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True Things

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True Things
Theatrical release poster
Directed byHarry Wootliff
Screenplay by
Based onTrue Things About Me
by Deborah Kay Davies
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyAshley Connor
Edited byTim Fulford
Music byAlex Baranowski
Production
companies
Distributed byPicturehouse Entertainment
Release dates
  • 4 September 2021 (2021-09-04) (Venice)
  • 1 April 2022 (2022-04-01) (United Kingdom)
Running time
102 minutes[1]
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish
Box office$140,688[2]

True Things is a 2021 British psychological drama film directed by Harry Wootliff from a screenplay she co-wrote with Molly Davies, based on the 2010 novel True Things About Me by Deborah Kay Davies.[3] It stars Ruth Wilson and Tom Burke.

The film had its world premiere at the 78th Venice International Film Festival on 4 September 2021, and was released theatrically in the United Kingdom on 1 April 2022 by Picturehouse Entertainment. It received positive reviews from critics.

Synopsis

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Kate works in a benefits office in the English coastal town of Ramsgate. She is sleepwalking through life when a chance sexual encounter with a charismatic stranger awakens her. High on infatuation, she finds herself inexplicably drawn to this mysterious man. Hoping he will provide the escape she so desperately desires, she embarks on an emotionally dangerous journey that slowly begins to consume her.

Cast

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Production

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Ruth Wilson and Jude Law produced the film, alongside The Bureau, BBC Films and the BFI.[4]

Filming began in early 2020 but was halted due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Production resumed in September 2020 in Ramsgate, England, and Málaga, Spain, and wrapped the following month.[5] Other filming locations include the Kent towns of Margate and Broadstairs.[6]

Release

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True Things had its world premiere at the 78th Venice International Film Festival,[7] and also screened at the 2021 Toronto International Film Festival[8] and the 2021 BFI London Film Festival,[9] where it won the IWC Shaffhausen award.[10] In March 2021, Picturehouse Entertainment acquired UK and Ireland distribution rights to the film,[11] while North American distribution rights were acquired by Samuel Goldwyn Films that October.[12] The film was released theatrically in the United Kingdom on 1 April 2022,[13] and was released in theatres and on digital in the United States on 9 September 2022.[14]

Wootliff has discussed what appealed to her about the book, as well as the universality of the material for both men and women: "What I loved about it was the feeling of infatuation, of addiction to somebody [...] You know those relationships where you think 'why did I ever go there?' It's one of those."[15]

A sentiment articulated by critic Mark Kermode of The Observer: "Anyone who has ever defined themselves through the eyes of others, or sought self-worth in unworthy romance, will recognise both the agony and ecstasy of Kate's predicament."[16]

Critical reception

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True Things received positive reviews from critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 81% based on 68 reviews, with an average rating of 6.7/10. The website's critics consensus reads, "Elevated by its stars' magnetic chemistry, True Things mines complex, character-driven drama from an ill-advised romance."[17] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 68 out of 100, based on 22 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[18]

The film's lack of easy solutions, in relation to the protagonist being a complex and multi-layered female character, was noticed by Rebecca Harrison of Sight and Sound: "It feels frustrating because it's meant to: this is what it's like to care for this character... a film that refuses to simplify Kate's experience or force the character to give everything of herself away."[19] Tim Robey of The Daily Telegraph commented on the way society pigeon holes women like Kate: "There's something affecting about her struggle to be a normal person, doing what normal people do, while independently rebelling against the drudgery required of her to fit in", describing the role as Wilson's "best film work to date."[20] Kevin Mayer of The Times pointed to the inherent contradictions of complex and emotionally-led female characters, which is a cornerstone of Wootliff's film style: "Wootliff and Wilson create a central character who is irrational, sometimes infuriating, but always intensely sympathetic."[21]

On its US release, Sheila O'Malley of RogerEbert.com noted the film's assuredly grown-up perspective, "for those of you who miss films made by adults and for adults, films which treat things like sex and loneliness with respect and honesty, True Things isn't to be missed."[22] Nicolas Rapold of The New York Times singled out the camerawork "because it is the kind that is often described as 'intimate' but rarely pulled off with such Maysles-esque aplomb."[23] Referring to the central character of Kate, Noel Murray of the Los Angeles Times highlighted the use of PJ Harvey's song "Rid of Me" as a "simultaneously sad and thrilling assertion of her own right to exist".[24] Fran Hoepfner of The Wrap was drawn to the depth and complexity of the story, "A relationship like the one Kate pursues with Blond isn't fed by reason; it's fed by something larger and stranger and endlessly unknowable."[25]

References

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  1. ^ "True Things". Venice International Film Festival. 9 July 2021. Retrieved 29 July 2021.
  2. ^ "True Things (2021)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 29 March 2023.
  3. ^ Lodge, Guy (4 September 2021). "'True Things' Review: A Teasing, Tingling British Drama About Love With the Improper Stranger". Variety. Retrieved 29 March 2023.
  4. ^ Grater, Tom (7 May 2019). "Ruth Wilson, Jude Law pact for 'True Things About Me' with The Bureau, BBC Films (exclusive)". Screen Daily. Retrieved 29 July 2021.
  5. ^ Ravindran, Manori (27 October 2020). "Ruth Wilson and Tom Burke Drama 'True Things' Wraps Production, Releases First Look (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 30 March 2023.
  6. ^ "True Things (2022)". Kent Film Office. 25 March 2022. Retrieved 30 March 2023.
  7. ^ Barraclough, Leo (2 September 2021). "Harry Wootliff Delivers 'True Things,' a Tale of Obsession, Starring Ruth Wilson, in Venice". Variety. Retrieved 10 May 2022.
  8. ^ "True Things". Toronto International Film Festival. Retrieved 10 May 2022.
  9. ^ "True Things". BFI London Film Festival. Archived from the original on 2 October 2021. Retrieved 10 May 2022.
  10. ^ Dalton, Ben (17 October 2021). "Harry Wootliff, 'Hit The Road' head BFI London Film Festival winners". Screen Daily. Retrieved 10 May 2022.
  11. ^ Dalton, Ben (4 March 2021). "Picturehouse takes UK–Ireland rights to Harry Wootliff's 'True Things', 'Hatching' (exclusive)". Screen Daily. Retrieved 29 March 2023.
  12. ^ Keslassy, Elsa (13 October 2021). "Ruth Wilson, Tom Burke's Venice-Premiering 'True Things' Acquired by Samuel Goldwyn Films (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 15 October 2021.
  13. ^ White, James (26 January 2022). "Ruth Wilson Goes On A Dangerous Romantic Journey In True Things – See The Exclusive Trailer". Empire. Retrieved 29 March 2023.
  14. ^ Tantum, Molly Cottee (25 July 2022). "'True Things' Trailer: Ruth Wilson And Tom Burke Star In A Waking Nightmare Of Lust & Bad Decisions". The Playlist. Retrieved 29 March 2023.
  15. ^ Cooper, Freda (30 March 2022). "Interview: Director Harry Wootliff on the "unromantic" True Things". The People's Movies. Retrieved 10 May 2022.
  16. ^ Kermode, Mark (3 April 2022). "True Things review – seductively dangerous liaisons in Ramsgate". The Observer. Archived from the original on 3 April 2022. Retrieved 12 May 2022.
  17. ^ "True Things". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 29 March 2023.
  18. ^ "True Things Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 30 March 2023.
  19. ^ Harrison, Rebecca (1 April 2022). "True Things: an uneasy psychological character study". Sight and Sound. Retrieved 12 May 2022.
  20. ^ Robey, Tim (30 March 2022). "Ruth Wilson and Tom Burke grip in True Things, a dark tale of deluded love". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 31 March 2022. Retrieved 12 May 2022.
  21. ^ Maher, Kevin (1 April 2022). "True Things review — a dark, earthy, erotic drama by the sea". The Times. Archived from the original on 1 April 2022. Retrieved 8 June 2022.
  22. ^ O'Malley, Sheila (9 September 2022). "True Things review". RogerEbert.com. Retrieved 11 January 2023.
  23. ^ Rapold, Nicolas (8 September 2022). "'True Things' Review: Escape Routes". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 8 September 2022. Retrieved 11 January 2023.
  24. ^ Murray, Noel (9 September 2022). "Review: 'End of the Road' will have you looking for an exit". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 11 January 2023.
  25. ^ Hoepfner, Fran (9 September 2022). "'True Things' Film Review: Ruth Wilson Utterly Commits to Discomfiting Romantic Drama". The Wrap. Retrieved 11 January 2023.
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