The Rehearsal, director Alison Maclean’s first feature since the 1999 Denis Johnson adaptation Jesus’ Son, is such a hodgepodge of arthouse references, arch distancing effects, and emotionally vacant wide-screen compositions that one could easily mistake it for an awkward debut film. James Rolleston stars as Stanley, a hunky first-year student at a prestigious New Zealand acting school who is encouraged by the combative, guru-like head instructor, Hannah (Kerry Fox), to develop a theater piece based on a local sex scandal that has engulfed the family of his underage girlfriend, Isolde (Ella Edward). Contrived as it may sound, this isn’t a bad premise. But every bit of inherent tension is dissipated by Maclean’s direction, which meanders from affectlessness to affectation, producing a blank mise en scène in which nothing behind or around the actors means anything, unless it literally says “Brecht” in big letters. The Rehearsal signifies and ...
- 7/6/2017
- by Ignatiy Vishnevetsky
- avclub.com
The Rehearsal Mongel International Director: Alison Maclean Written by: Alison Maclean, Emily Perkins based on Eleanor Catton’s novel “The Rehearsal” Cast: James Rolleston, Kerry Fox, Ella Edward, Rachel Roberts, Marlon Williams, Alice Englert, Kieran Charnock, Erroll Shand Screened at: Critics’ link, NYC, 6/24/17 Opens: July 7, 2017 As Michael Cart, a critic from Booklist notes […]
The post The Rehearsal Movie Review appeared first on Shockya.com.
The post The Rehearsal Movie Review appeared first on Shockya.com.
- 6/30/2017
- by Harvey Karten
- ShockYa
The Rehearsal is a youthful melodrama that becomes a bit too “mellow” during its elongated midsection of teenage irresponsibility. A soul-searching beginning and an applause-worth end sandwich a hefty helping of chewy, overdone archetypes reminiscent of every passable coming-of-age tale you’ve ever sat through. Filmmaker Alison Maclean does certain justice to Eleanor Catton’s source novelization, but it’s not exactly the poignant theater-culture showstopper that’d halt talent agents in their tracks. Familiarity and dry plotting by way of bad decisions are Maclean’s worst enemies, yet those more tolerant viewers should have no trouble sticking around for a rousing final act. The kids aren’t alright – but is anyone, really?
James Rolleston stars as Stanley, an aspiring actor who’s just beginning his first-year of specialty schooling. On a bus one day, he meets Isolde (Ella Edward), and they begin “dating.” Isolde is the sister of a...
James Rolleston stars as Stanley, an aspiring actor who’s just beginning his first-year of specialty schooling. On a bus one day, he meets Isolde (Ella Edward), and they begin “dating.” Isolde is the sister of a...
- 10/7/2016
- by Matt Donato
- We Got This Covered
The spirit of collaboration runs deep in Alison Maclean’s “The Rehearsal,” the filmmaker’s often ambitious and hearteningly daring big screen adaptation of Man Booker Prize-winning author Eleanor Catton’s first novel of the same name. Catton won the prestigious Booker for her latest novel — only her second! — “The Luminaries,” making her the youngest recipient of the storied book prize since its inception in 1969.
That Catton is so accomplished at such a young age speaks to the themes of “The Rehearsal,” which she wrote when she was just 21 as her Master’s thesis, which follows a teen girl dealing with the fallout from her older sister’s affair with a teacher at their high school, juxtaposed alongside the story of a group of drama students who later attempt to use the ensuing scandal as fodder for an important performance. The two stories and their respective characters mix and mingle in unexpected ways,...
That Catton is so accomplished at such a young age speaks to the themes of “The Rehearsal,” which she wrote when she was just 21 as her Master’s thesis, which follows a teen girl dealing with the fallout from her older sister’s affair with a teacher at their high school, juxtaposed alongside the story of a group of drama students who later attempt to use the ensuing scandal as fodder for an important performance. The two stories and their respective characters mix and mingle in unexpected ways,...
- 9/21/2016
- by Kate Erbland
- Indiewire
After a 17-year hiatus from directing feature length films, Alison Maclean returns to the screen with The Rehearsal, an adaptation of Eleanor Catton‘s acclaimed 2008 novel. On its surface, it looks like other films in a specific, youthful sub-genre that rarely produces particularly insightful or interesting dramas. However, its visual precision elicits a unique mood that elevates the film from the normal, self-important teenage tale.
The most fascinating moments play out as we’re shown the inner workings of the fine arts academy that Maclean places us in. The Head of Acting, Hannah (played masterfully by Kerry Fox) commands a lot from her young students in terms of acting prowess and also building an intimate, familial environment in the institute. This is examined through intense and personal acting classes interspersed throughout the greater narrative. Maclean works with cinematographer Andrew Commis to make these scenes feel claustrophobic and weighty while also...
The most fascinating moments play out as we’re shown the inner workings of the fine arts academy that Maclean places us in. The Head of Acting, Hannah (played masterfully by Kerry Fox) commands a lot from her young students in terms of acting prowess and also building an intimate, familial environment in the institute. This is examined through intense and personal acting classes interspersed throughout the greater narrative. Maclean works with cinematographer Andrew Commis to make these scenes feel claustrophobic and weighty while also...
- 9/11/2016
- by The Film Stage
- The Film Stage
"So what happens here? And what can you do to minimize the damage?" The first trailer has arrived for a film playing at this year's Toronto Film Festival (Tiff) called The Rehearsal, from Canadian director Alison Maclean. It's a complex drama about a first-year acting student who "mines his girlfriend's family scandal as material for the end-of-year show at drama school." Yeah, that sounds a bit crazy, but this looks damn good. James Rolleston stars, along with Ella Edward, Alice Englert, Kerry Fox and Michelle Ny. I am expecting some exceptional performances from a film about acting, and from what I can tell, there will be plenty. The song featured in this is "Fragile" (McHncl Remix) by Maya Payne & Kabyn Walley. See below. Here's the first official trailer (+ poster) for Alison Maclean's The Rehearsal, direct from YouTube: Alison Maclean returns to her New Zealand filmmaking roots with a multilayered...
- 8/10/2016
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
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