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Movie Description
Tilda Swinton stars in this intense drama as Julia, an aging alcoholic who spends her nights drinking in the company of strangers, and her days making excuses for herself. Beginning in a sleek Los Angeles nightclub, the film shows Julia as she would like to be seen, beautiful and intoxicating. But by morning when Julia wakes once again in bed with a man she doesn’t know, the flattering light of evening has worn off, exposing the harsh reality underneath. Julia’s life knows no real friendships and no real meaning. Any shred of normalcy has slowly been eaten away by the constant pull of alcohol, which has replaced all other drives as the guiding force of Julia’s life. When Mitch (Saul Rubinek), her only friend and a recovering alcoholic, pushes her to attend an AA meeting, she meets her neighbor, Elena (Kate del Castillo). From there, Julia finds herself facing unexpected temptation as Elena shares a highly flawed plan to kidnap her own son, Tommy (Aidan Gould), from the wealthy grandfather he is living with. Elena promises money, and Julia can’t resist, embarking on a messy and sadistic journey that goes wrong at every turn and grows more complicated as her relationship with Tommy develops.
French Director Eric Zonca provides an ample platform on which his lead can display her many talents. Never shying away from serious, complex roles, Swinton carries the film with her nuanced and heart-wrenching portrayal of an out-of-control drunk. While it can be hard to watch at times, viewers will find themselves sucked in as Julia’s life spins speedily downhill. With her piercing stare and undeniable screen presence, Swinton demands our attention, whether we like it or not.
Industry Reviews
3 stars out of 5 -- "Fasten your seat belts for a roller coaster ride as Tilda Swinton gives a hypnotic performance as an alcoholic who lurches from one crisis to another..."
Box Office - Richard Mowe (04/24/2009)
"[Swinton] is disturbingly dead-on....[T]he actress is relentless in mining the depths of what she's been given, sparing us nothing..."
Los Angeles Times - Betsy Sharkey (05/08/2009)
"There are few film actresses working today who can embrace the extremes of beauty and ugliness as persuasively as Tilda Swinton....She's a magnificent, bold, sometimes viscerally uncomfortable screen presence, with an otherworldly alabaster glow and a piercing gaze that seems to nail you to your seat."
New York Times - Manohla Dargis (05/08/2009)
"[Swinton] flings herself into the skin of a wild alcoholic in L.A....Just try to take your eyes off her."
Entertainment Weekly - Lisa Schwarzbaum (05/15/2009)
"Zonca's merely feeding off Swinton's manic performance, which starts out tough to watch, then becomes gripping." -- Grade: A-
A.V. Club - Noel Murray (05/07/2009)
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