The underrated actor Sophie Lane Curtis is already, at the age of 27, making her debut directorial feature with On Our Way, and she’s breaking the rules. It’s a meticulously meta film that boldly interweaves seemingly disparate timelines (from past and future to fact and fiction) while exploring a young filmmaker’s attempts to write and direct his first movie. On Our Way has a phenomenal cast that includes Micheal Richardson, James Badge Dale, Jordana Brewster, Keith Powers, Vanessa Redgrave, Franco Nero, Paul Ben-Victor, and Ruby Modine, and will be released in theaters, Amazon Prime and VOD, Friday, May 19.
The synopsis reads as follows:
On Our Way centers around a tormented, young filmmaker struggling to write about losing the love of his life, terrified reliving his past will imprison him. Touching on themes of depression, trauma, and most importantly the will to keep going – the film explores art’s ability to heal the wounds that inspire it.
You can check out a fascinating clip from the film below, which features the legendary married actors Vanessa Redgrave and Franco Nero as the grandparent characters in the protagonist’s script:
It’s clear from the clip that On Our Way is not the average film. As if Charlie Kaufman remade Nocturnal Animals, Curtis’ film is a layer cake of loss, love, art, frustration, and beauty. It’s simultaneously very personal while also a grander meditation on the nature of film itself. Its uniqueness has garnered acclaim; On Our Way premiered internationally at Tallinn Black Nights and the Ischia Global Film Festival, where it was awarded Best Director (Curtis) and Best Actor (Richardson).
The picturesque, visually vibrant film utilized areas of both New York and Southern France to tell the story of a writer and filmmaker who loses the love of his life (Curtis, taking on triple duty as an actor, writer, and director), which puts his debut film in a new perspective. Those gorgeous locations include Tony Richardson’s famous French château, Le Nid du Duc.
Curtis did an excellent job in Amir Naderi’s film Magic Lantern and with smaller parts in the Natalie Portman film Vox Lux and in the film The Childhood of a Leader. Both are directed by Brady Corbet, who serves as a producer for On Our Way and is coincidentally also an actor-turned-director. Corbet learned from some of the best directors of the past 20 years after starring in the films Force Majeure, Clouds of Sils Maria, Olive Kitteridge, Melancholia, Martha Marcy May Marlene, Funny Games, and Mysterious Skin.
On Our Way is produced by Siena Oberman of Artemis Pictures, John Reyes Doyle, and Julio Lopez Velasquez of Tomorrowland Productions, Heliya Alam, Andrea Bucko of SugarRush Pictures, Kyle Stroud of Carte Blanche, and Joe Barbagallo of BarBHouse Productions, and will be released in theaters, Amazon Prime and VOD, Friday, May 19. You can check out the trailer below for more information and a peek into its beautiful visual style and tone.
This story originally appeared on Movieweb
