TheNightListener Tagged Articles at Cinematical

We reported during Sundance that The Night Listener, Patrick Stettner's adaptation of the Armistead Maupin novel, sold North American rights to Miramax. The film, about a radio talk show host who gets involved in the tale or horrific abuse of a young listener - and then questions whether the tale, and the boy, are even real, stars Robin Williams, Toni Collette, Sandra Oh and Rory Culkin. 

Things just keep getting better and better for the flick - the film has been added as a "surprise screening" (well, it's not so much a surprise, really, as a previously unannounced engagement) to the 2006 Berlinale, which starts today. In addition to scoring a slot a the Berlinale, Indiewire notes that even before the Berlinale's all-important European Film Market, Fortissimo Films, the flick's sales co, is reporting The Night Listener has scored sales in Germany, Israel,  Taiwan, Thailand, Czech Republic, Turkey, UK, Australia, and Scandinavia - which doesn't leave too much of the free world for the film to still conquer.

 

Sitting in a New York radio studio, spoken-word artist and writer Gabriel Noone (Robin Williams) starts telling a story … about a story. In a serious personal slump – his long-time boyfriend Jess (Bobby Cannavale) is moving out, he’s writer’s-blocked –his editor (Joe Morton) gives him a manuscript to get his opinion on. It’s called The Blacking Factory, and when Gabriel looks at the subtitle, he’s underwhelmed: “’A diary of transcendent hope and courage’? Oh, please … does it come with aromatherapy?”

But he starts reading it, and he’s hooked. It’s written by Pete, a young boy who’s spent years of his life being sexually abused by his parents and a circle of their friends; Pete’s out of immediate danger, living in seclusion with Donna, the social worker who’s adopted him – but he’s also slowly dying from a case of AIDS that’s being exacerbated by his other injuries and exposures to disease, all at the age of 14. And then Pete (Rory Culkin) and Donna (Toni Collette) call Gabriel to connect, and talk, with the voice they’ve listened to on the radio for so long. …

(More after the jump. ...)

All week long, I've been hearing the same querie of panic: "Where's Harvey Weinstein?" The usually voracious festival buyer has so far been a no-show in Park City, and whilst I hear his Weinstein Company is looking seriously at the awesome feature Wristcutters: A Love Story, Harvey's ex-shingle has beaten him to checkout line on another high-profile Sundance pic. Miramax (now led by Daniel Battsek) has spent $3 million on the rights to The Night Listener, directed by Patrick Stettner (who made some noise here several years ago with The Business of Strangers), based on a novel by Armistead Maupin and starring Robin Williams and Rory Culkin. Williams (bearded, so you know it's a serious film) plays Gabriel, a public radio storyteller who forms a relationship with a young call-in listener and his social worker guardian (Toni Collette) – before beginning to doubt that the boy actually exists. The deal was brokered on the ground here in Park City; no release date has yet been announced.