Lovely by Surprise
Credits
Title: Lovely by Surprise
Director: Kirt Gunn
Producer: Kirt Gunn, Jake Abraham, Michael Hilliard, Marco Londoner
Cast: Carrie Preston, Austin Pendleton, Kate Burton, Dallas Roberts, Reg Rogers, Michael Chernus
Genre: Comedy/Drama
Status: Completed
Duration: 98 min
Synopsis
A truly unique and visually stunning take on meta-fiction, LOVELY BY SURPRISE follows the journey of novelist Marian Walker as she attempts to finish her first novel.
Facing the age-old problem of writer’s block, Marian seeks advice from a mentor and ex-lover. His seemingly innocent advice to kill the book’s protagonist unleashes chaos in her life as a willful protagonist escapes from her novel and appears in the unresolved corners of her past.
Featuring Carrie Preston (Duplicity, Doubt, Vicky Cristina Barcelona), Dallas Roberts (Tell Tale, Shrink, 3:10 to Yuma), Austin Pendleton (Christmas with the Kranks, Uptown Girls, A Beautiful Mind) and Kate Burton (Max Payne, What Just Happened, SherryBaby).
At turns funny, lyrical, dark and mysterious, this enigmatic film explores past and present, art and reality, life and death, ultimately revealing the strength and beauty of the human heart.
WINNER: Speacial Jury Price – Seattle International Film Festival
WINNER: New Filmmakers Forum Award – St. Louis International Film Festival
WINNER: Audience Award – Indie Memphis Film Festival
OFFICIAL SELECTION: Edinburgh International Film Festival
OFFICIAL SELECTION: Florida Film Festival
OFFICIAL SELECTION: Philadelphia Film Festival
OFFICIAL SELECTION: USA Film Festival
OFFICIAL SELECTION: Newport Beach Film Festival
OFFICIAL SELECTION: Jackson Hole Film Festival
“Recalling 70s dark comedies such as Altman’s Brewster McCloud as well as the post-modern reflexiveness of Adaptation, the film’s double-helix tale ingeniously interweaves pathos and hilarity, grief and imagination, entrapment and escape. In his remarkably assured debut, writer-director Kirt Gunn proves himself both a highly distinctive wordsmith and an accomplished visual stylist. Few recent first-time comedies have impressed me more.” – Godfrey Cheshire – NY Times/Variety/Village Voice/Interview
“Lovely By Surprise is a playful and profound literary confection – a brilliantly original debut by Kirt Gunn, one of the most exciting prospects working in American indie cinema.” – Nick Dawson – Filmmaker Magazine
“A terrific film.” – Scott Foundas – NY Times/Variety/Village Voice/LA Weekly
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