The Greatest

Colour, 35 mm
USA, 2008, 99 min
IP – International premiere
Section: Official Selection - Out of Competition

Synopsis

The calm suburban life of the well-situated Brewer family is unexpectedly turned upside down by the shocking death of the elder son Bennett. Father, mother, and younger brother try to cope with the sudden loss of a loved one each in his or her own way. Then the voluntary isolation of their parallel worlds is "disturbed” by Bennett’s new girlfriend. She is determined to find out more about the young man with whom she shared a brief but fervid romance. Without slipping into superficial sentimentality, debut director Shana Feste has shot an unexpectedly mature study about coping with pain. Her intense psychological investigation under the seemingly idyllic surface of a middle-class family was inspired by Robert Redford’s Oscar-winning drama Ordinary People. The superb Susan Sarandon and Pierce Brosnan as the parents meet their acting match in one of the most talented contemporary actresses, Brit Carey Mulligan.

About the director

Shana Feste, screenwriter and director, was praised by critics and enthusiastic audiences alike at this year’s Sundance festival for her feature debut The Greatest (for which Pierce Brosnan, one of the stars of the film, also served as executive producer). Currently, she has a movie adaptation of the novel You’re Not You in the works, to be shot for actress Hilary Swank and producer Molly Smith’s production company 2S Films.