Athens International Film Festival
aiff

The Carer

2/10/2016, 20:00, Ideal

An acclaimed actor, who's increasingly becoming ill-tempered as he reaches his twilight years, hires a patient young woman, who's hoping to break into acting, to care for him. Two seemingly ill-fitted people will bridge their differences and discover the benefits of friendship in a lovely story that the renowned "The Dreamers" screenwriter wrote in a moving, hilarious fashion and gave Brian Cox the role of a lifetime.

6

Legendary Shakespearean thespian Sir Michael Gifford, a cantankerous old man suffering from Parkinson's disease, has retired and lives in his country estate. Dorottya, a young Hungarian actress who dreams of a career in theater, is assigned with the difficult task of taking care of him. Initially, their dynamic personalities clash, but their shared love for Shakespeare manages to bridge the gap. However, the relationship of mutual esteem that develops between them is viewed with suspicion by Michael's daughter.

The late Gilbert Adair, author of "The Dreamers" which was adapted into film by Bertolucci, is listed among the co-writers of the screenplay for "The Carer", the first English-language directorial effort of Hungarian Janos Edelenyi. In what possibly may be the best role of his career, Brian Cox excels in an existential drama focusing on the inevitable contradictions and unexpected bond between two people in diametrically opposite phases of life.

Director: Janos Edelevni
Screenwriter: Gilbert Adair
DoP: Tibor Mathe
Music: Attic Pascay
Editor: Adam Recht
Principal Cast: Brian Cox, Coco Konig, Emilia Fox, Anna Chancellor, Roger Moore

USA | 2016 | Color | DCP | 102' | English



    Publication date: 2016-09-12 05:39:30

    Festival Darlings

    Festival Darlings

    Julieta (opening film)

    Julieta (opening film)

    The chance encounter of a 50-year-old teacher with an old acquaintance will lead to the awakening of long-hidden ghosts from her past and urge her to sort out unsolved mysteries, open wounds and pending affairs of the heart about the man she loved, the daughter she brought into the world, her own parents and herself. A hymn to female nature from a director who has always used his films to pay tribute to the women in his life and his mind.

    Elle (closing film)

    Elle (closing film)

    After a violent assault from a stranger, a woman starts inventing surprising ways of taking the law into her own hands and turning herself into an offender. Paul Verhoeven's scandalous and sufficiently kinky return to directing is the exciting distillation of a partnership between a filmmaker who's not easily bullied, an actress who doesn't shy away from a challenge (Isabelle Huppert) and an enjoyably amoralistic story who loves to make its audience squirm.

    The Handmaiden

    The Handmaiden

    A young maid is sent to the mansion of a Japanese noblewoman in order to seduce her. The red-hot passion that erupts between them, threatens the plans of the man masterminding the operation. The virtuosic director of "Oldboy" masterfully envelops the best erotic thriller of the year with intriguing mystery, daring lesbian love scenes, metaphysical hints and unbelievable directorial prowess.

    All These Sleepless Nights

    All These Sleepless Nights

    Two students are unleashed onto Warsaw's endless nightlife and immerse themselves in alcohol, drugs and love. Something between documentary and fiction, the camera follows them from party to party and from pleasure to pleasure, set against a metropolis shedding its identity and a youth agonising over their next thrill. Nights when time dilates, loves lasting for a single smoke, enchanting cinematography and an excellent electronic soundtrack.

    Anthropoid

    Anthropoid

    Can the director of "Cashback", one of the most refreshing romantic comedies of the past decade, be up to the challenge of directing a suspenseful thriller about the real-life plan to assassinate Reinhard Heydrich, a notorious Nazi official? The answer is a resounding yes, as the film ends up being a heart-stopping experience with Cillian Murphy ("Peaky Blinders") again at the top of his game.