Little Accidents
{{short description|2014 film by Sara Colangelo}}
{{Infobox film
| name = Little Accidents
| image = Little Accidents Poster.jpg
| alt =
| caption = Theatrical release poster.
| native_name =
| director = Sara Colangelo
| producer = Anne Carey
Jason Michael Berman
Tom Fore
| writer = Sara Colangelo
| screenplay =
| story =
| based_on = {{based on|Little Accidents (short film) |Sara Colangelo}}
| starring = Elizabeth Banks
Boyd Holbrook
Chloë Sevigny
Jacob Lofland
Josh Lucas
| music = Marcelo Zarvos
| cinematography = Rachel Morrison
| editing = Suzy Elmiger
| studio =
| distributor = Amplify
| released = {{Film date|2014|01|22|Sundance Film Festival}}
| runtime = 105 minutes
| country = United States
| language = English
| budget =
| gross =
}}
Little Accidents is a 2014 American drama film directed and written by Sara Colangelo, based on her own 2010 award-winning short film of same name. The film stars Elizabeth Banks, Boyd Holbrook, Chloë Sevigny, Jacob Lofland, and Josh Lucas.{{cite news|title='Little Accidents' Draws Elizabeth Banks, Chloe Sevigny, Josh Lucas|url=https://deadline.com/2013/08/little-accidents-draws-elizabeth-banks-chloe-sevigny-josh-lucas-564758/|access-date=16 August 2013|newspaper=Deadline Hollywood|date=15 August 2013}} The film had its world premiere at 2014 Sundance Film Festival on January 22, 2014.{{cite web |title=Sundance 2014: World Cinema Dramatic Competition|url=https://www.indiewire.com/article/sundance-2014-world-cinema-dramatic-competition|accessdate=May 5, 2014}} The film was released on January 16, 2015 in a limited release by Amplify.
Plot
A recent accident in a local coal mine has devastated the small town where it occurred. Amos, the lone survivor, is torn between protecting his colleagues and speaking to a union lawyer about what happened. Amos lives with his aging father, Basil, who he looks after.
Owen, a local working-class boy who babysits his little brother, James (who has Down syndrome), struggles to fit in with the wealthier boys from the other side of town, especially JT, the rich son of a mining executive. JT is a bully who mocks James and calls him a "retard", prompting Owen to blurt out the truth: that JT's father, Bill, is responsible for the mining accident and should be in jail. JT, letting slip how the stress of his father's guilt is hurting him emotionally, accuses the town of "fucking milking it!" (the accident). After an intense struggle, Owen tosses a pebble at JT in self-defence; the pebble disorients JT and the boy trips and falls, accidentally hitting his head on a large boulder. Owen and James are horrified but cover up JT's apparently deceased corpse in the forest.
Diane, JT's mother, suffers emotional turmoil from her son's disappearance and receives little sympathy from the other townsfolk, as Diane is married to Bill (Bill and Diane have called the townsfolk, including their own employees, "trailer trash" in the past). Bill himself, knowing that he's responsible for the mining accident, withdraws socially and isn't able to relate to Diane at all. Diane bonds with Amos despite their class differences, and the two troubled citizens form a clandestine romantic affair. James is traumatized by witnessing JT's death but cannot communicate this to his family due to his disability. Owen discusses responsibility at length with Amos, who walks with a limp due to an injury from the mining accident. Basil dies in his sleep, leaving Amos alone without a family for the first time in his life. Some of the townsfolk find solace in religion, but others are having a crisis of faith and even hyperventilate from stress.
JT's death is finally revealed when Owen, who has secretly been crying at night and having bad dreams about the accident, admits to what occurred in the forest. Despite Owen having acted in self-defence and not meaning to hurt JT, the film leaves Owen's legal fate ambiguous. A search party is seen combing through the forest as Bill and Diane come upon their son's abandoned corpse, falling to their knees and sobbing together.
Cast
- Elizabeth Banks as Diana Doyle{{cite news|title=Elizabeth Banks set to star in 'Little Accidents' with Boyd Holbrook|url=http://www.hggirlonfire.com/2013/06/03/elizabeth-banks-set-to-star-in-little-accidents-with-boyd-holbrook/|accessdate=16 August 2013|newspaper=hggirlonfire.com|date=3 June 2013}}
- Boyd Holbrook as Amos Jenkins{{cite news|title='The Host' Star Boyd Holbrook Joins 'Jane Got a Gun,' Firms Up 'Little Accidents'|url=https://www.thewrap.com/movies/column-post/host-star-boyd-holbrook-joins-jane-got-gun-firms-little-accidents-exclusive-95016|accessdate=16 August 2013|newspaper=thewrap.com|date=3 June 2013}}
- Chloë Sevigny as Kendra Briggs{{cite news|title=Elizabeth Banks & Chloe Sevigny Have 'Little Accidents'|url=http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/elizabeth-banks-chloe-sevigny-have-little-accidents-20130815|accessdate=16 August 2013|newspaper=indiewire.com|date=15 August 2013}}
- Josh Lucas as Bill Doyle
- Jacob Lofland as Owen Briggs
- Travis Tope as JT Doyle
Production
Production began in the summer of 2013 in West Virginia.{{cite news|title=Little Accidents Starring Elizabeth Banks Begins Production|url=http://www.movieweb.com/news/little-accidents-starring-elizabeth-banks-begins-production|accessdate=16 August 2013|newspaper=movieweb.com|date=15 August 2013|archive-date=17 August 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130817165356/http://www.movieweb.com/news/little-accidents-starring-elizabeth-banks-begins-production|url-status=dead}}{{cite news|title=Little Accidents begins shoot|url=http://www.screendaily.com/news/production/little-accidents-begins-shoot/5059273.article?blocktitle=Latest-News&contentID=1846|accessdate=16 August 2013|newspaper=screendaily.com|date=15 August 2013}} Anne Carey, Jason Michael Berman, Summer Shelton and Thomas B. Fore signed on to produce the film. Executive producers include Mike Feuer, Todd Feuer and Kwesi {{proper name|Collisson}} from MindSmack Productions as well as Chris Columbus, Eleanor Columbus, Kwesi {{proper name|Collisson}} and Ruth Mutch.{{Cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3125220/|title=Little Accidents (2014) - IMDb|via=www.imdb.com}}
Release
The film had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival on January 22, 2014.{{Cite web|url=https://www.indiewire.com/2014/01/exclusive-sundance-pick-little-accidents-starring-elizabeth-banks-releases-three-new-character-posters-31154/|title=EXCLUSIVE: Sundance Pick 'Little Accidents,' Starring Elizabeth Banks, Releases Three New Character Posters|first=Ziyad|last=Saadi|date=January 17, 2014}} The film went on to premiere at the Dallas International Film Festival, Sundance London Festival, San Francisco International Film Festival, Little Rock Film Festival, Seattle International Film Festival, Karlovy Vary Film Festival, Hamptons International Film Festival, San Diego Film Festival, Denver International Film Festival, Vienna International Film Festival, Napa Valley Film Festival.{{Cite web|url=https://www.indiewire.com/2015/01/a-year-of-little-accidents-how-a-sundance-debut-reached-theaters-66200/|title=A Year of 'Little Accidents': How a Sundance Debut Reached Theaters|first=Valentina I.|last=Valentini|date=January 16, 2015}} Amplify later acquired distribution rights to the film with a planned January 2015 release.{{Cite web|url=https://www.indiewire.com/2014/05/amplify-acquires-sundance-darling-little-accidents-starring-elizabeth-banks-27163/|title=Amplify Acquires Sundance Darling 'Little Accidents,' Starring Elizabeth Banks|first=Shipra Harbola|last=Gupta|date=May 1, 2014}} The film was released on January 16, 2015, in a limited release and through video on demand.{{Cite web|url=https://screencrush.com/little-accidents-trailer/|title='Little Accidents' Trailer: Elizabeth Banks Does Drama|website=ScreenCrush}}
Reception
The review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reported an approval rating of {{RT data|score}}, with an average score of {{RT data|average}}, based on {{RT data|count}} reviews. The website's consensus reads, "Little Accidents has good intentions -- and a talented cast, led by Elizabeth Banks -- but it drowns them under dour melodrama."{{Cite web |date= |title=Little Accidents |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/little_accidents_2015 |access-date=May 15, 2025 |website=Rotten Tomatoes |language=en}} Metacritic gave the film a weighted average score of 56 out of 100, based on 18 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews.{{Cite web |title=Little Accidents |url=https://www.metacritic.com/movie/little-accidents/ |access-date=November 29, 2023 |website=Metacritic |language=en}}
References
{{reflist|2}}
External links
- {{IMDb title|3125220|Little Accidents}}
- {{Rotten Tomatoes|little_accidents_2015}}
{{Sara Colangelo}}
Category:Down syndrome in film
Category:Films scored by Marcelo Zarvos
Category:Films shot in West Virginia
Category:Films set in mining communities
Category:Features based on short films
Category:Films produced by Anne Carey
Category:2014 directorial debut films
Category:2010s English-language films