One of the best showcases of international cinema, the annual Karlovy Vary International Film Festival kicks off today and we’ll be on the ground covering new premieres and more. One of our most-anticipated films debuting there is To the Night, written and directed by Peter Brunner (My Blind Heart, Those Who Fall Have Wings). Led by Caleb Landry Jones, it follows an artist in NYC reckoning with past trauma. In an interesting tidbit there’s a specific credit of Dramaturgical Consultant given to Michael Haneke, with whom Brunner studied under at Viennese academy of film.
Speaking to learning from Haneke, the director said, “The quality I experienced and which I internalized is knowing that he is some sort of ally, who set an example of radicalness, of love of work, of trusting the persistence and perseverance one needs in order to believe in what you do, to be able to develop your work further as honestly as possible, as well as to remain open to the ideas of others.”
Also starring Eléonore Hendricks, Jana McKinnon, Christos Haas, and Abbey Lee, see the trailer and poster below.
Norman has never come to terms with the fire that, in his childhood, took away all those closest to him. His inner sorrow and feelings of guilt prevent him from starting a new life with his girlfriend and son. Although the fire took everything, it now becomes a path to dealing with his trauma. Gifted director Peter Brunner ramps up the near physical intensity of the viewer’s experience via the thoughtful use of unspoken hints and images, which assail the associative processes of the subconscious rather than the rational mind. Filmed on-location in New York City and starring the captivating Caleb Landry Jones, the story presents one man’s desire for a life unburdened by trauma, but while doing so it offers up a spectacular and brutally intimate study of a wounded individual.
To the Night premieres on July 5 at the 2018 Karlovy Vary International Film Festival.