''Rendezvous'' is an American suspense-thriller short film, written, directed, and produced by

Seth Kozak Seth,; el, Σήθ ''Sḗth''; ; "placed", "appointed") in Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Mandaeism, and Sethianism, was the third son of Adam and Eve and brother of Cain and Abel, their only other child mentioned by name in the Hebrew Bib ...

. The film follows the journey of Catalina Wright, played by Katarina Morhacova, as she encounters fatal arrangements made by her politician husband. The film was released on November 19, 2019.

Plot

A New Hampshire

Congressman A Member of Congress (MOC) is a person who has been appointed or elected and inducted into an official body called a congress, typically to represent a particular constituency in a legislature. The term member of parliament (MP) is an equivalen ...

attempts to clean-up his darker side in preparation for brighter opportunities in politics. Arrangements with a foreign specialist are made to ''off'' his much younger wife, while he is away on business. The scheme is suddenly threatened when she changes her weekend plans, opting to visit her mother in Maine. When icy road conditions limit her travel, she takes refuge in an historic inn. However, the instinct that pushed her toward safety may have betrayed her, as she suspects the inn's only other resident is a man hired to kill her.

Cast

* Katarina Morhacova as Catalina Wright *

Chris Kerson Chris Kerson is an American film, television, and theater actor. He is best known for his roles as Nails in ''True Detective'' and Wilfred "Willie Boy" Johnson in ''Gotti''. Early life Kerson was born in New York City and spent his childhood ...

as Art (Hitman) * Mike Sutton as Congressman Zachary Wright * David Lago as Police Officer * Francis Jue as Chris (Estate Caretaker) * Casey McDougal as Inn Clerk #1 * Lisa Boucher Hartman as Inn Clerk #2

Production

Pre-production

The treatment for ''Rendezvous'' was developed while writer,

, was serving in Iraq in 2003. The screenplay for ''Rendezvous'' received multiple awards and nominations from film festivals (2013-2014), giving it traction to launch the production. The script received accolades from

WorldFest Houston The WorldFest-Houston International Film Festival, founded in 1968, is an annual film festival held annually in April in Houston, Texas. Notable festival alumni include John Lee Hancock, who wrote and directed the Oscar-winning film '' The Blind ...

, the Beverly Hills Film Festival, The Indie Gathering, and the

Bare Bones International Film Festival The Bare Bones International Film and Music Festival was founded in 1999 by the Darkwood Film Arts Institute (DFAI) in the city of Muskogee, Oklahoma, United States to showcase independent motion picture projects with budgets of less than 1 millio ...

. During the initial

crowdfunding Crowdfunding is the practice of funding a project or venture by raising money from a large number of people, typically via the internet. Crowdfunding is a form of crowdsourcing and alternative finance. In 2015, over was raised worldwide by crow ...

campaign, the project gained the attention of IndieWire and was given the distinction of "Project of the Day." Kozak teamed with Damian Veilleux and Michael Cole of Catharsis Pictures, a

Waterville, Maine Waterville is a city in Kennebec County, Maine, Kennebec County, Maine, United States, on the west bank of the Kennebec River. The city is home to Colby College and Thomas College. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census the populatio ...

-based production company, while on a diplomatic assignment with the U.S. Embassy in Bucharest, Romania. Producers used the

Kickstarter Kickstarter is an American public benefit corporation based in Brooklyn, New York, that maintains a global crowdfunding platform focused on creativity. The company's stated mission is to "help bring creative projects to life". As of July 2021, ...

platform. The campaign achieved 162% of its funding goal. A total of 83 official backers endorsed the picture through the site. Notable backers include

Kjell Lindgren Kjell Norwood Lindgren (born January 23, 1973) is an American astronaut who was selected in June 2009 as a member of the NASA Astronaut Group 20. He launched to the International Space Station (ISS) as part of Expedition 44/ 45 on July 22, 201 ...

, and Alex Vindman.

Casting and filming

International actress and model, Katarina Morhacova, was offered the lead role after wrapping her performance in

Claudia La Bianca Claudia La Bianca is a Sicilian-American artist and filmmaker. She is best known for her Miami street art and as a finalist on the filmmaking competition show On the Lot. She produced and directed several episodes of the '' Hannah Help Me!'' serie ...

's feature ''

The Journey of a Dragonfly ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in E ...

''. Corbin Bernsen was originally attached to play the role of Congressman Zachary Wright. The role was eventually recast with Mike Sutton. David Lago has a supporting role as a police officer.

was cast as the hitman. Francis Jue plays Chris, an executive butler-type. Producers collaborated virtually between Romania and Maine to shoot the first half of the film during April 2014. After the initial shoot, Catharsis departed the project causing it to be shelved for three-and-a-half years. With a new team, Kozak was able to get cameras rolling again in the Fall of 2017. Locations in

Stafford, Virginia Stafford is a census-designated place (listed as Stafford Courthouse) in and the county seat of Stafford County in the northern part of the U.S. Commonwealth of Virginia. The population of Stafford County as of the 2010 United States Census w ...

and Villanova, Pennsylvania were used to shoot Lear Jet and mansion interiors. In November 2018, a three-day shooting schedule picked up the remaining shots in Maine and New Hampshire.

Post-production

Bob Kovacs edited the film in Annandale, Virginia. Special effects editing was worked by Daria Liubimova in Russia and Robert Pilko in Israel. LA-based colorist, Adrian DeLude, of Company 3, mastered the color grading. Anthony Marsh of Production Station sound design services in

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

, developed the music score and conducted the film's sound design and sound editing. The soundtrack includes the song " Running Up That Hill", by the British alternative rock band Placebo. Howard Pearl was a consultant on the film.

Reception

Critical response

Jolly Moel, of Screen Critix, gave ''Rendezvous'' 4/5 stars on the merits of its

film noir Film noir (; ) is a cinematic term used primarily to describe stylish Hollywood crime dramas, particularly those that emphasize cynical attitudes and motivations. The 1940s and 1950s are generally regarded as the "classic period" of American ' ...

classicism. The film received an average reviews from other film critics.

Film Threat ''Film Threat'' is an 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. It first ...

called her performance "a highlight of the film," regarding it as the foundation that held the other performances together. ''Rendezvous'' was an official selection to more than 25 international film festivals in eight countries. The film was selected to screen in the 53rd WorldFest Houston International Film Festival. IT was an official selection to the 21st

, receiving a nomination for Best Short Romance. Lead actress Katarina Morhacova was recognized with multiple awards.

Accolades

Official festival selections

References

External links

* {{IMDb title, 3500138 2019 short films 2019 thriller films 2019 films American independent films American drama short films American thriller films Films about American politicians Films about assassinations Films set in hotels Films set in Maine Films set in New Hampshire Films shot in Maine Films shot in New Hampshire Films shot in Pennsylvania Films shot in Virginia Uxoricide in fiction 2010s English-language films 2010s American films