Latest news with #AManCalledOve
Winnipeg Free Press
24-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Winnipeg Free Press
Depth of perspective
Tomorrow — it's a simple enough word meaning the day after today, at some future time. Unless you're one of a group of young teenagers, saying goodnight to each other as they head home to lives ranging from sadness to violent assault. Then, the word tomorrow is a symbol of hope, an affirmation from each one that they will be there the next day, that they will support each other and fill the day with the friendship, love and trust that they so desperately need. Swedish novelist Fredrik Backman's My Friends alternates between two time periods. The first is the summer before four friends turn 15; it's the last time they enjoy spending sunny days swimming off a pier, and one of them goes on to paint a picture of that idyllic time that makes him a world-famous artist. The second is 25 years later, when a troubled 18-year-old named Louisa comes into possession of the painting, which she has loved for years, and the friendship of one of the four, and embarks on an unusual cross-country trip back to the small town where it all started. Morgan Norman photo Fredrik Backman has a knack for warm-hearted but heartbreaking stories. Louisa fell in love with the painting The One of the Sea — depicting the sky, the pier and three teenagers in the water — when she was six or seven and living in one of her foster homes; she took a postcard version off the fridge door and carried it with her ever after. It means everything to her, 'a sort of happiness so overwhelming it's almost unbearable,' Backman writes. When she learns the painting will be on display at an art auction, she sneaks in to see the real thing and becomes angry at the rich art collectors and their misunderstanding of the painting, 'Because it isn't a painting of the sea. Only a damn adult would think that.' Louisa recognizes it as a painting of laughter, love and hope, the ephemeral qualities that made it and the painter famous. Backman enjoys a few sly digs at the so-called art lovers, such as how the old-money people don't like the new-money people: 'The only things that should be new are sports cars and hip joints.' Weekly A weekly look at what's happening in Winnipeg's arts and entertainment scene. The alternating chapters build on each other as the story unfolds in two sets of real time: the four teenagers' summer and the genesis of the painting, and the recollections of Ted, one of the four, as he recounts the story a quarter-century later under questioning by Louisa. Backman's 2012 debut novel A Man Called Ove spent 42 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list and spawned two movie versions. His subsequent books such as Beartown, Us Against You and Anxious People confirm his role as a writer with a knack for tales that are warm-hearted and heartbreaking, with characters you can't help but root for (often against what seem to be insurmountable odds) and for a sly humour (even if it does sometimes include farting). My Friends A powerful storyteller, Backman has done it again, creating a tale of messy life that balances loss and grief with joy and hope, and especially the power of friendship, that tugs at your emotions and, somehow, makes sense despite it all. The tale's many twists and turns are worth the trip; suffice to say the painting is lost, recovered and… well, why spoil it? Chris Smith is a Winnipeg writer.
Yahoo
17-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Kristen Stewart's Directorial Debut ‘The Chronology of Water,' An Unflinching Portrait of Abuse and Addiction, Earns 4-Minute Cannes Ovation
Kristen Stewart's directorial debut 'The Chronology of Water' premiered at Cannes Film Festival to a just over four-minute standing ovation on Friday night — and left many in the crowd wiping their eyes. Imogen Poots' knockout performance was certainly a highlight of Stewart's adaptation of Lidia Yuknavitch's 2011 memoir of the same name, but just as notable was her directing style — raw, artsy and unflinching. Poots stars as the writer in Stewart's non-linear take on Yuknavitch's life, which includes shocking scenes of sexual abuse by her father and her spiral into drug use juxtaposed with the salvation she found in being in the water. More from Variety Tom Hollander Joins Jean Reno in Tom Edmunds' Action-Thriller 'The Butler' (EXCLUSIVE) 'Sons of the Neon Night' Director Juno Mak Breaks Down His Hong Kong Crime Thriller: 'There's a Nightmarish Poetry to It' 'A Man Called Ove' Producer Nicklas Wikström Nicastro Preps Swedish Cycling Biopic 'SteelGrandpa' (EXCLUSIVE) As the lights in the house went up, Stewart — dressed in a chic white short suit and matching baseball cap — hugged everyone in her cast and crew and directed the attention toward them. After kissing her wife Dylan Meyer, she allowed the spotlight to shine on her, accepting the mic from Cannes chief Thierry Fremaux for a short speech. 'This is an absolutely insane, surreal experience to be able to be here and watch this with all of you guys. We finished the movie like five minutes ago, it's not even finished yet. We just slipped under this fucking shut door and goddamn it thank you,' Stewart said to Fremaux, before literally leaping into his arms. The long-in-the-works passion project world premiered in the festival's Un Certain Regard sidebar, which this year also features debuts from fellow actors such as Scarlett Johansson ('Eleanor the Great') and Harris Dickinson ('Urchin').In addition to directing, Stewart co-wrote the film's screenplay alongside Andy Mingo. Stewart first announced the development of 'Chronology of Water' in 2018. In her Variety cover story in January 2024, Stewart revealed that she had been struggling to finance the movie and would refuse to act in another film until she was able to get 'The Chronology of Water' finished. She was able to do just that in summer 2024, when the movie filmed for six weeks in Latvia and Malta. The cast also includes Thora Birch, Earl Cave, Michael Epp, Susannah Flood, Kim Gordon and Jim Belushi. Speaking to Variety, Stewart was honest about her struggles to get the film financed. She said it was 'near impossible' to raise money for a movie that was an original idea and not based on a proven genre or pre-existing IP. 'I think there's an entire, yet-to-be-written female language,' Stewart said. 'There's a certain physicality to the type of film that I want to make that I think will be, in a slugline, really unattractive to quote-unquote 'buyers,' but in action, is entirely pervasively moving. That has just not been an easy sell. It's not about the plot. It's about someone self-Heimliching and contextualizing why that person has swallowed their own voice their whole life.' Variety caught up with Stewart in April amid rumors that her movie would premiere at Cannes. The director said she was racing to finish post-production in order to make the festival lineup. 'Well, at this point, it's a timing issue. The movie, it's like crowning,' she said. 'It's one of those stories that you hear — every filmmaker that I covet has slipped under the closing doorway of making a certain deadline for the Cannes Film Festival. And I don't know if I'm gonna be there yet I may. I may not be, but the movie is becoming itself in a way that feels so imminent, and so it's like such a relief. It's such an unbelievable relief. It's been a long labor. It's like having a baby.' 'The Chronology of Water' is seeking distribution out of Cannes. Best of Variety New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week Emmy Predictions: Talk/Scripted Variety Series - The Variety Categories Are Still a Mess; Netflix, Dropout, and 'Hot Ones' Stir Up Buzz Oscars Predictions 2026: 'Sinners' Becomes Early Contender Ahead of Cannes Film Festival
Gulf Weekly
08-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Gulf Weekly
Bittersweet summer tale
Swedish author Fredrik Backman's new novel My Friends has hit the shelves. The tale is set in the summer, when a group of teenagers find refuge away from their difficult home, living in an abandoned pier, where they tell each other stories and joke around. A painting by one of the three friends emerges 25 years later and lands into the hands of 18-year-old Louisa, who embarks on a cross-country journey to learn the story behind it, which also inspires her to unleash her own artistic self. 'It's a little story my brain and I have argued about for a few years, about art and artists, about being young and desperately wanting to create something, anything,' Fredrik said in a social media post. 'It's also about growing up close to violence, outside and inside, and having friends who'd fight the whole universe for you. It's about those who saw greatness in you before you ever could. It's about being 17, and how a painting in a museum can knock you over so completely, it changes the whole trajectory of your life,' he added. The #1 New York Times bestselling author is known for many novels, most famously, A Man Called Ove, which was published in English in 2013, and later adapted into a namesake Swedish comedy drama film in 2015, as well as a 2022 American film titled A Man Called Otto starring Tom Hanks and his son Truman.
Geek Tyrant
05-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Geek Tyrant
Angelina Jolie to Lead ANXIOUS PEOPLE From WORLD WAR Z Director Marc Forster — GeekTyrant
Angelina Jolie is set to star in Anxious People , the latest feature from director Marc Forster ( World War Z , A Man Called Otto ), adapted from the best-selling novel by Fredrik Backman, the same author behind A Man Called Ove . The story is described as a "comedy about a crime that never took place," and it follows Zara, an emotionally armored investment banker (played by Jolie), who begrudgingly attends an open house the day before Christmas Eve. 'Things spiral quickly when a nervous would-be bank robber, botching their escape, ends up taking everyone hostage. What follows is a tangled, heartfelt mess involving eight strangers, a disappearing criminal, and some seriously uncomfortable oversharing. 'In the chaos, these wildly different characters begin to discover unlikely connections and shared humanity.' The script comes from Oscar-nominated writer David Magee ( Life of Pi , Finding Neverland , A Man Called Otto ), reuniting much of the same creative team from A Man Called Otto , which grossed over $110 million globally. Producer Wikström Nicastro said in a statement: 'Fredrik's novels speak to our shared humanity in a way that really moves audiences, and we're proud to be able to deliver another heartwarming and hilarious adaptation of his work.' Forster added: 'The story is filled with humor, heart, chaos, and unexpected hope.' Producer Renée Wolfe summed up the film's spirit, saying: ' Anxious People is a uniquely warm and heartfelt story that speaks to our chaotic times by asking us to step outside of our own stories and slow down enough to actually see one another. 'It is set a week before Christmas and highlights a time when generosity and giving are values that are more in focus. Sometimes funny, sometimes dramatic and always entertaining, Anxious People is a book that has sold over 6 million copies world-wide and, with Angelina Jolie playing the lead and Marc Forster directing, will surely prove to be a movie that will captivate millions more.' Jolie has had a diverse run in recent years from producing the Tony-winning The Outsiders musical to starring in Pablo Larraín's Oscar-nominated Maria , and directing First They Killed My Father . This sounds like another great project for Jolie to take on. Source: Deadline
