Georgia (film)

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Movie
German title Georgia
Original title Georgia
Country of production USA , France
original language English
Publishing year 1995
length 118 minutes
Age rating FSK 12
Rod
Director Ulu Grosbard
script Barbara Turner
production Ulu Grosbard
Jennifer Jason Leigh
Barbara Turner
camera Jan Kiesser
cut Elizabeth Kling
occupation

Georgia is an American - French drama film directed by Ulu Grosbard from 1995 . Jennifer Jason Leigh and Mare Winningham play the dissimilar sisters Sadie and Georgia, with Sadie defining her own identity more through her older sister, which has a serious impact on her life.

Although Sadie's character dominates the film, the film title is Georgia , arguably due to the fact that Georgia is the person who predominates in Sadie's mind.

action

Georgia is a famous folk singer . She also leads a happy, orderly family life with her husband and children. Her younger sister would like to do the same and does everything she can to build up a singing career, but cannot convince with her voice. Sadie makes it difficult that she can't get close to her sister, be it professionally or privately. Your attempt to escape reality through alcohol and other drugs only makes things worse. Georgia has always been the more perfect of the two, not only does she have a career as a singer, she is also an excellent cook and a stronghold in the surf on all occasions. Sadie, on the other hand, with her messy hair and her tattoos, desperately tries to divert her thoughts, which are always circling around her sister, which are dominated by admiration and love, into other paths. Only when she gets drunk or takes other drugs can she escape the carousel of thought.

When Sadie returns to her hometown of Seattle , always trying to get her sister's attention and be accepted, the situation for Georgia becomes increasingly intolerable. She once told her husband Jake that Sadie swallowed people. Georgia feels annoyed and stifled by Sadie's ownership claims more than once. In addition, she cannot understand that Sadie wants to be successful as a singer at any price, as her talent is rather poor. But she also knows about the strengths of her sister, who can be original and courageous, passionate and generous, very emotional and without malice.

Sadie, meanwhile, tries to gain a foothold in the city where her sister is enjoying great success and to be recognized as a singer. For the time being it is only enough for engagements at bowling alleys or at weddings. Sadie has the rare talent of always doing the wrong thing, believing it is right for her. Again and again there are disputes between the unequal sisters. Sadie tries to break away from her ex-boyfriend Bobby and to establish a connection with the serious Axel, but always fails on himself.

As Sadie after Georgia has asked her on stage in almost painful way Van Morrison Take Me Back sings, the extent to which, but it also drives her despair, never to be able to come close to the sister, apparently. Georgia, seeing the overwhelming demands of her audience, intervenes and then sings the song in a duet with Sadie. Georgia states at the end of the film that Sadie's pain needs to be fed and that everyone around her is there to serve her.

production

Production notes, background

The film, produced by CiBy 2000 and Miramax, was shot in Seattle . It grossed just over $ 2.9 million in US theaters .

Barbara Turner, who wrote the script, was the mother of Jennifer Jason Leigh and also starring Mina Badie, a half-sister of Jason Leigh. Mother and daughter had already worked together in this constellation in two television films. Mare Winningham is actually also a musician and has already released four albums. She has been friends with Jason Leigh since their teenage years, and they first worked together in this film. The director Ulu Grosbard was a friend of Barbara Turner.

Jennifer Jason Leigh introduces the song If I Wanted as Sadie , a song by her sister. The song was released by Mary Winningham in 1992 on her debut album What Might Be . Thirteen of occurring in the film songs were recorded live and played by the actors, "a risk" that, according to Kenneth Turan of the Los Angeles Times had made "spectacular paid in respect of the emotional intensity". In one of the most important scenes in the film singing Sadie drunk during an AIDS - charity -Konzertes a more than eight minute long version of Van Morrison's Take Me Back in a rough, rugged craggy Janis Joplin -style.

Soundtrack

publication

The film premiered on May 19, 1995 in France, where it was presented at the Cannes International Film Festival . On September 30, 1995, it was screened at the New York Film Festival . It was released in Greece in October 1995 and in Australia in November 1995. In the UK it was shown at the London Film Festival . On December 8, 1995, it started generally in the USA. It was published in 1996 in the following countries: Hungary, Sweden, Portugal, Brazil, Switzerland in the German-speaking and French-speaking regions, in Spain, Denmark, South Korea and Norway. In Argentina it had a video premiere that same year. In October 1997 it was screened at the Reykjavik Film Festival. It was published in Finland in 1998. He was also seen in Bulgaria, Poland, Russia and Slovenia.

The premiere in the Federal Republic of Germany was on September 19, 1996. On May 15, 2003 Euro Video released the film with a German soundtrack.

criticism

The film was named one of the top ten films of the year by Interview magazines , the New York Post , Detroit Free Press , Los Angeles Daily News and ABC Radio Network .

James Berardinelli wrote on ReelViews that the film lacks a clear beginning and a clear end. Jennifer Jason Leigh "fills" Sadie's character with an "inextinguishable inner fire". Mare Winningham - due to her role - tends to stay in the background, but portrays Georgia as a "vital" and "multidimensional" personality.

Kenneth Turan of the Los Angeles Times wrote that the film had "Heart and Soul". The critic praised Janet Jason Leigh's acting performance, which was also thanks to the help of Mare Winningham, an "underrated actress" as well as an "insightful and intelligent script" from her mother. Turner wrote a script that was a "model example" of how to develop characters "carefully and thoughtfully". In addition, director Grosbard knows how to focus on the reality of the moment, which also allows actors with smaller roles, such as Max Perlich or John C. Reilly as the intoxicated drummer, Herman and Jason Carter as the would-be manager, to "shine". Georgia is "not a comfortable" film.

The film critic Roger Ebert gave the film 3 ½ out of four possible stars and summarized his judgment as follows: "A complex, deeply informed story about a truly lost soul and its downward spiral." He further elaborated that Georgia was not a simple film, but a complex, deeply knowledgeable story of how drunkenness and emotional injury could make the entire family sick.

Janet Maslin of the New York Times spoke of a "breathtaking" Jennifer Jason Leigh who reveals "a piece of her heart" in Georgia . The film is directed by Ulu Grosbard with "intuitive brilliance". The result is a film that is as "insane and unpredictable" as the characters themselves. Sadie would be unbearable if you didn't feel like she was real.

The People Magazine was: "Captivating!" The Chicago Tribune found the adjective ( "Riveting!"): "Wonderful!" ( "Marvelous!").

The Lexicon of International Films wrote: “The harrowing psychogram of a sibling relationship with extraordinary actors. The intensive staging challenges the viewer as an active participant. "

Kino.de spoke of a "brilliantly cast psychodrama about the fateful relationship between two completely different sisters". It went on: “Miramax […] in the USA put so much trust in this relentlessly open psychogram of the relationship between two estranged sisters that they were 'Georgia' as a cherry between one of the two blockbuster conurbations of the US cinema year send the highly budgeted pieces of cake into the running. The strategy [is] clear: Jennifer Jason Leigh's awesome performance as Sadie, the failed, but not broken, grunge brat with a craving for self-destruction, Ulu Grosbard's first film in eleven years with an Oscar nomination should have a place in the US until spring -Secure cinemas. The bravest actress in America would have deserved the award: Nobody else risks so much in a role. […] With her Sadie every nuance is right. "

Awards (selection)

Mare Winningham was nominated for an Oscar in 1996 in the category "Best Supporting Actress" .

Jennifer Jason Leigh won the New York Film Critics Circle Award in 1995 . Together with Ulu Grosbard, she was also awarded at the 1995 Montréal World Film Festival . Mare Winningham was nominated for the Screen Actors Guild Award in 1996.

Mare Winningham was able to take home the Independent Spirit Award in 1996 . Ulu Grosbard, Jennifer Jason Leigh and Max Perlich were nominated for the trophy.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d Kenneth Turan: Georgia Filmkritik, web.archive.org (English)
  2. ↑ Filming locations for Georgia
  3. ^ Business Data for Georgia
  4. ↑ Georgia EuroVideo DVD case
  5. ↑ a b Georgia (1995) as stated in the trailer, IMDb.com (English)
  6. ↑ Georgia review by James Berardinelli at preview.reelviews.net (English)
  7. ↑ Roger Ebert : Georgia at rogerebert.com (English). Retrieved May 20, 2017.
  8. ↑ Janet Maslin : A Singer's Sister Gets Jittery a forum for Her Desperation
    In: The New York Times , September 30, 1995 (English). Retrieved May 20, 2017.
  9. ^ Georgia. In: Lexicon of International Films . Film service , accessed March 2, 2017 .Template: LdiF / Maintenance / Access used 
  10. ^ Georgia (1995) at kino.de