Marvelous and the Black Hole
{{Short description|2021 American comedy drama movie}}{{Infobox film
| image = Marvelous and the Black Hole Poster.jpg
| caption = Marvelous and the Black Hole Poster
| director = Kate Tsang
| writer = Kate Tsang
| starring = {{Plainlist|
- Miya Cech
- Leonardo Nam
- Beth Hall
- Kannon Omachi
- Paulina Lule
- Lauren Knutti
- Rhea Perlman
}}
| cinematography = Nanu Segal
| editing = {{Plainlist|
- Ryan Denmark
- Cyndi Trissel
}}
| music = Tim Kiefer
| studio = Tribeca Film Institute
| distributor = FilmRise
| runtime = 81 minutes
}}
Marvelous and the Black Hole is a 2021 American bildungsroman comedy drama written and directed by Kate Tsang.{{cite web |last1=Greenwood |first1=Steven |title=Marvelous and the Black Hole is a Refreshingly Nuanced Take on Teen Life |url=https://tilt.goombastomp.com/culture/marvelous-and-the-black-hole-is-a-refreshingly-nuanced-take-on-teen-life/ |website=Tilt Magazine |date=20 April 2022 |access-date=8 May 2023}} The plot focuses on a rebellious teenager, reeling from the death of her mother (played by Miya Cech), who befriends and is comforted by a surly magician (played by Rhea Perlman). The movie also stars Leonardo Nam, Beth Hall, Keith Powell, Lucy DeVito and Jonathan Slavin.
The film premiered at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival and premiered in theaters on April 22, 2022.{{Cite web |last=Massoto |first=Erick |date=2022-03-21 |title='Marvelous and the Black Hole' Trailer Reveals a Sweet and Unique Coming-of-Age Story |url=https://collider.com/marvelous-and-the-black-hole-trailer-rhea-perlman/ |access-date=2023-05-07 |website=Collider |language=en}}
Production
The film was Tsang's debut feature.{{Cite news |last=de León |first=Concepción |date=2022-04-21 |title='Marvelous and the Black Hole' Review: Finding Magic Amid Rage |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/04/21/movies/marvelous-and-the-black-hole-review.html |access-date=2023-05-08 |issn=0362-4331}} In November 2021, FilmRise acquired North American distribution rights to the film.{{Cite web |last=Wiseman |first=Andreas |date=2021-11-03 |title='Marvelous And The Black Hole': FilmRise Picks Up North American Rights To Rhea Perlman Sundance Pic |url=https://deadline.com/2021/11/marvelous-and-the-black-hole-filmrise-picks-up-north-american-rights-to-rhea-perlman-sundance-pic-1234867025/ |access-date=2023-05-08 |website=Deadline |language=en-US}}
Reception
= Critical reception =
The film primarily received praise from critics, with a 86% "freshness" rating on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, as of May 2023.{{Cite web |title=Marvelous and the Black Hole - Rotten Tomatoes |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/marvelous_and_the_black_hole |access-date=2023-05-09 |website=www.rottentomatoes.com |language=en}} Katie Rife, writing for RogerEbert.com said, "This is obviously a low-budget effort, and possibly a personal one for writer/director Kate Tsang. That heartfelt element translates into the benevolence of the adults in this film."{{cite web |last1=Rife |first1=Katie |title=Marvelous and the Black Hole |url=https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/marvelous-and-the-black-hole-movie-review-2022 |website=Roger Ebert |access-date=8 May 2023}} Concepción de León, writing for The New York Times, praised Cech's performance, but found the film to be one-noted with "too few moments of redemption or connection."
= Awards and nominations =
The film was nominated for best American independent film in the 2021 Cleveland International Film Festival{{Cite web |title=Marvelous and the Black Hole - Cleveland International Film Festival :: March 22 - April 1, 2023 |url=https://dev.clevelandfilm.org/films/2022/marvelous-and-the-black-hole |access-date=2023-05-09 |website=dev.clevelandfilm.org |language=en}} and an audience award for best narrative feature in the 2021 Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival.{{Cite web |last=Han |first=Grace |date=2021-10-20 |title=Film Review: Marvelous and the Black Hole (2021) by Kate Tsang |url=https://asianmoviepulse.com/2021/10/film-review-marvelous-and-the-black-hole-2021-by-kate-tsang/ |access-date=2023-05-09 |website=Asian Movie Pulse |language=en-US}} Tsang was nominate for an emerging filmmaker award for the movie in the 2021 Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Film Festival.{{Cite web |title=42nd Minneapolis St. Paul International Film Festival - APRIL 13-27, 2023 – Emerging Filmmaker Competition |url=https://mspfilm.org/festivals/mspiff/emerging-filmmaker-competition/ |access-date=2023-05-09 |website=MSP Film Society |language=en-US}} The film won an audience award for best feature film in 2021 Sun Valley Film Festival.
References
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