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Matt and Mara
Matt and Mara is a 2024 Canadian drama film, written and directed by Kazik Radwanski.[1] The film stars Deragh Campbell as Mara, a university professor in a troubled marriage to Samir (Mounir Al Shami), who unexpectedly reconnects with Matt (Matt Johnson), a man from her past.[2] The cast also includes Simon Reynolds, Kinshuk Dhingra, Georgia Tannis, Jack Nguyen, Frances Howlett, and Linda Theresa Young. Cast
ProductionThe casting for the film was announced late 2020,[3] and the film went into production in 2022.[4] ReleaseIt premiered in the Encounters program at the 74th Berlin International Film Festival,[5] and will have its Canadian premiere at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival.[6] ReceptionOn the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 86% of 14 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7.1/10.[7] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 68 out of 100, based on 5 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.[8] Wendy Ide of Screen Daily wrote that "Matt and Mara is one of those films in which very little concrete happens, but the tingling possibility that something might makes it compelling. The appeal is largely due to the casting – Cambell [sic] and Johnson have an undeniable chemistry that is magnified by the improvisational freedom of the picture’s approach. And the agile camerawork deftly captures not just the finely-honed details of both performances, but also the increasingly charged space between the characters."[2] In a negative review, Sarah Manvel of Critic's Notebook noted, "[the film] could have been delicious. But in this form we are not even being served the cookie dough. All that's here is some raw ingredients with the hope we'll mix them ourselves."[9] Guy Lodge for Variety wrote that "The fourth feature from Canadian writer-director Kazik Radwanski is an itchy, unsettled and often poignant relationship drama, consistent with his previous works not just in shared personnel — notably lead actors Deragh Campbell and Matt Johnson, who also headlined Radwanski’s 2019 breakout “Anne at 13,000 Ft.” — but in a tingly, seasick storytelling sensibility that makes something volatile and cinematic out of ostensibly static material."[10] References
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