Evening (2007)

A drama exploring the romantic past and emotional present of Ann Grant and her daughters, Constance and Nina. As Ann lays dying, she remembers, and is moved to convey to her daughters, the defining moments in her life 50 years prior, when she was a young woman. Harris is the man Ann loves in the 1950s and never forgets.

Director:

Lajos Koltai

Writers:

Susan Minot (screenplay), Michael Cunningham (screenplay)

Stars:

Vanessa Redgrave, Toni Collette, Claire Danes

2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Claire Danes	...	Ann Grant
Toni Collette	...	Nina Mars
Vanessa Redgrave	...	Ann Lord
Patrick Wilson	...	Harris Arden
Hugh Dancy	...	Buddy Wittenborn
Natasha Richardson	...	Constance Haverford
Mamie Gummer	...	Lila Wittenborn
Eileen Atkins	...	The Night Nurse
Meryl Streep	...	Lila Ross
Glenn Close	...	Mrs. Wittenborn
Ebon Moss-Bachrach	...	Luc
Barry Bostwick	...	Mr. Wittenborn
David Furr	...	Ralph Haverford
Sarah Clements	...	Lizzie Tull (as Sarah Viccellio)
Cheryl Lynn Bowers	...	Peach Howze

Storyline

The love which binds mother and daughter -- seen through the prism of one mother's life as it crests with optimism, navigates a turning point, and ebbs to its close. Overcome by the power of memory, Ann Lord reveals a long-held secret to her concerned daughters; Constance, a content wife and mother, and Nina, a restless single woman. Both are bedside when Ann calls out for the man she loved more than any other. But who is this "Harris," wonder her daughters, and what is he to our mother? While Constance and Nina try to take stock of Ann's life and their own lives, their mother is tended to by a night nurse as she journeys in her mind back to a summer weekend some fifty years before, when she was Ann Grant, a young woman who has come from New York City to be maid of honor at the high-society Newport wedding of her dearest friend from college, Lila Wittenborn. The bride-to-be is jittery, and turns to her maid of honor rather than her own mother for support. Ann stays close to her friend...

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Plot Keywords:

gay kiss | friend | love | woman | wedding | 

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Taglines:

The greatest actresses of our time in one extraordinary movie

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for some thematic elements, sexual material, a brief accident scene and language

Details

Official Sites:

CMC Movie [Taiwan] Focus Features [United States]

Country:

USA Germany

Language:

English

Release Date:

29 June 2007 (USA)

Also Known As:

Pasión al atardecer

Filming Locations:

85th St. and West End Avenue, New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$3,501,971, 1 July 2007, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$12,406,646, 29 July 2007

Company Credits

Production Co:

Hart-Sharp Entertainment, MBF Erste Filmproduktiongesellschaft, Twins Financing

Technical Specs

Runtime:

117 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital DTS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

According to The Hollywood Reporter (9/14/06): "director Jonathan Caouette (Tarnation (2003)) had been in preliminary discussions to direct, and Oscar-winning actress Ellen Burstyn was discussed for the lead role, but those deals never developed."

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Goofs

In every scene where Ann is on her death bed, IV poles can be seen in the background. The liquid in the IV bags, however, are never dripping. IV solution has to drip from the bottom of the bag into the IV tube in order to enter the patient. These bags are just hanging there doing nothing.

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Quotes

Buddy Wittenborn: "Wittgenstein, Schmittgenstein. What's for lunch?"
Mrs. Brown: Just close your eyes and think of a time when you were happy.

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Connections

Referenced in Jeopardy!: Episode #26.31 (2009)

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Soundtracks

One for Ernie
Written by Andy Farber
Performed by Isaac ben Ayala
Courtesy of Andy Farber

User Reviews

Genuinely enthralling

A lot of times, throwing a bunch of A-list actors and actresses together results in an overshadowing of everything, including plot. All the actors trying to out-act each other and shine, when it all just ends up having potential and failing immensely. With Evening, this is not the case. I love the opening shots of the film, and from the beginning, the atmosphere is simplistic and beautiful enough to visually and emotionally capture my attention. The story begins slowly and builds into a very elegant love/tragedy that is only bettered by the actors and actresses.

Like I said, the actors and actresses in this film are pretty well known, but not all of them are generally considered "A-list". They all pull off their parts to the fullest, of course Meryl Streep and Claire Danes do, and everyone brings to the movie something on a level of calm, refined art. It's a very nicely put together movie with a solid storyline and overly appeasing acting chops. I would recommend it to anyone who looks for movies that are hidden gems.