Tuscaloosa (2019)

Alabama, 1972. As Billy falls for a patient at his father's mental asylum, his best friend becomes involved in a radical civil rights movement against Tuscaloosa's power elite.

Director:

Philip Harder

Writers:

Philip Harder (screenplay), Glasgow Phillips (based on the novel by)

Stars:

Natalia Dyer, Tate Donovan, Devon Bostick

10 wins & 3 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
Natalia Dyer	...	Virginia
Tate Donovan	...	Doctor
Devon Bostick	...	Billy
Nathan Phillips	...	Deputy
Ella Rae Peck	...	Anne
Birgundi Baker	...	Carmen
Bruce Bohne	...	Papa
Valerie Rose	...	Nurse
YG	...	Antoine
Marchánt Davis	...	Nigel
Paul Cram	...	Earl
James Craven	...	Latham
John Murray	...	Orderly
Sergio Rockstar	...	Sergio
Michelle Perdue	...	Fanny

Storyline

1972. Vietnam war protests and racial tension is sizzling in the late summer heat of Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Billy Mitchell (Devon Bostick, Diary of a Wimpy Kid), a recent college graduate, spends the summer working on the lush grounds of an old world mental institution run by his psychiatrist father (Tate Donovan, Argo). Billy falls in love with Virginia (Natalia Dyer, Velvet Buzzsaw, Stranger Things), a patient who is possibly crazy, or perhaps she is the only sane person Billy has in his world. Billy's best friend Nigel (Marchant Davis) becomes involved with a radical civil rights terrorism movement against Tuscaloosa's power elite, which includes Billy's father. Billy is torn between Nigel, his father and his cronies, and Virginia who is planning her escape with or without Billy.

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Plot Keywords:

alabama | mental institution | one word title | love | tuscaloosa alabama | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Did You Know?

Trivia

Much of the story's action revolves around a mental hospital at which Billy's father is a doctor and in which Virginia is institutionalized. This setting is based on Bryce Hospital, a real mental institution in Tuscaloosa. Founded in 1861 as the Alabama State Hospital for the Insane, it was planned according to the then-groundbreaking ideas of "moral architecture" as pioneered by mental-health activists Thomas Story Kirkbride and Dorothea Dix and was (for its time) a model facility for the treatment of mental illness. For many years it was known across the state as one of the only medical resources for mentally ill patients in Alabama; in her classic novel, "To Kill a Mockingbird," Harper Lee even demonstrates that just the town's name was for many in the state synonymous with Bryce's presence there: "Miss Stephanie said old Mr. Radley said no Radley was going to any asylum, when it was suggested that a season in Tuscaloosa might be helpful to Boo. Boo wasn't crazy, he was high-strung at times. It was all right to shut him up, Mr. Radley conceded, but insisted that Boo not be charged with anything: he was not a criminal."

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Goofs

At the 56 minute and 35 second mark a police car is shown while driving and the Doctor (Tate Donovan) is supposedly shown sitting in the backseat behind the driver's seat. However, there is a different man (substitute) in place of Tate Donovan. And it's easily noticeable. At the 56:39 mark Tate Donovan is shown in a close up shot from that rear left seat position. He must not have been able to be at the initial filming of this scene so later did a separate solo filming of this shot with him in the police car (and to look as if he were there with the other three people).

User Reviews

Compelling on many fronts

Race, class, privilege, and war are all tackled in a visually stunning film. The director's experience in the music business shows in the soundtrack too.

Details

Official Sites:

Director's official site Las Cruces Film Festival Best Narrative Feature : TUSCALOOSA

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

13 March 2020 (USA)

Also Known As:

Tuscaloosa

Filming Locations:

Northfield, Minnesota, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Cinedigm, Garlin Pictures, T-Group USA

Technical Specs

Runtime:

101 min

Color:

Color