CinemaNerdz

Angelina Jolie Pitt’s By the Sea Looks Disquieting, But Promising

Mike Tyrkus
By the Sea

Written, directed and produced by Academy Award winner Angelina Jolie Pitt, By the Sea serves as her directorial follow-up to Unbroken. The dramatic film stars Brad Pitt and Jolie Pitt, who are supported by an international ensemble led by Mélanie By the SeaLaurent, Melvil Poupaud, Niels Arestrup, and Richard Bohringer.

In its style, and its treatment of themes of the human experience, By the Sea is inspired by European cinema and theater of the 1960s and 1970s. Jolie Pitt is joined behind the scenes by a key crew that includes cinematographer Christian Berger (The White Ribbon), who used his Cine Reflect Lighting System to shoot the film; production designer Jon Hutman (Unbroken); editor Patricia Rommel (The Lives of Others); and costume designer Ellen Mirojnick (Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps). Pitt joins her in production duties, while Chris Brigham (Inception), Holly Goline-Sadowski (Unbroken) and Michael Vieira (Unbroken) serve as executive producers.

While Unbroken was epic in its scale and devotion to its subject, there was still something hollow about it. For me, it lacked emotional resonance. By the Sea looks like a far more accomplished and personal project from second-time director Jolie Pitt that may just establish her as a directorial force.

ABOUT THE FILM:

BY THE SEA: The film follows an American writer named Roland (Pitt) and his wife, Vanessa (Jolie Pitt), who arrive in a tranquil and picturesque seaside resort in 1970s France, their marriage in apparent crisis. As they spend time with fellow travelers, including young newlyweds Lea (Laurent) and François (Poupaud), and village locals Michel (Arestrup) and Patrice (Bohringer), the couple begins to come to terms with unresolved issues in their own lives. This film has been rated R (Restricted – Under 17 Requires Accompanying Parent or Adult Guardian) for strong sexuality, nudity, and language.

Cast: Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie Pitt, Mélanie Laurent, Melvil Poupaud, Niels Arestrup, and Richard Bohringer
Written and Directed by: Angelina Jolie Pitt
Produced by: Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie Pitt

By the Sea will open in theaters on November 13, 2015!

Get the latest information on By the Sea on OFFICIAL WEBSITE / FACEBOOK / TWITTER / INSTAGRAM / #ByTheSea!

Mike Tyrkus

Editor in Chief at CinemaNerdz.com
An independent filmmaker, co-writer and director of over a dozen short films, the Editor in Chief of CinemaNerdz.com has spent much of the last three decades as a writer and editor specializing in biographical and critical reference sources in literature and the cinema, beginning in February 1991 reviewing films for his college newspaper. He was a member of the Detroit Film Critics Society, as well as the group's webmaster and one-time President for over a decade until the group ceased to exist. His contributions to film criticism can be found in Magill's Cinema Annual, VideoHound's Golden Movie Retriever (of which he was the editor for nearly a decade until it too ceased to exist), the International Dictionary of Films and Filmmakers, and the St. James Film Directors Encyclopedia (on which he collaborated with editor Andrew Sarris). He has also appeared on the television program Critic LEE Speaking alongside Lee Thomas of FOX2 and Adam Graham, of The Detroit News. He currently lives in the Detroit area with his wife and their dogs.

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