The Neighbor (also known as Last Days of Summer) is a 2018 American psychological thriller film co-written, produced and directed by Aaron Harvey. The film stars William Fichtner as Mike, a technical writer who sees his life shaken by the arrival of new, younger neighbors.
| The Neighbor (2018 Film) | |
|---|---|
_Film_Poster.jpg) Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Aaron Harvey |
| Written by | Aaron Harvey Richard Byard |
| Produced by | Robert Ogden Barnum William Fichtner Aaron Harvey Oliver Ridge |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | John W. Rutland |
| Music by | James Curd |
Production companies | Michael Bruce Pictures Blood Moon Creative |
| Distributed by | Vertical Entertainment |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 97 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $500,000 (estimated) |
The Neighbor premiered at the 2016 Rhode Island International Film Festival where it won the festival's top prize for "Best Narrative Feature".[2] It was released theatrically in the United States on January 26, 2018 by Vertical Entertainment.
Summary
editMike Prentis (William Fichtner) is a middle-aged man in a routine marriage, who works from home as a technical writer. When a new couple moves in next door, Mike quickly befriends the young Jenna (Jessica McNamee) and her car-dealer husband, Scott (Michael Rosenbaum). Working from home, Mike has plenty of time to pay attention to Jenna who slowly begins to reveal the details of her life with Scott, and the fact that all isn't as carefree as Scott would like it to appear. While Mike watches as the young couple's relationship begins to unravel, his own marriage starts coming apart at the seams. Mike's wife Lisa (Jean Louisa Kelly) sees Mike's attraction to Jenna forming and pulls further away from him – pushing their own relationship to the breaking point. Compounding the fact is Mike's son Alex (Colin Woodell), who returns from college and forms an unwitting friendship with Jenna, much to the disdain of his father.
As Mike witnesses the perceived abuse of Jenna at the hands of Scott increasing, he makes one last dramatic and misguided effort to intervene.
Cast
edit- William Fichtner as Mike
- Jessica McNamee as Jenna
- Jean Louisa Kelly as Lisa
- Michael Rosenbaum as Scott
- Colin Woodell as Alex
- Erich Anderson as Brian
- Robert Artz as Bar Patron
Release
editReception
editThe film premiered at the 2016 Rhode Island International Film Festival where it won the "Grand Prize, Best Narrative Feature" award".[3] It went on to play multiple other festivals, including the Quebec City Film Festival, the Newport Beach Film Festival and the Hollywood Reel Independent Film Festival where it won both "Best Director" and "Best Actor" awards.[4]
Michael Rechtshaffen from the Los Angeles Times gave the film a good review writing: "Aaron Harvey's The Neighbor finds a sturdy constant in its thoughtfully delineated performances and handsome production values. Harvey's contained direction and John W. Rutland's impressive cinematography provide a sharply observed continuity that's as admirably contained as the Prentices' impeccably appointed, if spiritually anemic, home."[5] J.R. Southall gave the film 6 out of 10 and said: "The Neighbour... is just about absorbing enough to hold your attention until its powerful but bleak finale. But only just."[6] Niall Browne from "Movies In Focus" gave The Neighbour three stars out of five and stated: "A slow-burning domestic thriller, Aaron Harvey's The Neighbour is a tense little movie with a captivating central performance from William Fichtner."[7]
Author Stephen King tweeted of the film; "The Neighbor, now streaming: Low-key, but what a bravura performance from William Fichtner, one of America's great unsung actors."[8]
Accolades
editThe Neighbor received several awards and nominations.
| Award | Subject | Nominee | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beloit International Film Festival | Director of Programming Award | Aaron Harvey Oliver Ridge |
Won | [9] |
| Hollywood Reel Independent Film Festival | Best Actor | William Fichtner | Won | [4] |
| Best Director | Aaron Harvey | Won | ||
| Newport Beach Film Festival | Best Film – Jury Award | Aaron Harvey Oliver Ridge |
Nominated | [citation needed] |
| Rhode Island International Film Festival | Best Feature Film | Aaron Harvey Oliver Ridge |
Won | [citation needed] |
| Whistler Film Festival | Narrative Feature – Audience Award | Aaron Harvey Oliver Ridge |
Nominated | [citation needed] |
References
edit- ^ "2017 Newport Beach Film Festival". newportbeachfilmfest.com. Archived from the original on 2019-04-27. Retrieved 2020-07-02.
- ^ August 19, matthew; Reply, 2016 at 12:11 AM · (2016-08-18). "LAST DAYS OF SUMMER, PRISON DOGS, TWO WORLDS Win Top Awards at FLICKERS: Rhode Island International Film Festival". VIMOOZ. Archived from the original on 2020-08-08. Retrieved 2020-09-09.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ "RIFF 2017 AWARD WINNERS". Vimooz.com. Archived from the original on 18 August 2016. Retrieved 18 August 2016.
- ^ a b "HRIFF 2017 AWARD WINNERS". Hollywood Reel Independent Film Festival. Archived from the original on 5 February 2017. Retrieved 9 March 2019.
- ^ Rechtshaffen, Michael (25 January 2018). "Upper-middle-class male angst fuels 'The Neighbor'". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 5 May 2019. Retrieved 9 March 2019.
- ^ Southall, J.R. "THE NEIGHBOUR". Starburst Magazine. Archived from the original on 3 May 2019. Retrieved 9 March 2019.
- ^ Browne, Niall (5 November 2018). "Review: William Fichtner Is Captivating In THE NEIGHBOUR". Movies in Focus. Archived from the original on 3 May 2019. Retrieved 9 March 2019.
- ^ "THE NEIGHBOR". Twitter. Archived from the original on 5 September 2021. Retrieved 16 January 2021.
- ^ "The 2017 BIFFY Award Winners!". Beloit International Film Festival. Archived from the original on 24 September 2020. Retrieved 9 March 2019.
