James White (film)

James White

Theatrical release poster
Directed by Josh Mond
Produced by Max Born
Antonio Campos
Sean Durkin
Melody C. Roscher
F.A. Eric Schultz
Written by Josh Mond
Starring Christopher Abbott
Cynthia Nixon
Scott Mescudi
Ron Livingston
Makenzie Leigh
David Call
Music by Scott "Kid Cudi" Mescudi
Cinematography Mátyás Erdély
Edited by Matthew Hannam
Distributed by The Film Arcade
Release dates
Running time
 85 minutes
Country United States
Language English
Box office $101,368[1]

James White is a 2015 American drama film written and directed by Josh Mond. The film stars Christopher Abbott, Cynthia Nixon, Scott Mescudi, Ron Livingston, Makenzie Leigh and David Call. The semi-autobiographical debut feature follows a young New Yorker struggling to take control of his reckless, self-destructive behavior in the face of momentous family challenges.

James White premiered at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival[2] where it won the NEXT Audience Award.[3] The film received a limited release on November 13, 2015, by The Film Arcade.[4]

Cast

Production

Josh Mond started writing the script to explore and understand his own feelings after losing his mother to cancer in 2011. During the writing of the script, Mond listened to Scott "Kid Cudi" Mescudi's albums. They served as inspiration and motivation.[5]

In the middle of writing the script, Mond made an experimental short film precursor called ‘1009’ and had his close-friend, actor Christopher Abbott play the leading role. After the short, he decided that the part of James White was going to be written for Abbott.[6] Abbott based his performance on people he'd met, especially New Yorkers, Josh Mond and himself. Cynthia Nixon met up with Mond after reading the script. Mond and Nixon bonded over the fact that they both were from Manhattan with artsy parents. Unfortunately, both Nixon and Mond's mother died of cancer, and Nixon herself being a cancer survivor.[7] She based her performance on Mond's mother and her own mother as well, even wearing her mother's jewerly in the film.[8] Actor-director Mark Webber, a friend of Mond's, sent his former colleague Mescudi the script. Mescudi joined the film and later scored the film.[9]

The film started shooting in New York in December 2013.[10] The shooting lasted 18 days in New York and another 4 days where spent shooting in Mexico.[11] Borderline Films reached out via Kickstarter to finance the film's post-production editing costs and music rights.[12]

Release

The film premiered at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival,[13] where it won the NEXT Audience Award.[14] It also screened at the 2015 Toronto International Film Festival[15] and at the 2015 AFI Fest where it won the American Independents Audience Award.[16] The film received a limited release on November 13, 2015 by distributors, The Film Arcade.[17][18]

Reception

James White has been met with critical acclaim. On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a 91% approval rating based on reviews from 53 critics, with an average rating of 7.4 out of 10. The site's critical consensus states: " Led by powerfully complementary performances from Christopher Abbott and Cynthia Nixon, James White offers an affecting calling card for debuting writer-director Josh Mond."[19] On Metacritic the film has received a weighted average score of 84 out of 100 based on 23 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".[20]

Awards and nominations

List of Accolades
Award / Film Festival Category Recipient(s) Result
American Independents / AFI Fest Audience Award Josh Mond Won
Chicago Film Critics Association Best Actor Christopher Abbott Nominated
Best Supporting Actress Cynthia Nixon Nominated
Chicago International Film Festival Emerging Artist Award Josh Mond Won
Emerging Artist Award Christopher Abbott Won
Deauville Film Festival Revelations Prize Josh Mond Won
Grand Special Prize Josh Mond Nominated
Detroit Film Critics Society Best Supporting Actress Cynthia Nixon Nominated
Best Actor Christopher Abbott Nominated
Gotham Awards Best Actor Christopher Abbott Nominated
Bingham Ray Breakthrough Director Award Josh Mond Nominated
Hamburg Film Festival Young Talent Award Josh Mond Nominated
Hamptons International Film Festival Breakthrough Performer Christopher Abbott Won
Independent Spirit Awards Best First Feature Josh Mond, Sean Durkin, Antonio Campos, Max Born, Melody Roscher, Eric Schultz Nominated
Best Supporting Female Cynthia Nixon Nominated
Best Male Lead Christopher Abbott Nominated
Locarno International Film Festival Don Quixote Award - Special Mention Josh Mond Won
Junior Jury Award Josh Mond Nominated
Golden Leopard Josh Mond Nominated
National Board of Review Top 10 Independent Films Josh Mond Won
Online Film Critics Society Best Supporting Actress Cynthia Nixon Nominated
Sundance Film Festival Best of Next! Audience Award Josh Mond Won

References

  1. ↑ "James White". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 12 December 2015.
  2. ↑ Scott Foundas (2015-01-23). "‘James White’ Review: Josh Mond’s Raw Family Drama". Variety. Retrieved 2015-08-30.
  3. ↑ "JAMES WHITE AUDIENCE AWARD: NEXT WINNER". Sundance Film Festival. Retrieved 1 November 2015.
  4. ↑ Lincoln, Ross A. "James White, Sundance Hit Gets November Theatrical Release". Deadline. Retrieved 2015-08-30.
  5. ↑ Gale, Alex (25 January 2015). "Kid Cudi Dishes on His Deleted Male-on-Male Kissing Scenes in New Film 'James White'". Billboard. Retrieved 8 November 2015.
  6. ↑ "Josh Mond on his debut feature James White". 12 October 2015. Retrieved 8 November 2015.
  7. ↑ "Interview: Exploring Josh Mond’s James White with Cynthia Nixon & Christopher Abbott". Comingsoon.net. Retrieved 15 November 2015.
  8. ↑ Jacobs, Matt (22 January 2015). "Cynthia Nixon & Christopher Abbott On Their Powerful Mother-Son Drama 'James White'". The Huffington Post. Retrieved 15 November 2015.
  9. ↑ Bernstein, Paula (13 November 2015). ""James White" is his directorial debut, but Josh Mond is far from a first-time filmmaker". IndieWire. Retrieved 15 November 2015.
  10. ↑ Sneider, Jeff (9 January 2014). "‘Martha Marcy May Marlene’ Producer Josh Mond Sets Directorial Debut ‘James White’ (Exclusive)". TheWrap. Retrieved 8 November 2015.
  11. ↑ Thompson, Anne (22 October 2015). "Gotham Nominee Christopher Abbott Breaks Out in 'James White'". IndieWire. Retrieved 8 November 2015.
  12. ↑ Trumbore, Dave (19 April 2014). "Indie Spotlight: JAMES WHITE, A New Feature from Borderline Films Starring Christopher Abbott, Cynthia Nixon, Ron Livingston, and Scott “Kid Cudi” Mescudi". Collider.com. Retrieved 15 November 2015.
  13. ↑ Scott Foundas (2015-01-23). "‘James White’ Review: Josh Mond’s Raw Family Drama". Variety. Retrieved 2015-08-30.
  14. ↑ "JAMES WHITE AUDIENCE AWARD: NEXT WINNER". Sundance Film Festival. Retrieved 1 November 2015.
  15. ↑ "James White". TIFF. Retrieved 15 November 2015.
  16. ↑ Donnelly, Matt (12 November 2015). "AFI Fest Jury, Audience Award Winners Include ‘James White,’ ‘Mustang’". TheWrap. Retrieved 13 November 2015.
  17. ↑ Lincoln, Ross A. "James White, Sundance Hit Gets November Theatrical Release". Deadline. Retrieved 2015-08-30.
  18. ↑ Vlessing, Etan (2015-04-20). "Sundance: The Film Arcade Takes U.S. Rights to 'James White'". Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2015-08-30.
  19. ↑ "James White (2015)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved December 6, 2015.
  20. ↑ "James White". Metacritic. Retrieved December 4, 2015.

External links

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