Newly Single
{{Infobox film
| name = Newly Single
| image = Newly_Single_Poster.jpg
| alt =
| caption = PÖFF festival release poster
| director = Adam Christian Clark
| producer = {{Plainlist|
- Adam Hendricks
- John H. Lang
- Greg Gilreath
- Jordan Michaud-Scorza
- James Dahl
}}
| writer = Adam Christian Clark
| starring = {{Plainlist|
- Adam Christian Clark
- Jennifer Kim
- Molly C. Quinn
- Anna Jacoby-Heron
- Rémy Bennett
- Greg Gilreath
- Raychel Diane Weiner
- Marguerite Moreau
- Lindsey Kraft
}}
| cinematography = Christopher Hamilton
| editing = Alex O'Flinn
| studio = {{Plainlist|
- Divide/Conquer
- Blueberry Films
}}
| distributor = Gravitas Ventures
| released = {{Film date|2017|11|27|Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival|2018|12|07|US Limited}}
| language = English
| country = United States
| runtime = 96 minutes
}}
Newly Single is a 2017 American arthouse meta dark comedy film written and directed by Adam Christian Clark.{{Cite news |last =Parfitt|first =Orlando |title =Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival completes 2017 competition line-up | work=Screen Daily|publisher =Screen International |date = October 17, 2017|url = https://www.screendaily.com/news/tallinn-black-nights-film-festival-completes-2017-competition-line-up/5123366.article}}
Set in Downtown Los Angeles over the course of a winter, the script focuses on the dark and often funny moments of a newly-single and increasingly abrasive filmmaker.
Plot
After ridiculing his girlfriend’s belief in Scientology, director Astor Williams Stevenson finds himself single and trying to discover what exactly it is he wants. At the same time he attempts to get a film off the ground and soon learns that his creative vision will not align with that of his crew. As Astor goes on a number of dates his abrasiveness and cynical attitude towards life seems to become ever more crystallised.{{Cite news |last =Boyce|first =Laurence |title = Newly Single World Premiere |work=PÖFF Official Selection |date = October 27, 2017 |url = https://poff.ee/eng/films/310829}}
Reminiscent of great American cinema of the 1970s with a somewhat staccato structure made up of disparate moments, it is still a thoroughly modern affair replete with some graphic sexuality and an often harsh takedown on modern views of dating.
Cast
- Adam Christian Clark as Astor
- Jennifer Kim as Izzy
- Molly C. Quinn as Valerie
- Anna Jacoby-Heron as Madeline
- Rémy Bennett as Francine
- Greg Gilreath as Lawrence
- Raychel Diane Weiner as Maria
- Marguerite Moreau as Charlee
- Alexandra Skye as Belle
- Jennifer Prediger as Emily
- Lindsey Kraft as Jackie
- Anthony Jeselnik as Anthony
Production
The film's main location, Astor's apartment, was filmed in Clark's real-life apartment in Downtown Los Angeles' Continental Building.{{cite news|url=https://moveablefest.com/adam-christian-clark-newly-single/ |title= Interview: Adam Christian Clark on Breaking Away from Running Around in Circles with "Newly Single"|date= December 13, 2018}}
Release
Newly Single premiered in the main competition of the 2017 edition of PÖFF.{{cite web |title=Newly Single World Premiere |url=https://2017.poff.ee/eng/films/310829 |website=PÖFF 21 |access-date=15 February 2019}}
The film was released in North America in 2018 by Gravitas Ventures.{{cite web |title=Gravitas Ventures to Release Adam Christian Clark's Relationship Drama NEWLY SINGLE |url=https://www.vimooz.com/2018/10/16/gravitas-ventures-to-release-adam-christian-clarks-relationship-drama-newly-single-32185/ |website=Vimooz |access-date=15 February 2019 |date=16 October 2018}}
Reception
The film holds an 88% rating, on Rotten Tomatoes.{{cite web |title=NEWLY SINGLE (2018) |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/newly_single |website=Rotten Tomatoes |publisher=Fandango |access-date=13 February 2023}}
The New York Times described the film as a dark comedy "probing the sexual and professional misadventures of a struggling filmmaker."{{cite news |last1=Tsai |first1=Martin |title='Newly Single' Review: A Breakup Leaves a Director Directionless |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/04/movies/newly-single-review.html |access-date=15 February 2019 |work=The New York Times |date=4 January 2019}}
Rob Aldam of Backseat Mafia called the film "a brilliant take on narcissism and a total lack of self-awareness."{{cite news |last1=Aldam |first1=Rob |title=FILM REVIEW: NEWLY SINGLE |url=https://www.backseatmafia.com/film-review-newly-single/ |access-date=13 February 2023 |work=Backseat Mafia |date=10 February 2019}} In contrast, Chuck Foster of Film Threat barbs, "what could have been the next Tiny Furniture gets so wrapped up in its own narcissism that it falls flat with a dull thud".{{cite news |last1=Foster |first1=Chuck |title='Newly Single' Review |url=https://filmthreat.com/reviews/newly-single/ |access-date=13 February 2023 |work=Film Threat |date=4 February 2019}}
Eye for Film's Jennie Kermode praised the film as "a powerful piece of work, as darkly hilarious as it is bleak."{{cite news |last1=Kermode |first1=Jennie |title=Newly Single |url=https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/newly-single-2017-film-review-by-jennie-kermode |access-date=13 February 2023 |work=Film Threat |date=2 December 2018}}
Music
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{IMDb title|5515814}}
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20171107060151/https://poff.ee/eng/films/310829 (PÖFF) 2017 Tallinn Black Nights Listing] (Archived)
- [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f3UNCqvCb9U (PÖFF) 2017 Festival Trailer]
Category:American comedy films
Category:Films set in Los Angeles
Category:Films about Hollywood, Los Angeles
Category:2017 comedy-drama films