The Rehearsal

Alison Maclean
Part of

54th New York Film Festival

September 30 - 11, 2016

Alison Maclean (Jesus’ Son) returns to her New Zealand filmmaking roots with a multilayered coming-of-age story about a young actor searching for the truth of a character he’s playing onstage and the resulting moral dilemma in his personal life.

DIRECTOR
Alison Maclean
YEAR
2016
COUNTRY
New Zealand
RUNTIME
102 minutes

Alison Maclean (Jesus’ Son) returns to her New Zealand filmmaking roots with a multilayered coming-of-age story about a young actor (James Rolleston) searching for the truth of a character he’s playing onstage and the resulting moral dilemma in his personal life. Set largely in a drama school, featuring Kerry Fox as a diva-like teacher who tries to shape her student’s raw talent, The Rehearsal, adapted from the novel by Eleanor Catton, demystifies actors and acting in order to reveal the moments where craft becomes art. The same happens with Maclean’s understated but penetrating filmmaking. Her concentration on the quotidian yields a finale that borders on the sublime.

Catch a free talk with Alison Maclean at Film Comment Live: Filmmakers Chat on 10/8 at 7:00pm.

The Rehearsal
The Rehearsal

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