Five Nights in Maine
Description
An Atlanta man receives a call one otherwise ordinary day informing him of the sudden death of his wife Fiona (Hani Furstenberg) in an auto accident. His plans and life interrupted, Sherwin (David Oyelowo, Selma) slides into a grief-shocked, whiskey-soaked lethargy of self-blame and self-pity. Seeking some way out of his malaise, he crawls off the couch and makes the long drive to his mother-in-law’s woodsy New England house. Lucinda (Dianne Wiest) is ailing but imposing, and receives Sherwin with a well-chilled blend of ingrained formality and latent resentment. Their awkward encounter of Yankee acidity and Southern civility is facilitated, as much as it can be, by Lucinda’s caregiver Ann (Rosie Perez). First-time writer-director Maris Curran draws impressively vulnerable performances from her veteran cast, who skillfully convey the social gulfs and shared values that repel and attract the characters. A 2014 SFFS/KRF Filmmaking Grant recipient, Five Nights in Maine favors low-key naturalism over melodrama, and ambiguous incident to heavy-handed symbolism. —Michael Fox
Bay Area transplant Maris Curran makes her feature directorial debut with Five Nights in Maine. The Philadelphia native received a BA from Smith College and an MFA from the Art Institute of Chicago, where she received a Princess Grace Award for her thesis film. “Five Nights in Maine is a story about worlds colliding at the kitchen sink,” Curran told Indiewire. “It is about loneliness, frailty and connection, and ultimately, the compassion that comes from opening your eyes to another’s pain in precisely the moment you hurt the most.”
Film Details
Language English
Year 2015
Runtime 82
Country USA
Director Maris Curran
Producer Carly Hugo, Maris Curran, David Oyelowo, Matt Parker
Writer Maris Curran
Editor Ron Dulin
Cinematographer Sofian el Fani
Music David Boulter
Cast David Oyelowo, Dianne Wiest, Rosie Perez