A TALENT FOR MURDER
Director: Anton Corbijn
Screenwriter: Joanna Murray-Smith
Logline: It is 1995, and American author Highsmith (Mirren), now in her seventies and in poor health, has retired to the Swiss Alps, where she largely confines herself to her study, surrounded by her books, her cats, and her collection of antique weapons. Enter Edward Ridgeway (Ehrenreich), emissary for a New York publisher sent to persuade Highsmith to craft one last instalment in her bestselling series of mysteries featuring the murderous antihero, Tom Ripley. Irritated by this youthful, overly eager visitor, Highsmith refuses the offer — unless, that is, Ridgeway can dream up the perfect murder along with her.
U.S. Distributors: Bleecker Street, LD Entertainment.
Panelists: Anton Corbijn, Director, Helen Mirren, Actor, Alden Ehrenreich, Actor, Olivia Cooke, Actor First Screening: Monday Sept 14 at Roy Thompson Hall
Key Quote: “[Patricia Highsmith] was very private towards the end of her life, very cut away, very locked away, which is sort of part of what our story is about. So, I don’t know how well known she was at that point. She disappeared from the scene somewhat and because of that, it was not that easy to research her because there wasn’t a lot of film of her, especially later on in her life, which which is when we’re looking at her. There wasn’t a lot of material for me to research. I always say you you’re always on a losing streak playing a real person, because you can never be, at the most, successful. You’re only going to be 75% if you’re lucky, of what the real person is. So you’re never going to win, and in fact, for many years, I would not play people who were real in history, unless they were so far gone, like Elizabeth the First, Catherine the Great, that nobody quite knows what they sounded like or walked like. But people who the public are aware of. You know, you’re on a losing streak, really.” – Helen Mirren
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