised Denis' "tonal control" and Qualley's "non-verbal tics" for elevating the dialogue. Robbie Collin of 'The Daily Telegraph' wrote, "'Stars at Noon' is at its best when it has Trish and Daniel suspended in horny limbo, with Denis building an atmosphere of sultry languor that makes the film feel as if it's constantly stretching and circling, like a sleepy cat." In a 4 out of 5 star review, Nicholas Barber of BBC praised the film's "beguiling, immersive" quality and Qualley's "firecracker energy" but found the dialogue confusing and the plot drifted too much.
David Rooney of 'The Hollywood Reporter' deemed the film to be "a major misfire." Charles Bramesco of 'The Playlist' called it "marred by compromise at every phase of its production, it's a rare misfire from one of our most accomplished living auteurs, excusable only on merit of her past successes." In a 3 out of 5 star review, Peter Bradshaw of 'The Guardian' felt the film was "reasonably acted" but concluded that "the romantic passion and duplicity don't come across as strongly as they might have done with leads who had a stronger chemistry." Bradshaw characterized Qualley and Alywn's performances as sometimes "callow" and felt they were both "outclassed" by Safdie's performance, however Bradshaw commended Qualley for "nicely [conveying] neediness, alcoholism and self-reproach" in her performance. Caspar Salmon of 'The Daily Beast' agreed, writing, "Both are miscast, both lack chemistry, and neither of them has a very fun time with the dialogue." Todd McCarthy of 'Deadline Hollywood' wrote that "Qualley is pretty engaging in the early going" but lamented that the film is "thoroughly lacking in political context, psychological nuances, investigation of local conditions and simple suspense that the whole thing just collapses from the lack of any sturdy dramatic fortifications." Tara Brady of 'The Irish Times' gave the film 1 out of 5 stars, writing that the film was "undone by bad timing, repetition, general disarray, and the framing of the female lead as Holly Golightly." Ryan Leston '/Film' called the film "so slow it doesn't really seem to go anywhere." Iana Murray of 'The Skinny' said the film "moves so slowly that it's stagnant" and criticized Alwyn's performance and casting, but called Qualley's performance "magnetic".
Accolades
References
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