Christine (2016 film)

Not to be confused with the John Carpenter/Stephen King horror film Christine.
Christine

Theatrical release poster
Directed by Antonio Campos
Produced by
  • Craig Shilowich
  • Melody C. Roscher
Written by Craig Shilowich
Starring
Music by
  • Danny Bensi
  • Saunder Jurriaans
Cinematography Joe Anderson
Edited by Sofia Subercaseaux
Production
companies
  • Great Point Media
  • BorderLine Films
  • Fresh Jade
  • The Wonder Club
Distributed by
Release dates
  • January 23, 2016 (2016-01-23) (Sundance)
  • October 14, 2016 (2016-10-14) (United States)
  • January 27, 2017 (2017-01-27) (United Kingdom)
Running time
 119 minutes[1]
Country
  • United States
  • United Kingdom
Language English
Box office $270,750[2]

Christine is a 2016 American-British biographical drama film directed by Antonio Campos and written by Craig Shilowich. It stars actress Rebecca Hall as 1970s news reporter Christine Chubbuck who committed suicide on live television.

The film, which premiered at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival,[3] was released in the United States on October 14, 2016, by The Orchard, and is scheduled to be released in the United Kingdom on January 27, 2017, by Curzon Artificial Eye.

Plot

The film takes place in the last days of Christine Chubbuck's life as she struggles against depression and eventually commits suicide on air.

Cast

Screenplay

Craig Shilowich says he came up with the idea for "Christine" after coming across articles online which highlighted the most shocking moments in television history. He was instantly fascinated with Chubbuck's story and what drove her to suicide on television. Shilowich endured his own unexplainable struggles with depression while at New York University in the wake of 9/11.[4] He eventually dropped out of school.

"I'd spend days on end walking my room, peeing out of the window, just to not have to deal with anybody," he told The Canadian Press in an interview.[4] The depression lasted for about seven years and he says it went away the same way it came, with little explanation.

He saw his story in Chubbuck's pre-suicide struggle and found himself "trying to piece it together" in a screenplay. He interviewed some of her former newsroom colleagues and read various news stories to build what he could with hard facts. The rest was imagined.[4]

Production

In May 2015, it was announced that Rebecca Hall, Michael C. Hall, Tracy Letts, Maria Dizzia, and J. Smith-Cameron had been cast in the film, with Antonio Campos directing from a screenplay by Craig Shilowich, who is also producing the film alongside, Melody C. Roscher, while Josh Mond and Sean Durkin will executive produce under their Borderline Films banner.[5]

Release

In December 2015, the first image of Hall was released on Indiewire.com.[6] In January 2016, The Hollywood Reporter released more stills from the film.[7] The film had its world premiere at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival on January 23, 2016.[3] Shortly after, The Orchard acquired distribution rights to the film.[8] The film was screened at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 8, 2016[9] and the BFI London Film Festival on October 6, 2016.[10][11] The film was released on October 14, 2016.[12][13] It is scheduled to be released in the United Kingdom on January 27, 2017.[14]

Reception

Critical response

Christine received positive reviews from film critics, praising the performance of Rebecca Hall.[15][16] On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 83% based on 57 reviews, with an average rating of 7.2/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Rising on the strength of Rebecca Hall's gripping performance, Christine offers an empathetic look at its subject's public career and painful private life."[17] On Metacritic, the film has a score of 70 out of 100 score, based on 26 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".[18]

Guy Lodge of Variety gave the film a positive review writing: "Far from the austere death march it might threaten to be on paper, this is a thrumming, heartsore, sometimes viciously funny character study, sensitive both to the singularities of Chubbuck’s psychological collapse and the indignities weathered by any woman in a 1970s newsroom. Invigorated by a top-drawer ensemble, with Rebecca Hall discomfitingly electric in the best role she’s yet been offered, this should easily become Campos’ most widely distributed work to date."[19] David Rooney of The Hollywood Reporter also gave the film a positive review writing : "On the evidence presented here, Chubbuck reads as dour and almost scarily intense on camera, so her professional aptitude is questionable even if her dedication is not. But Hall makes it impossible to look away from this portrait of a woman brought to the heartbreaking conclusion that she's beyond hope."[20]

Accolades

Award Category Recipient(s) Result Ref(s)
Chicago International Film Festival Silver Hugo Award for Best Actress Rebecca Hall Won [21]
Independent Spirit Awards Best Screenplay Craig Shilowich Pending [22]
Piaget Producers Award Melody C. Roscher and Craig Shilowich Pending
Sundance Film Festival Grand Jury Prize: Dramatic Antonio Campos Nominated [23][24]

References

  1. ↑ "Christine (15)". British Board of Film Classification. November 28, 2016. Retrieved November 28, 2016.
  2. ↑ "Christine". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved November 27, 2016.
  3. 1 2 Chang, Justin (December 2, 2015). "Sundance Film Festival Unveils 2016 Competition, Next Films". Variety. Retrieved January 20, 2016.
  4. 1 2 3 Friend, David Friend (Nov. 9, 2016). "Rebecca Hall on bringing humanity to TV reporter's on-air suicide in 'Christine'". Sudbury.com/The Canadian Press. Retrieved Nov. 16, 2016. Check date values in: |access-date=, |date= (help)
  5. ↑ Sneider, Jeff (May 7, 2015). "Rebecca Hall, Michael C. Hall to Star in Antonio Campos' Suicidal Reporter Drama 'Christine' (Exclusive)". TheWrap. Retrieved April 6, 2016.
  6. ↑ Brennan, Matt (December 17, 2015). "First Look: Rebecca Hall Comes to a TV Near You in '70s-Set Sundance Premiere 'Christine'". IndieWire. Retrieved April 6, 2016.
  7. ↑ Lee, Ashley (January 12, 2016). "First Look: Michael C. Hall, Tracy Letts Challenge Rebecca Hall in 'Christine' (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved January 20, 2016.
  8. ↑ Setoodah, Ramin (February 4, 2016). "The Orchard Acquires Sundance Drama 'Christine' Starring Rebecca Hall". Variety. Retrieved April 6, 2016.
  9. ↑ "Christine". Toronto International Film Festival. Retrieved September 25, 2016.
  10. ↑ "The 60th BFI London Film Festival in partnership with American Express® announces full 2016 programme". BFI London Film Festival. September 21, 2016. Retrieved September 25, 2016.
  11. ↑ "Christine". BFI London Film Festival. Retrieved September 25, 2016.
  12. ↑ Nordine, Michael (September 15, 2016). "'Christine' Trailer: Rebecca Hall Is a Woman on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown in Antonio Campos' Disturbing Drama". Indiewire.com. Retrieved September 25, 2016.
  13. ↑ The Orchard (March 15, 2016). "The Orchard Announces 2016 Theatrical Release Slate". The Orchard. Retrieved April 6, 2016.
  14. ↑ "Christine". Curzon Artificial Eye. Retrieved November 25, 2016.
  15. ↑ Buckley, Cara (February 16, 2016). "A Possible Preview of Next Year's Oscar Race". The New York Times. Retrieved September 25, 2016.
  16. ↑ M. Smith, Nigel (January 24, 2016). "Christine review: Rebecca Hall astonishes in real-life horror story". The Guardian. Retrieved September 25, 2016.
  17. ↑ "Christine (2016)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved September 22, 2016.
  18. ↑ "Christine reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved September 22, 2016.
  19. ↑ Lodge, Guy (January 24, 2016). "Sundance Film Review: 'Christine'". Variety. Retrieved September 25, 2016.
  20. ↑ Rooney, David (January 24, 2016). "'Christine': Sundance Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved September 25, 2016.
  21. ↑ Phillips, Michael (October 22, 2016). "Rule, Romania: 'Sieranevada,' 'Graduation' win big at Chicago Film Fest". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved October 29, 2016.
  22. ↑ Warren, Matt (November 22, 2016). "2017 Film Independent Spirit Awards Nominations Announced!". Independent Spirit Awards. Retrieved November 22, 2016.
  23. ↑ "Sundance: The Birth of a Nation Sweeps Top Prizes". Variety. Retrieved February 1, 2016.
  24. ↑ "Awards and Winners". Sundance. Retrieved February 1, 2016.

External links

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