Maladies at Berlinale
MALADIES is a comedic look at the life of a former actor turned writer struggling to cope with reality, his work and interpersonal relationships much in the vein of SYNECDOCHE, NEW YORK and ADAPTATION. The film explores the eccentric and unconventional lives of three characters in this quirky and entertaining film from second time writer/director, Carter. His first feature film, ERASED JAMES FRANCO, was released in 2008. In addition to filmmaking, Carter is an international known painter, sculptor and photographer whose collections have been exhibited in art museums around the world including the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Tate Modern in London and the Museion in Bolzano, Italy.
Fallon Goodson is a rising young actress who made her feature film debut in the 2011 comedy L!FE HAPPENS opposite Kate Bosworth, Krysten Ritter, and Rachel Bilson. She will star opposite Franco in his next two films, BLACK DOG, RED DOG with Olivia Wilde and Chloë Sevigny and CHILD OF GOD, an adaptation of the novel by Pulitzer Prize-winning author, Cormac McCarthy.
Synopsis:
Once the star of television's most popular daytime soap, James (played by James Franco), has retreated to a quiet coastal town to nurse the slow unraveling of his mind. With him is his sister, Patricia (played by Fallon Goodson), whose own mental illness has left her a shadow of her former self, and Catherine (played by Catherine Keener), James' dearest friend, artistic collaborator and now cross-dressing caretaker. MALADIES is a wise-cracking drama about three characters on the fringe of society pushing and pulling at the bonds that bind them. Drawn together by their creative connection but repelled by their individual idiosyncrasies, James, Catherine and Patricia struggle to reach an elusive equilibrium in their domestic life. As James' grasp on reality begins to loosen, however, he becomes preoccupied by the fear that when he goes he'll leave his life's work-- a sweeping memoir-- behind him. To soothe his growing unease, he talks Catherine into pact: if one person dies, the other will finish his/her work. But simple promises are never as simple as they seem. Starring James Franco, Catherine Keener and Fallon Goodson, MALADIES explores the age-old question, how far will we go for our friends?
RABBIT BANDINI PRODUCTIONS DOT DOT DOT PRODUCTIONS STARDUST PICTURES
MOST FILMS and JEFF RICE FILMS Present MALADIES
STARRING
Academy Award nominee James Franco (127 HOURS, upcoming OZ: THE GREAT AND POWERFUL)
Academy Award nominee Catherine Keener (CAPOTE, BEING JOHN MALKOVICH)
Fallon Goodson (L!FE HAPPENS, upcoming BLACK DOG, RED DOG)
Emmy Award nominated Alan Cumming (ANY DAY NOW, CBS’ “The Good Wife”)
and
Academy Award nominee David Strathairn (GOOD NIGHT, AND GOOD LUCK, LINCOLN)
WRITTEN and DIRECTED by CARTER
Director of Photography DOUG CHAMBERLAIN (L!FE HAPPENS)
Editor CURTISS CLAYTON (THE ASSASSINATION OF JESSE JAMES BY THE COWARD ROBERT FORD)
Production Designer CASEY SMITH (GOD OF LOVE – 2011 Oscar winner for Best Live Action Short)
Music by J RALPH (2013 Oscar nominee for Best Original Song – “Before My Time” from CHASING ICE)
Costume Designer JESSICA GLENN
Produced by MARNI ZELNICK, JEFF RICE, JEFF MOST, VINCE JOLIVETTE and MILES LEVY
Executive produced by JUSTIN LEVINE, FALLON GOODSON
© 2012 MALADIES PRODUCTIONS, LLC
All rights reserved.
