Golden Exits

Golden Exits is a 2017 drama film written, co-produced and directed by Alex Ross Perry. Starring Emily Browning, Adam Horovitz, Mary Louise Parker, Jason Schwartzman, Chloë Sevigny and Analeigh Tipton, it explores relationships and social constrictions.

Golden Exits
Theatrical release poster
Directed byAlex Ross Perry
Produced by
  • Joshua Blum
  • Christos V. Konstantakopoulos
  • Alex Ross Perry
  • Adam Piotrowicz
  • Katie Stern
Written byAlex Ross Perry
Starring
Music byKeegan DeWitt
CinematographySean Price Williams
Edited byRobert Greene
Production
company
  • Bow and Arrow Entertainment
  • Faliro House Productions
  • Forager Films
  • Washington Square Films
  • Webber Gilbert Media
Distributed by
Release date
  • January 22, 2017 (2017-01-22) (Sundance)
  • February 9, 2018 (2018-02-09) (United States)
Running time
94 minutes[1]
Country
  • United States
  • Greece
LanguageEnglish
Box office$41,888[2]

The film had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival on January 22, 2017. It was released on February 9, 2018, by Stage 6 Films and Vertical Entertainment.

Plot

Two families who live and work on the east side of the Carroll Gardens neighborhood of Brooklyn are interrupted by the arrival of Naomi, a 25-year-old Australian intern with connections to both families. Golden Exits explores the relationships among the characters, and the effect Naomi's presence has on them. Both Nick and Buddy consider a range of possible relationships with Naomi, which Alyssa and Jess are aware of to some extent. Gwen and Sam are affected as well, as the concerns and anxieties of each of their sisters brings in to relief their feeling about being married vs. being single. Naomi - 'a disruptive force, an obscure object of desire, a symbol of lost youth and possibility'[3] - is completely aware of all of this as well as what she wants from the situation, and she acts accordingly.

Besides the threat of the extra-marital affair, the oppressive continuity of family is a recurring theme.[4]

Another struggle Golden Exits focuses on is the anxiety and insecurity of the characters, particular to this age of social media, in which everyone's peers are almost certainly living better lives by comparison.[5] As Perry puts it, "‘I didn’t have a master plan, but I had some ideas, and now I’m just kind of confused because it feels like the last three years have just kind of slipped away." [6]

The name of the film refers to the desire that Sam has of experiencing optimal exits from one's relationships - exits that are never possible with inescapable family.[7][3] Naomi's exit out of New York and the lives of the other characters at the end of her internship concludes the film, via conversations between Nick and Alyssa, and Buddy and Jess - re-knitting their relationships back together.

Cast

Production

In May 2016, it was revealed Alex Ross Perry had written and directed the film, with Emily Browning, Adam Horowitz, Mary-Louise Parker, Lily Rabe, Jason Schwartzman, Chloë Sevigny and Analeigh Tipton cast in the film.[8][9][10][11]

Cinematography

Cinematographer Sean Price Williams - who Perry regularly works with - shot this film on Super 16mm film. The effects were positively reviewed, with descriptions including 'a creamy, grainy softness characteristic of features from the pre-Internet era;'[12] along with 'Keegan DeWitt's gorgeous, sighing score' the effect is 'a kind of late afternoon enchantment that wafts over the film';[13] a 'sun-streaked springtime haziness—a quality of light, at once heavenly and earthy'.[3] Chuck Bowen describes the effect as 'an explosion of earthy colors that communicate a sense of enchanted vagueness and lost-ness, and .. doesn’t quite seem to be playing out in real time'.[7] A. A. Dowd also noted the imagery of his shots, including one in which 'Sevigny, back to the camera, staring across a long den at the back of her husband’s head, distance and direction amplifying the disconnect between them'.[3] In another scene, Gwen and Alyssa sit in a living room holding glasses of wine, awkwardly positioned in an off-kilter arrangement. The framing - not subtle - is 'a visual choice that can feel like a long, hard, pitiless stare.'[14]

Release

The film had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival on January 22, 2017,[15][16] and later screened at the Berlin International Film Festival.[17] Shortly after, Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions acquired international distribution rights to the film.[18] while Vertical Entertainment and Stage 6 Films acquired U.S. distribution rights to the film, and set it for a February 9, 2018, release.[19]

Critical reception

Golden Exits received positive reviews from film critics. It holds a 67% approval rating on review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, based on 51 reviews, with a weighted average of 6.14/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "Golden Exits tells a small-scale tale whose seemingly mundane trappings belie a satisfying handful of finely tuned observations about modern life and relationships."[20] On Metacritic, the film holds a rating of 69 out of 100, based on 19 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[21] A. A. Dowd dismissed the film as a 'deadly fusion of the mundane and the affected, like some black-box-theater parody of an Ingmar Bergman art drama.[3] David Sims argues that 'this is a movie that deserves to be seen—it’s a work of maturity and confidence from one of the indie world’s best young directors'.[22]

References
  1. "Printable Film Guide" (PDF). Sundance Film Festival. Retrieved December 13, 2016.
  2. "Golden Exits". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved March 14, 2018.
  3. Dowd, A. A. (February 7, 2018). "'Alex Ross Perry does Woody doing Bergman in the tedious art-house throwback Golden Exits'". AV Club. Retrieved January 30, 2020.
  4. Lorentzen, Christian (February 9, 2018). "'Talk Therapy: Alex Ross Perry's moody portrait of stifled creativity and tense relationships'". The New Republic. Retrieved January 30, 2020.
  5. Levin, Jennifer (March 16, 2018). "Opening This Week: Golden Exits". The Santa Fe New Mexican. p. 34.
  6. Bozzone, Julia (April 27, 2018). "'Making a Movie Is Humiliating: Alex Ross Perry on His Career So Far'". VagueVisages.com. Retrieved January 30, 2020.
  7. Bowen, Chuck (February 4, 2018). "'Review: Golden Exits'". Slant Magazine. Retrieved January 30, 2020.
  8. Hipes, Patrick (May 3, 2016). "Alex Ross Perry Pic 'Golden Exits' Set With Ensemble Cast". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved May 23, 2016.
  9. Nordine, Michael (May 3, 2016). "Alex Ross Perry's 'Golden Exits' Cast Announced: Jason Schwartzman, Emily Browning & More Lead Indie Drama". Indiewire. Retrieved May 23, 2016.
  10. J, Emily (May 3, 2016). "Alex Ross Perry & Jason Schwartzman Reteam for "Golden Exits"". Tracking-board.com. Retrieved May 23, 2016.
  11. Jaugernauth, Kevin (May 3, 2016). "Alex Ross Perry Lines Up Emily Browning, Adam Horowitz, Mary Louise Parker, Jason Schwartzman & Chloe Sevigny For 'Golden Exits'". ThePlaylist.net. Retrieved May 23, 2016.
  12. Seitz, Matt Zoller (February 9, 2018). "'Review: Golden Exits'". RogerEbert.com. Retrieved January 30, 2020.
  13. Yoshida, Emily (February 7, 2018). "'Golden Exits is a Quietly Haunting Brooklyn Ensemble Piece'". Vulture.com. Retrieved January 30, 2020.
  14. Dargis, Manohla (February 8, 2018). "'Review: In 'Golden Exits,' Ties That Bind (and Cut Too)'". The New York Times. Retrieved January 30, 2020.
  15. "2017 SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL: COMPETITION AND NEXT LINEUP ANNOUNCED". Sundance Film Festival. November 29, 2016. Retrieved November 30, 2016.
  16. "Golden Exits". Sundance Film Festival. Retrieved January 18, 2017.
  17. Roxborough, Scott (January 18, 2017). "Berlin: Forum Lineup Unveiled". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved January 18, 2017.
  18. "Golden Exits". FilmRatings.com. Retrieved September 18, 2017.
  19. Sharf, Zac (January 4, 2018). "'Golden Exits' First Trailer: Alex Ross Perry is Back For Another Round of Indie Film Dysfunction". Indiewire.com. Retrieved February 9, 2018.
  20. "Golden Exits (2018)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved May 24, 2019.
  21. "Golden Exits Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved February 14, 2018.
  22. Sims, David (February 10, 2018). "'CULTURE - Golden Exits Is a Quiet, Mature Indie Drama: Alex Ross Perry's latest film stars Emily Browning as an Australian student who stirs up trouble among the Brooklyn yuppie set.'". The Atlantic. Retrieved January 30, 2020.
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