An ordinary hero

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Movie
German title An ordinary hero
Original title The Public
Country of production United States
original language English
Publishing year 2018
length 119 minutes
Age rating FSK 6
Rod
Director Emilio Estevez
script Emilio Estevez
production Lisa Niedenthal ,
Emilio Estevez,
Alex Lebovici ,
Steve Ponce
music Tyler Bates ,
Joanne Higginbottom
camera Juan Miguel Azpiroz
cut Richard Chew ,
Yang-Hua Hu
occupation

An Ordinary Hero (Original title: The Public ) is an American drama directed by Emilio Estevez from 2018 . The director , screenwriter and leading actor Emilio Estevez highlights the social function of the public library . The film had its world premiere on September 9, 2018 at the Toronto International Film Festival and was released in theaters in the United States by Greenwich Entertainment on April 5, 2019 . The German theatrical release was July 25, 2019.

action

It's bitterly cold in Cincinnati , Ohio. The largest library in the city offers its visitors a warm and safe place to stay. Library staff Stuart and colleague Myra also care for those who are homeless, mentally ill and marginalized.

When a snowstorm looms and all the emergency shelters are overcrowded, a group of homeless library visitors, led by Jackson, refuses to leave the library when it closes. Contrary to the instructions of the library management, the two library employees offer the group shelter at night.

This calls the police, led by negotiator Bill Ramstead, on the plan, who should end the non-violent sit-in in the library. Ramstead tries to negotiate with Stuart, while unscrupulous prosecutor and mayoral candidate Josh Davis adamantly demands that the house be evicted. Meanwhile, the media is speculating about what is really going on behind the closed doors.

Stuart mediates between the fronts and makes a decision. What begins with civil disobedience becomes a communal union in the fight against social injustice.

background

The film is based in part on the essay Written up published by the former assistant director of the Salt Lake City Public Library . Chip Ward's accounts inspired Emilio Estevez to address the issue of homelessness in US public libraries.

production

In December 2016 it was announced that Alec Baldwin , Jena Malone , Taylor Schilling and Rhymefest will star in the film with Emilio Estevez . A few days later, the public learned that Gabrielle Union would also play a role. In January 2017 it was announced that Christian Slater , Jeffrey Wright and Michael K. Williams would join the cast.

An Ordinary Hero is the first film directed by Emilio Estevez in which neither his father, Martin Sheen , nor his brother, Charlie Sheen , play the main roles.

Filming began in January 2017 in Cincinnati , Ohio . The composers Tyler Bates and Joanne Higginbottom composed the film music.

The Public premiered on the opening night of the Santa Barbara International Film Festival on January 31, 2018. It was shown several times at a congress of the American Library Association in June 2018 in the presence of Emilio Estevez. The film celebrated its official world premiere on September 9, 2018 at the Toronto International Film Festival .

In January 2019, Universal Pictures Home Entertainment Content Group acquired the US distribution rights to The Public , with Greenwich Entertainment commissioned by Universal to release the film. The film was released in US cinemas on April 5, 2019. Koch Media released the film in German cinemas on June 25, 2019 under the title A Very Ordinary Hero .

reception

The film received both muted and positive reviews. At Rotten Tomatoes , it was able to convince 65 percent of all critics, while 79 percent of the audience rated the film positively (as of May 2020). The critics appreciate the film's intention to give a voice to the weak in our society. However, they criticize the implementation in some places. Based on the rating of 18 reviews, Metacritic determined an average rating of 46 out of 100 possible points (as of May 2020). In the IMDb , the film was rated with an average of 6.5 out of 10 stars (as of May 2020).

In her film review while she was in the cinema , Bianka Pieringer writes that the story encourages “thinking about the design of public space and the state of civil society”. She praises the film's political message. For Krischan Koch from NDR Info , Emilio Estevez's “Plea for humanity and moral courage” is a “pathetic, politically over-correct social fairy tale” with stereotyped characters.

Mark Reichwein writes in Die Welt that the film, in addition to the role of the public library as a social institution, primarily highlights the “overreaction of the public security apparatus”: “The way in which the public criminalizes the homeless problem rather than a humanitarian catastrophe Understanding reveals social failure. ”According to Oliver Armknecht, the film has“ the proverbial heart in the right place ”, but some characters are portrayed in an all too stereotypical manner. Anke Westphal from Tagesspiegel is also bothered by the exaggerated pathos of the film. Maria Wiesner's verdict in the FAZ , on the other hand, is completely positive. She praises the character drawings and pointed dialogues.

Awards

Cleveland International Film Festival 2018

  • Nomination in the Local Heroes Competition category for Emilio Estevez

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Release certificate for a very ordinary hero . Voluntary self-regulation of the film industry (PDF; test number: 191515 / K). Template: FSK / maintenance / type not set and Par. 1 longer than 4 characters
  2. ↑ Chip Ward: Written off. Los Angeles Times, April 1, 2007, accessed May 24, 2020 .
  3. ^ Court Mann: How a Salt Lake librarian's bold essay became Emilio Estevez's new movie, 'The Public'. April 10, 2019, accessed May 24, 2020 .
  4. ^ Ross Lincoln: Alec Baldwin, Taylor Schilling, Jena Malone and Che "Rhymefest" Smith Join Emilio Estevez-Directed 'The Public' . December 8, 2016. Accessed May 24, 2020.
  5. ↑ Dave McNary: Gabrielle Union Joins Emilio Estevez Movie 'The Public' . In: Variety . December 16, 2016. Accessed May 24, 2020.
  6. Jump up ↑ Anita Busch: Christian Slater, Jeffrey Wright & Michael Kenneth Williams Join Emilio Estevez's 'The Public' . January 26, 2017. Retrieved May 24, 2020.
  7. ^ Ross Lincoln: Alec Baldwin, Taylor Schilling, Jena Malone and Che "Rhymefest" Smith Join Emilio Estevez-Directed 'The Public' . December 12, 2016. Retrieved May 25, 2020.
  8. ^ Jon Burlingame, Tyler Bates Balances Careers as Guitarist and In-Demand Film Composer . In: Variety . July 21, 2017. Retrieved May 25, 2020.
  9. ↑ Bruce Haring: Santa Barbara Film Festival to open with Emilio Estevez's 'The Public' . December 6, 2017. Retrieved May 25, 2020.
  10. ↑ Screening of the film “the public” and Q & A with filmmaker Emilio Estevez, moderated by Ryan J. Dowd. ALA, June 23, 2018, accessed May 24, 2020 .
  11. ↑ Brent Lang: Toronto Film Festival Lineup Includes 'A Star Is Born', 'Widows', 'First Man' . In: Variety . July 24, 2018. Retrieved May 25, 2020.
  12. ↑ Patrick Hipes: Emilio Estevez's 'The Public' To Get Spring Release In Universal Content Group Deal . January 22, 2019. Retrieved May 25, 2020.
  13. ↑ An ordinary hero. Koch Media, accessed on May 24, 2020 .
  14. ^ The Public. Rotten Tomatoes, Retrieved May 25, 2020 .
  15. ^ The Public. In: Metacritic. Retrieved May 25, 2020 .
  16. ↑ An Ordinary Hero (2018). Retrieved May 24, 2020 .
  17. ↑ Bianka Piringer: A very ordinary hero (2018). In: cinema time. Retrieved May 17, 2020 .
  18. ↑ Krischan Koch: Librarian becomes homeless saver. NDR Info, accessed on May 17, 2020 .
  19. ^ Mark Reichwein: Library - there you will be helped. WELT, July 28, 2019, accessed on May 17, 2020 .
  20. ↑ Oliver Armknecht: A very ordinary hero. In: Film Reviews. July 23, 2019, accessed May 23, 2020 .
  21. ↑ Anke Westphal: The library as a lifesaver. Der Tagesspiegel, July 25, 2019, accessed on May 24, 2020 .
  22. ↑ Maria Wiesner: The Samaritan from the city library. Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, July 28, 2019, accessed on May 24, 2020 .