''Newly Single'' is a 2017 American

arthouse An art film, arthouse film, or specialty film is an independent film aimed at a niche market rather than a mass market audience. It is "intended to be a serious, artistic work, often experimental and not designed for mass appeal", "made prima ...

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dark comedy Black comedy, also known as black humor, bleak comedy, dark comedy, dark humor, gallows humor or morbid humor, is a style of comedy that makes light of subject matter that is generally considered taboo, particularly subjects that are normally ...

film written and directed by

Adam Christian Clark Adam Christian Clark is an American film director, screenwriter, Film editing, editor, and actor whose films have been noted for their Realism (arts), naturalistic dialogue and style. Early life Adam Christian Clark was raised in Seattle, Seattl ...

. Set in

Downtown Los Angeles Downtown Los Angeles (DTLA) is the central business district of the city of Los Angeles. It is part of the Central Los Angeles region and covers a area. As of 2020, it contains over 500,000 jobs and has a population of roughly 85,000 residents ...

over the course of a winter, the script focuses on the dark and often funny moments of a newly-single and increasingly abrasive filmmaker.

Plot

After ridiculing his girlfriend’s belief in

Scientology Scientology is a set of beliefs and practices invented by the American author L. Ron Hubbard, and an associated movement. It is variously defined as a scam, a Scientology as a business, business, a cult, or a religion. Hubbard initially develo ...

, director Astor Williams Stevenson finds himself single and trying to discover what exactly it is he wants. At the same time he attempts to get a film off the ground and soon learns that his creative vision will not align with that of his crew. As Astor goes on a number of dates his abrasiveness and cynical attitude towards life seems to become ever more crystallised. Reminiscent of great American cinema of the 1970s with a somewhat staccato structure made up of disparate moments, it is still a thoroughly modern affair replete with some graphic sexuality and an often harsh takedown on modern views of dating.

Cast

as Astor * Jennifer Kim as Izzy * Molly C. Quinn as Valerie * Anna Jacoby-Heron as Madeline * Rémy Bennett as Francine * Greg Gilreath as Lawrence * Raychel Diane Weiner as Maria *

Marguerite Moreau Marguerite Moreau (born April 25, 1977) is an American actress. She is known for her role as Jesse Reeves in the fantasy horror film ''Queen of the Damned'', Katie in the comedy ''Wet Hot American Summer'', and her role as Connie in '' The Might ...

as Charlee * Alexandra Skye as Belle * Jennifer Prediger as Emily *

Lindsey Kraft Lindsey Brooke Kraft (born January 23, 1983) is an American actress, model and writer. She is best known for playing Marguerite Macaw on '' Getting On'', Leslie Curry on '' Living Biblically'', and Allison on '' Grace and Frankie''. Kraft has a ...

as Jackie * Anthony Jeselnik as Anthony

Production

The film's main location, Astor's apartment, was filmed in Clark's real-life apartment in Downtown Los Angeles'

Continental Building The Continental Building, formerly Braly Block, is a 151 ft (46 m), 13- story high-rise residential building on Spring Street in the Historic Core of Los Angeles. The Continental Building is part of the Spring Street Financial District w ...

Release

Newly Single premiered in the main competition of the 2017 edition of PÖFF. The film was released in North America in 2018 by Gravitas Ventures.

Reception

The film holds an 88% rating, on

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. ''

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'' described the film as a dark comedy "probing the sexual and professional misadventures of a struggling filmmaker." Rob Aldam of Backseat Mafia called the film "a brilliant take on narcissism and a total lack of self-awareness." In contrast, Chuck Foster of

Film Threat ''Film Threat'' is an American online film review publication, and earlier, a national magazine that focused primarily on independent film, although it also reviewed videos and DVDs of mainstream films, as well as Hollywood movies in theaters. ...

barbs, "what could have been the next Tiny Furniture gets so wrapped up in its own narcissism that it falls flat with a dull thud". Eye for Film's Jennie Kermode praised the film as "a powerful piece of work, as darkly hilarious as it is bleak."

Music

Clark originally worked with a composer on an original score for Newly Single, but in the editing process decided to score the film entirely with archival music, largely unreleased American jazz music from the 1950s.

References

External links

* {{IMDb title, 5515814
(PÖFF) 2017 Tallinn Black Nights Listing
(Archived)
(PÖFF) 2017 Festival Trailer
2017 films American drama films American comedy films Films set in Los Angeles Films about Hollywood, Los Angeles 2017 comedy-drama films 2010s English-language films 2010s American films English-language comedy-drama films