''California Solo'' is an American independent feature film written and directed by Marshall Lewy and starring

Robert Carlyle Robert Carlyle (born 14 April 1961) is a Scottish actor. His film work includes '' Trainspotting'' (1996), ''The Full Monty'' (1997), ''The World Is Not Enough'' (1999), ''Angela's Ashes'' (1999), '' The Beach'' (2000), ''28 Weeks Later'' (20 ...

. It made its world premiere at the

2012 Sundance Film Festival The 2012 Sundance Film Festival took place from January 19 until January 29, 2012 in Park City, Utah. 64 short films were selected for the festival from 7,675 submissions, including 27 international shorts from 3,592 submissions. Non-competition ...

, and its international premiere at the 2012 Edinburgh Film Festival. The film was acquired by

Strand Releasing Strand Releasing is an American film production company founded in 1989 and is based in Culver City, California. The company has distributed over 300 auteur-driven titles from acclaimed international and American directors such as Apichatpong Wee ...

for the U.S., and was given a limited theatrical release on November 30, 2012.

Plot

plays Lachlan MacAldonich, a former

Britpop Britpop was a mid-1990s British-based music culture movement that emphasised Britishness. It produced brighter, catchier alternative rock, partly in reaction to the popularity of the darker lyrical themes of the US-led grunge music and to the ...

rocker-turned-agricultural worker, who gets caught driving drunk and faces deportation after living in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...

for 12 years. His efforts to stay in the U.S. force him to confront his past and current demons. The film addresses

immigration Immigration is the international movement of people to a destination country of which they are not natives or where they do not possess citizenship in order to settle as permanent residents or naturalized citizens. Commuters, tourists, a ...

issues,

alcoholism Alcoholism is, broadly, any drinking of alcohol that results in significant mental or physical health problems. Because there is disagreement on the definition of the word ''alcoholism'', it is not a recognized diagnostic entity. Predomi ...

, and personal redemption.

Cast

Main cast

Supporting cast

Cameo/uncredited cast

* Peter Christian as Background Lawyer * Sean Keehan as Parolee *

George Steeves George Steeves (b. ca. 1945) is a Canadian art photographer noted for his highly personal work. He has been called by art historian and curator Martha Langford, "among the foremost figures of contemporary Canadian photography." Life Born in Monct ...

as Guitar Shop Patron * Robert Stilwell as Brunch Patron * Khai Thach as Market Vendor

Production

Lewy wrote the part of Lachlan MacAldonich with

in mind. Carlyle has remarked, "It was an easy sell to get me to do it" and he drew inspiration for the character from his friends, the Gallagher brothers of Oasis. The film shot for 21 days in June 2011 in

Leona Valley Leona Valley (''Leona'', Spanish for "Lioness") is a census-designated place located in the geographic Leona Valley of northern Los Angeles County, California, in the transition between the Sierra Pelona Mountains and Mojave Desert, just west of ...

, Lancaster,

Moorpark Moorpark is a city in Ventura County in Southern California. Moorpark was founded in 1900. The town grew from just over 4,000 citizens in 1980 to over 25,000 by 1990. As of 2006, Moorpark was one of the fastest-growing cities in Ventura County.. ...

, and many neighborhoods of

, including

Silver Lake Silver is a chemical element with the Symbol (chemistry), symbol Ag (from the Latin ', derived from the Proto-Indo-European wikt:Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/h₂erǵ-, ''h₂erǵ'': "shiny" or "white") and atomic number 47. A soft, whi ...

Los Feliz LOS, or Los, or LoS may refer to: Science and technology * Length of stay, the duration of a single episode of hospitalisation * Level of service, a measure used by traffic engineers * Level of significance, a measure of statistical significanc ...

, Atwater Village, Sun Valley, Downtown, Highland Park, Hollywood, and Culver City. Its title song was written specifically for the film by

Adam Franklin Adam Franklin (born 7 October 1968) is an English guitarist, singer, and songwriter who is the front-man of the alternative rock band Swervedriver (1989–99, 2007–present) as well as the main creative force behind Toshack Highway (1999–200 ...

Reception and awards

"California Solo" is a New York Times Critics Pick. Critics have praised Robert Carlyle's performance, calling it "open and utterly human", "effortlessly engaging", "soulful and layered", and "stunning...perhaps his best since Trainspotting’s Begbie". The Huffington Post called the film a "touching drama" and ''

The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Hollywood film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade paper, and in 2010 switched to a weekly larg ...

'' called it a "fragile drama with emotional heft." The film won the Best Narrative Feature and Best Editing awards at the 2012 Woodstock Film Festival.

won the Outstanding Acting Award at the 2012 Tallgrass Film Festival. Additionally, producer Mynette Louie won the 2013 Independent Spirit Awards' Piaget Producers Award. In May 2013, Savannah Lathem won the

Young Artist Award The Young Artist Award (originally known as the Youth in Film Award) is an accolade presented by the Young Artist Foundation, a nonprofit organization founded in 1978 to honor excellence of youth performers, and to provide scholarships for young ...

for Best Supporting Young Actress in a Feature Film.

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:California Solo 2012 films 2012 drama films Films set in Los Angeles Films shot in California American independent films 2012 independent films American drama films 2010s English-language films 2010s American films