The world to come

It took six years to discover the second film after The Sleepwalker directed by Mona Fastvold. After its world premiere at the 77th Venice International Film Festival on September 6, 2020, where it won the Queer Lion Award for best LGBTQ film of the festival, we were able to discover it at the Sundance Film Festival. Once again, it is interesting to note that this virtual edition of the Sundance festival allowed us to discover a wide spectrum of American independent cinema.

The world to come takes place somewhere along the mid-nineteenth century American East Coast border. We follow the journey of two neighboring couples struggling against misery and isolation. In this arid land, survival is the priority as well as making a good impression. Yet Abigail (Katherine Waterston), a farmer's wife, and Tallie (Vanessa Kirby) find themselves irrevocably attracted to each other. Their secret romance will be put to the test.

By participating in the adaptation of his own homonymous novel published in 2007 and supported by Ron Hansen, he offers us a scenario rich in many details and narrating a forbidden relationship at a time when morals were not as great as they are today. It is also to see how this scenario shows how the strengthening of human bonds makes it possible to overcome the difficulties of life and especially a strong isolation. With a prestigious cast of Vanessa Kirby, Casey Affleck, Christopher Abbott and Katherine Waterston The World to come turns out to be a successful film.

It's interesting to see excellent actors moving away from their usual roles and investing themselves totally in an independent American film that doesn't take the easy way out, starting with a quality historical re-enactment, a stripped-down direction and tackling an affair between two women. The couple Katherine Waterston and Vanessa Kirby work perfectly and make this film an exciting story in a distant era. This detailed reconstruction unfortunately leads to a very slow narrative in which we follow the coming together of these two women and the dramatic elements that will follow. The evolution of the story is based on Abigail's daily diary and therefore allows us to better understand the psychology of this character.

It is therefore easy to understand the public success of this film, which has been screened in various festivals and will be released in the United States on March 2nd by Bleecker Street . While blockbusters are becoming more and more rare, independent American cinema can benefit from a better visibility and thus show its importance. We can only advise you to discover this film when it is released.

The world to come
Directed by Mona Fastvold
Produced by Casey Affleck, Whitaker Lader, Pamela Koffler, David Hinojosa, Margarethe Baillou
Executive Producers: Christine Vachon, Peter Touche, Jamie Jessop, Andrew Morrison, Carole Baraton, Yohann Comte, Pierre Mazars, Ilya Stewart, Murad Osmann, Pavel Buria
Co-Producers: Patricia Poienaru, Ben Kuller
Written by Ron Hansen, Jim Shepard
Production Designer: Jean Vincent Puzos
Starring Katherine Waterston, Vanessa Kirby, Casey Affleck, Christopher Abbott
Music by Daniel Blumberg
Music Supervisor: Tracy McKnight
Cinematography : André Chemetoff
Costume Designer : Luminita Lungu
Edited by Dávid Jancsó
Distributed by Bleecker Street
Release date: February 2, 2021 (Sundance)
Running time: 98 minutes

Seen on February 03, 2021 (Sundance Festival)

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