Where Dreaming Is Believing
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Released exclusively on DirecTV last month and opening in New York December 12, The Captive centers on a landscaper named Matthew (Ryan Reynolds) who is haunted by the disappearance of his daughter. In the eight years since her abduction, Matthew and his wife Tina (Mireille Enos) understandably cling to their child’s memory, hoping that one day they’ll find a resolution to their tragedy.
Rosario Dawson and Scott Speedman are the dogged detectives who continue to search for the girl’s kidnapper (Lost actor Kevin Durand). With the use of his trademark (yet still fresh) non-linear narrative, Egoyan weaves a compelling tale of obsession, manipulation, and ultimate redemption.
During the interviews for The Captive, I asked Scott Speedman about the innovative creative spirit that drives Atom Egoyan.
He’s just not interested in telling simple, down the line, obvious stories. It’s a very challenging thing he does and I think that’s what sets him apart. He’s very brave in his choices.
I also asked Scott Speedman about being selective over his movie and TV roles. He gives a pretty funny answer as he talks about his career:
The Captive, which also stars Alexia Fast (Manhattan) and Bruce Greenwood (Mao’s Last Dancer, Devil’s Knot), also opens in Los Angeles December 19.
Remember stars Christopher Plummer, an actor Egoyan previously worked with on Ararat. In a Daily Variety piece, Plummer described Remember as a story that is “arresting and powerful beyond measure.”
Penned by Benjamin August, the project also stars Martin Landau, Dean Norris (Breaking Bad), and Bruno Ganz (Wings of Desire).
Atom Egoyan sums up Remember below:
“Christopher Plummer plays a Holocaust survivor with early stages (of) dementia who thinks he’s found the person responsible for having killed his family in Auschwitz and goes on a mission to execute this person but keeps forgetting why.
What’s remarkable (about) the script is that (they’re) all these themes that are really close to me but it’s a really completely linear story. And yet the complexity of the characters is so fascinating and Plummer is extraordinary . . . It’s a pleasure to work with him again.”
To hear Atom Egoyan’s audio version of his answer, click on the media bar below:
The Captive, which premiered exclusively on DirectTV on November 13, hits theaters December 12. I’ll have more posts on The Captive, a thriller which I really enjoyed, in the coming days.
The Captive’s Boilerplate Summary:
In this psychological thriller from Academy Award Nominated director Atom Egoyan, Matthew (Ryan Reynolds) steps briefly into a diner and comes out to find that his young daughter Cassandra has vanished without a trace from the back of his truck. Her unsolved abduction destroys Matthew’s once-happy relationship with his wife, Tina (Mireille Enos), who, haunted by mementos of Cassandra that appear mysteriously at her work, suspects her husband of foul play. Years later, when detectives Nicole (Rosario Dawson) and Jeffrey (Scott Speedman) discover recent images of Cassandra online, Matthew risks everything to ensure his daughter’s safe return—and to save himself and Tina from the limbo of unrelenting despair. Kevin Durand, Alexia Fast, and Bruce Greenwood co-star.
