TroyE
Iowa
REUNION
Directed by Todd Field
Written By Todd Field
CAST:
Hilary Swank as Laura Jennings
Kerry Washington as Michelle Turner
Angela Bettis as Kate Christiansen
Ryan Phillipe as Ben Haynes
Oliver Hudson as Nick Milikin
Ryan Kwanten as Tanner Keeley
Josh Hutcherson as Chucky Ray
Julianne Moore as Mary Ellen Ray
Anna Faris as Kelly Ray
Jennifer Lawrence as Samantha Brewer
TAGLINE: The Past Never Forgets
Synopsis:
Twenty years ago, 18 year old Chucky Ray (Hutcherson) walked into his high school’s cafeteria with armed with a semi-automatic rifle and shot twenty-two of his classmates before turning the gun on himself. It was, in essence, the day that the small town of Hope Springs, Idaho died.
Now, Laura Jennings (Swank), who is a therapist for those suffering from traumatic stress disorder, feels the need to face the demons that haunt her and classmates by returning to Hope Springs with the intention of holding the first reunion of her classmates since the shooting. Among those she contacts and who agree to attend are Michelle Turner (Washington), a strong willed woman who now travels the country speaking about her experience, but who also secretly lament at the loss of her first and only love who died in her arms by Chucky Ray’s bullet. Additionally, Kate Christiansen (Bettis) and Nick Millikin (Hudson) who dated in high school and are now unhappily married and still living in Hope Springs. Kate suffers from extreme PTS syndrome and also faces the alcoholic soaked wrath and abuse and Nick, who suffers great guilt at the fact that his twin brother died in the school shooting from a bullet that was meant for him. Ben Haynes (Phillipe) also still resides in Hope Springs and is now the sheriff. He is in love with Kate and has witnessed the abuse she has suffered and takes the reunion as an opportunity to get her away from Nick. Lastly, adventurer Tanner Keeley (Kwanten) agrees to attend. He has devoted his life since the shooting to living largely and dangerously, setting world records in mountain climbing and hiking. However, going back to Hope Springs proves to be one of the biggest challenges of his life.
Once the classmates arrive in Hope Springs and catch up, they are immediately approached by an enthusiastic young journalist, Samantha Brewer (Lawrence), who views this opportunity as a her big break. She forcefully arranges a confrontation between the surviving classmates and Chucky Ray’s mother, Mary Ellen (Moore), whose reputation has been crushed in the community and now battles severe depression, and his sister, Kelly (Faris), who witnessed her brother’s rampage and is living with the effects. The confrontation is explosive, and through flashbacks, we witness the terrible events leading to Chucky’s harrowing decision. Each of the classmates come to understand that they each had a role in the tragedy and they each must face the consequences and healing that comes with the revelation of what truly led to the rampage.
Press Selection
Todd Field, who is not stranger at examining the grief and impact of a tragedy, hits a home run the incredibly hard hitting Reunion that embraces the lives of not only the victims of a great tragedy but of the person committing the crime. Reunion is not an “easy” view. This story is about a horrific event, an event that touches not only those involved but an entire town, and possibly even far more than it did to begin with.
Field asks some very interesting questions: What happens to the students who have been traumatized by school shootings, how have they survived – or have they – really?
It’s a brutally honest, utterly realistic portrait of individuals trying desperately to forget and move on and their slow, painful realization that the tragedy they share may very well be eternally part of them. While truly an ensemble piece, Swank towers as the Jennings, who on the surface seems fine, but truly is shattered. She sheds the tough façade that she is known for and that has won her two Oscars already and gives a mesmerizing, vulnerable performance that is a marvel to watch. Angela Bettis, best known for a string of B-horror films, also gives an incredible performance as the frail, emotional beaten Kate. Perhaps no other actress could have captured the constant fear and panic Kate lives with better than Bettis, who uses her unique features to her benefit. Kerry Washington is heartbreaking in her attempt to masquerade Michelle’s heartbreak and anguish and the scene where she finally lets loose is a master class piece of acting that will not soon be forgotten. The males hold their and Oliver Hudson surprises with his emotionally wrought performance of an abusive, guilt-ridden alcoholic. And though brief, Julianne Moore’s performance has the potential to go down as one of the greatest “brief” performances in film history. Anna Faris also stuns as she sheds all of her comedic past to deliver an angst filled performance that will cause the hair to stand up on your neck.
But certainly praise cannot be given to the cast without mentioning Josh Hutcherson’s performance as school shooter Chucky Ray. Told through flashback, Hutcherson creates a character that is both evil and soulless, but creates a web of sympathy. It is perhaps the closest, most realistic portrayal of what drives a kid to commit such an act ever captured on film.
Reunion is a film that hooks you from the first frame and will have you in your seat experiencing a plethora of emotions, long after the credits have rolled.
FYC
Best Picture
Best Director
Best Original Screenplay
Best Actress: Hilary Swank, Kerry Washington
Best Actor: Oliver Hudson
Best Supporting Actress: Angela Bettis, Julianne Moore, Anna Faris
Best Supporting Actor: Josh Hutcherson, Ryan Kwanten, Ryan Phillipe
Iowa
REUNION
Directed by Todd Field
Written By Todd Field
CAST:
Hilary Swank as Laura Jennings
Kerry Washington as Michelle Turner
Angela Bettis as Kate Christiansen
Ryan Phillipe as Ben Haynes
Oliver Hudson as Nick Milikin
Ryan Kwanten as Tanner Keeley
Josh Hutcherson as Chucky Ray
Julianne Moore as Mary Ellen Ray
Anna Faris as Kelly Ray
Jennifer Lawrence as Samantha Brewer
TAGLINE: The Past Never Forgets
Synopsis:
Twenty years ago, 18 year old Chucky Ray (Hutcherson) walked into his high school’s cafeteria with armed with a semi-automatic rifle and shot twenty-two of his classmates before turning the gun on himself. It was, in essence, the day that the small town of Hope Springs, Idaho died.
Now, Laura Jennings (Swank), who is a therapist for those suffering from traumatic stress disorder, feels the need to face the demons that haunt her and classmates by returning to Hope Springs with the intention of holding the first reunion of her classmates since the shooting. Among those she contacts and who agree to attend are Michelle Turner (Washington), a strong willed woman who now travels the country speaking about her experience, but who also secretly lament at the loss of her first and only love who died in her arms by Chucky Ray’s bullet. Additionally, Kate Christiansen (Bettis) and Nick Millikin (Hudson) who dated in high school and are now unhappily married and still living in Hope Springs. Kate suffers from extreme PTS syndrome and also faces the alcoholic soaked wrath and abuse and Nick, who suffers great guilt at the fact that his twin brother died in the school shooting from a bullet that was meant for him. Ben Haynes (Phillipe) also still resides in Hope Springs and is now the sheriff. He is in love with Kate and has witnessed the abuse she has suffered and takes the reunion as an opportunity to get her away from Nick. Lastly, adventurer Tanner Keeley (Kwanten) agrees to attend. He has devoted his life since the shooting to living largely and dangerously, setting world records in mountain climbing and hiking. However, going back to Hope Springs proves to be one of the biggest challenges of his life.
Once the classmates arrive in Hope Springs and catch up, they are immediately approached by an enthusiastic young journalist, Samantha Brewer (Lawrence), who views this opportunity as a her big break. She forcefully arranges a confrontation between the surviving classmates and Chucky Ray’s mother, Mary Ellen (Moore), whose reputation has been crushed in the community and now battles severe depression, and his sister, Kelly (Faris), who witnessed her brother’s rampage and is living with the effects. The confrontation is explosive, and through flashbacks, we witness the terrible events leading to Chucky’s harrowing decision. Each of the classmates come to understand that they each had a role in the tragedy and they each must face the consequences and healing that comes with the revelation of what truly led to the rampage.
Press Selection
Todd Field, who is not stranger at examining the grief and impact of a tragedy, hits a home run the incredibly hard hitting Reunion that embraces the lives of not only the victims of a great tragedy but of the person committing the crime. Reunion is not an “easy” view. This story is about a horrific event, an event that touches not only those involved but an entire town, and possibly even far more than it did to begin with.
Field asks some very interesting questions: What happens to the students who have been traumatized by school shootings, how have they survived – or have they – really?
It’s a brutally honest, utterly realistic portrait of individuals trying desperately to forget and move on and their slow, painful realization that the tragedy they share may very well be eternally part of them. While truly an ensemble piece, Swank towers as the Jennings, who on the surface seems fine, but truly is shattered. She sheds the tough façade that she is known for and that has won her two Oscars already and gives a mesmerizing, vulnerable performance that is a marvel to watch. Angela Bettis, best known for a string of B-horror films, also gives an incredible performance as the frail, emotional beaten Kate. Perhaps no other actress could have captured the constant fear and panic Kate lives with better than Bettis, who uses her unique features to her benefit. Kerry Washington is heartbreaking in her attempt to masquerade Michelle’s heartbreak and anguish and the scene where she finally lets loose is a master class piece of acting that will not soon be forgotten. The males hold their and Oliver Hudson surprises with his emotionally wrought performance of an abusive, guilt-ridden alcoholic. And though brief, Julianne Moore’s performance has the potential to go down as one of the greatest “brief” performances in film history. Anna Faris also stuns as she sheds all of her comedic past to deliver an angst filled performance that will cause the hair to stand up on your neck.
But certainly praise cannot be given to the cast without mentioning Josh Hutcherson’s performance as school shooter Chucky Ray. Told through flashback, Hutcherson creates a character that is both evil and soulless, but creates a web of sympathy. It is perhaps the closest, most realistic portrayal of what drives a kid to commit such an act ever captured on film.
Reunion is a film that hooks you from the first frame and will have you in your seat experiencing a plethora of emotions, long after the credits have rolled.
FYC
Best Picture
Best Director
Best Original Screenplay
Best Actress: Hilary Swank, Kerry Washington
Best Actor: Oliver Hudson
Best Supporting Actress: Angela Bettis, Julianne Moore, Anna Faris
Best Supporting Actor: Josh Hutcherson, Ryan Kwanten, Ryan Phillipe