Richard Linklater’s upcoming film ‘Where’d You Go Bernadette’, starring the charming Cate Blanchett, is slated for an August release. The film is based on Maria Semple’s novel of the same name, and revolves around an agoraphobic woman, who goes missing before a family trip.
The novel’s storytelling method was praised for its inventiveness, and Linklater’s strong indie roots will make sure the characters’ quirkiness stay intact. Annapurna Pictures have released a new featurette that focuses on Blanchett, and hints at an introspective but affectionate study of the titular character.
Linklater reunites with Graham Reynolds, who composed the music for ‘Before Midnight’ and ‘A Scanner Darkly’, and the movie’s soundtrack is now available online, and sublimely expresses two different moods across two different settings in the film.
Also by Richard Linklater: Before Sunrise (1995): A Beautiful Love Poem
Linklater’s last film, ‘Last Flag Flying’, used the “road trip” sub-genre to explore its characters’ reactions to breaking free from normal but tedious lives, and unboxing their internalised thoughts. He used the theme of journey as a means of extending life’s boundaries, in his revered ‘Before Trilogy’ too. And we’ll be hoping for him to implement the same approach in ‘Where’d You Go Bernadette’ as well.
Cate Blanchett in a recent interview, said “Films in which mothers play a central figure, expect the woman to appear and behave in a certain way. And it’s 2019, and Bernadette doesn’t fit into any traditional cinematic mother role. I love the writing, the honesty, and the hysterical outlook on motherhood, marriage and your relationship to your career as a woman, drew me to the film. And I learnt Richard was directing, so that was a no-brainer”.
Cate Blanchett in Carol: A Flawless Film About Troubled Souls
She added, “Bernadette’s character is a misanthrope, who’s sometimes manic, and sometimes depressive, but she’s very lost. She’s experienced a deep professional failure, and is about to lose her daughter to a boarding school, the daughter she gave up everything for, so this movie covers a huge turning point in her life. She has to get lost to be found, in a way”.
Wow. That sounds interesting, and since those words come from Blanchett, there’s no reason for us to not expect something expeditious. Linklater who turns 59 today, continues to be one of the few American directors, who’ve consistently stuck by their humble style, despite success.
