Australian Premiere

COLLABORATOR

Weds 15th August | 8:30pm | Dendy Opera Quays

Dir: Martin Donovan, Canada, 2011, 96 min | Cast: Martin Donovan, David Morse, Olivia Williams

A hostage situation turns into an insightful conversation about what unites and divides us.

Robert Longfellow (Martin Donovan) is a famous New York playwright in crisis: his marriage is on the rocks and his star is on the wane. He flies to LA to visit his mother, call in on an old flame and kickstart a screenwriting career. One night, he catches up with childhood neighbour Gus (David Morse), a right-wing ex-con who still lives at home. During a drunken night, Gus pulls a gun on Martin and decides to hold him hostage.

Acclaimed actor Martin Donovan writes and directs his first feature, a tense and talky showdown between two men who couldn’t be more different. Collaborator is a smart parable about a polarised nation where liberals and conservatives are forced to cohabit. It’s also an enthralling, brilliantly acted drama about class, celebrity, politics and the media.

“The debut feature from the whip-smart Martin Donovan is a well-acted, intimate tragicomedy (…) sets the stage for a culture clash ripe for our times” – The Hollywood Reporter

Winner Best Actor & Critics Prize, Karlovy Vary Film Festival