CONSTELLATIONS (Alex C. of Washington State)
Crew:
Directed by Vera Farmiga
Written by David Hare
Original Score by Emily Saliers
Produced by Rodrigo Garcia and Vera Farmiga
Distributed by Sony Pictures Classics
Cast:
Marcia Gay Harden (Eve)
Anna Kendrick (Carolyn)
Billy Crudup (Orion)
Tagline: "He is with us."
Synopsis: 2 a.m. Eve opens the screen door and walks onto the sand at her beach house on Martha’s Vineyard. Her daughter, Carolyn, is sitting on a grassy knoll as a light breeze blows her hair. Having just finished a graduate degree in psychology from Berkeley, Carolyn has moved back to Boston and is visiting her mother, an acclaimed novelist, for the week. Carolyn is startled to see her mother, but Eve points to the sky. Orion is in the sky. Carolyn pulls back, but Eve stops her. She comes closer to her daughter.
10 years ago, Eve’s husband, Orion died of cancer just after he turned 40. The son of scientists and an astronomer himself, Orion would spend hours gazing at the stars with his wife and daughter, showing off the constellation his parents named him after. But when he died, a great rift formed between mother and daughter. Not being able to cope with her grief, Eve sent Carolyn to boarding school and led a life of isolation, finding solace only in her writing.
The two walk along the beach, heal old wounds, and grow closer to each other than their circumstances ever allowed them to think they would. After awhile, Carolyn tells her mother that when she was a little girl, she had seen Eve out on the beach singing or chanting. Eve laughs and tells her daughter that should would try to communicate with her mother, who passed away before Carolyn was born. She tells her daughter that she hasn’t tried to communicate with the deceased since Orion passed. Carolyn takes her hand, and Eve begins incantations. As Carolyn joins her, it begins to rain. “We’re here, Dad!” Carolyn shouts to the sky. “We’re really here,” Eve says with great relief. They leave the beach and walk back towards the house hand in hand, starting a new chapter in their lives. Together.
Press Section: Set on a beach over the course of one late night at a beach house on Martha’s Vineyard, “Constellations” is a breathtaking look at the emotional bonds between mothers and daughters, despite the challenges they’ve faced in their pasts. Though “Constellations” is only actress Vera Farmiga’s second film behind (following her breakout this summer, the critically acclaimed “Higher Ground”), she shows the craftsmanship of an artist who has been working for years. Her skill for eliciting performances from actors is on par with film from the beginning of Mike Nichols’ filmography, another actor-turned-director, and the beauty at which she shoots the outdoor scenes is somewhat reminiscent of Terrence Malick’s filmmaking style. The subtle, yet extremely focused use of her camera is unparalleled amongst her peers. It’s rare that a film can be carried equally on the shoulders of two performers, but Farmiga has nuanced inspired performances in a true actor’s film from two of the best actresses working today, one a seasoned pro at the top of her game and the other a rising young star in her first leading role. Marcia Gay Harden’s performance as Eve is a tour de force, and a portrayal that tops an already impressive career on film and stage. The emotional journey that just her face goes through when her daughter says, “I love you,” for what is probably the first time in 10 years is incredibly moving. Beautifully complimenting Harden’s work is Farmiga’s Oscar-nominated onscreen co-star from “Up in the Air,” Anna Kendrick. Though the role of Carolyn is one that would typically be neglected by the script in favor of the more emotional and raw role of Eve, Kendrick peels back her character’s layers and adds color to it in ways few contemporary actresses could. One performance could not work without the other, and the idea of any other actress filling in for either role is unthinkable. Though there are occasionally flashbacks to happier times with Orion (portrayed touchingly by a haunting Billy Crudup), the film spends most of its time on the beach with Harden and Kendrick and the two really carry the film on their shoulders. With a script by David Hare (Oscar-nominated for “The Hours” and “The Reader”) and an original score by Emily Saliers, the soft-spoken, reflective half of the folk duo the Indigo Girls, Farmiga’s film soars to heights that will definitely put the film in contention for some of the major awards come Oscar season.
Awards Consideration
Best Picture
Best Director: Vera Farmiga
Best Actress: Marcia Gay Harden
Best Actress: Anna Kendrick
Best Supporting Actor: Billy Crudup
Best Original Screenplay: David Hare
Best Original Score: Emily Saliers
Directed by Vera Farmiga
Written by David Hare
Original Score by Emily Saliers
Produced by Rodrigo Garcia and Vera Farmiga
Distributed by Sony Pictures Classics
Cast:
Marcia Gay Harden (Eve)
Anna Kendrick (Carolyn)
Billy Crudup (Orion)
Tagline: "He is with us."
Synopsis: 2 a.m. Eve opens the screen door and walks onto the sand at her beach house on Martha’s Vineyard. Her daughter, Carolyn, is sitting on a grassy knoll as a light breeze blows her hair. Having just finished a graduate degree in psychology from Berkeley, Carolyn has moved back to Boston and is visiting her mother, an acclaimed novelist, for the week. Carolyn is startled to see her mother, but Eve points to the sky. Orion is in the sky. Carolyn pulls back, but Eve stops her. She comes closer to her daughter.
10 years ago, Eve’s husband, Orion died of cancer just after he turned 40. The son of scientists and an astronomer himself, Orion would spend hours gazing at the stars with his wife and daughter, showing off the constellation his parents named him after. But when he died, a great rift formed between mother and daughter. Not being able to cope with her grief, Eve sent Carolyn to boarding school and led a life of isolation, finding solace only in her writing.
The two walk along the beach, heal old wounds, and grow closer to each other than their circumstances ever allowed them to think they would. After awhile, Carolyn tells her mother that when she was a little girl, she had seen Eve out on the beach singing or chanting. Eve laughs and tells her daughter that should would try to communicate with her mother, who passed away before Carolyn was born. She tells her daughter that she hasn’t tried to communicate with the deceased since Orion passed. Carolyn takes her hand, and Eve begins incantations. As Carolyn joins her, it begins to rain. “We’re here, Dad!” Carolyn shouts to the sky. “We’re really here,” Eve says with great relief. They leave the beach and walk back towards the house hand in hand, starting a new chapter in their lives. Together.
Press Section: Set on a beach over the course of one late night at a beach house on Martha’s Vineyard, “Constellations” is a breathtaking look at the emotional bonds between mothers and daughters, despite the challenges they’ve faced in their pasts. Though “Constellations” is only actress Vera Farmiga’s second film behind (following her breakout this summer, the critically acclaimed “Higher Ground”), she shows the craftsmanship of an artist who has been working for years. Her skill for eliciting performances from actors is on par with film from the beginning of Mike Nichols’ filmography, another actor-turned-director, and the beauty at which she shoots the outdoor scenes is somewhat reminiscent of Terrence Malick’s filmmaking style. The subtle, yet extremely focused use of her camera is unparalleled amongst her peers. It’s rare that a film can be carried equally on the shoulders of two performers, but Farmiga has nuanced inspired performances in a true actor’s film from two of the best actresses working today, one a seasoned pro at the top of her game and the other a rising young star in her first leading role. Marcia Gay Harden’s performance as Eve is a tour de force, and a portrayal that tops an already impressive career on film and stage. The emotional journey that just her face goes through when her daughter says, “I love you,” for what is probably the first time in 10 years is incredibly moving. Beautifully complimenting Harden’s work is Farmiga’s Oscar-nominated onscreen co-star from “Up in the Air,” Anna Kendrick. Though the role of Carolyn is one that would typically be neglected by the script in favor of the more emotional and raw role of Eve, Kendrick peels back her character’s layers and adds color to it in ways few contemporary actresses could. One performance could not work without the other, and the idea of any other actress filling in for either role is unthinkable. Though there are occasionally flashbacks to happier times with Orion (portrayed touchingly by a haunting Billy Crudup), the film spends most of its time on the beach with Harden and Kendrick and the two really carry the film on their shoulders. With a script by David Hare (Oscar-nominated for “The Hours” and “The Reader”) and an original score by Emily Saliers, the soft-spoken, reflective half of the folk duo the Indigo Girls, Farmiga’s film soars to heights that will definitely put the film in contention for some of the major awards come Oscar season.
Awards Consideration
Best Picture
Best Director: Vera Farmiga
Best Actress: Marcia Gay Harden
Best Actress: Anna Kendrick
Best Supporting Actor: Billy Crudup
Best Original Screenplay: David Hare
Best Original Score: Emily Saliers
