Black Bear is the upcoming dramedy thriller that’s written and directed by Lawrence Michael Levine (Wild Canaries), and stars Aubrey Plaza (Parks and Recreation), Christopher Abbott (The Sinner), and Sarah Gadon (True Detective).
Abbott and Gadon play a young couple, Gabe and Blair, who live in a remote lake house in the mountains. They open their home to a filmmaker, Allison (Plaza), who’s looking to get away while searching for some inspiration for her next movie. But this good deed does not go unpunished when Allison begins to play mind games with her hosts in a cynical attempt to manipulate them and their relationship, and discover the inspiration she’s looking for in the process.
The official plot synopsis is as follows:
At a remote lake house in the Adirondack Mountains, a couple (Christopher Abbott and Sarah Gadon) entertains an out-of-town guest (Aubrey Plaza) looking for inspiration in her filmmaking. The group quickly falls into a calculated game of desire, manipulation, and jealousy, unaware of how dangerously convoluted their lives will soon become in the filmmaker’s pursuit of a work of art, which blurs the boundaries between autobiography and invention.
Let’s take a look:
While the synopsis said the plot “blurs the boundaries between autobiography and invention”, I think this movie also blurs the line between good and bad. I’m a big fan of Plaza, who I think is quite underrated as an actor, and she’s delivering yet another good performance here. The movie also looks decently directed and the premise is an interesting one. Where this trailer fell short to me was with the dialogue, which came across as awkward and clunky.
What do you think?
Black Bear is due for release in the US on 4 December. It also stars Lindsay Burdge, Alexander Koch, Jennifer Kim, Shannon O’Neill, Grantham Coleman, Paola Lázaro, and Lou Gonzalez.
Last Updated: October 9, 2020
