''Five Nights in Maine'' is a 2015 American

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super-g ...

written and directed by

Maris Curran Maris Curran is an American filmmaker. She is best known for directing the films ''Five Nights in Maine'' and ''Jeannette''. Career Maris earned her BA from Smith College and an MFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. She participate ...

. It was screened in the Discovery section of the

2015 Toronto International Film Festival The 40th annual Toronto International Film Festival was held from 10 to 20 September 2015. On 28 July 2015 the first wave of films to be screened at the Festival was announced. Jean-Marc Vallée's ''Demolition'' starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Naom ...

Plot

After his dearest wife Fiona is suddenly killed in a car accident due to a traffic jam, Sherwin Owens goes to

Maine Maine () is a state in the New England and Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec to the northeast and north ...

to stay with his terminally ill mother-in-law, Lucinda, so they can grieve together. However, Lucinda is resentful and distant and Sherwin later discovers that she herself feels confronting guilt and grief over her daughter's death.

Cast

David Oyelowo David Oyetokunbo Oyelowo ( ; born 1 April 1976) is a British actor, director and producer. His accolades include a Critics' Choice Award and two NAACP Image Awards as well as nominations for two Golden Globe Awards, two Primetime Emmy Awards, ...

as Sherwin Owens *

Teyonah Parris Teyonah Parris ( ) is an American actress. Her first prominent career role was playing secretary Dawn Chambers in the AMC drama series ''Mad Men'' (2012–2015) and starring in the 2014 independent film ''Dear White People''. Since that, Parris st ...

as Penelope *

Dianne Wiest Dianne Evelyn Wiest (; born March 28, 1948) is an American actress. She has won two Academy Awards for Best Supporting Actress for 1986’s ''Hannah and Her Sisters'' and 1994’s ''Bullets over Broadway'' (both of which were directed by Woody ...

as Lucinda *

Rosie Perez Rosa Perez (born September 6, 1964) is an American actress, choreographer, dancer, and activist. Her breakthrough came with her portrayal of Tina in the film ''Do the Right Thing'' (1989), followed by ''White Men Can't Jump'' (1992). Perez's perf ...

as Ann *

Bill Raymond William Joseph Raymond (born September 9, 1938) is an American actor who has appeared in film, television, theater and radio drama since the 1960s. Career He is featured in the second and fifth seasons of the HBO drama ''The Wire'' as "The Gree ...

as George * Hani Furstenberg as Fiona Owens

Reception

''The A V Club'' says it is "admirable in its avoidance of easy sentiment", but concludes "the less-is-more approach doesn’t entirely work here". ''Observer'' calls ''Five Nights in Maine'' "inconsequential" and "disappointing". ''The Wrap'' notes the detachment in the film, saying "'Five Nights in Maine' is as frustrating as it is mannered; we never see these characters truly engaging the pain they clearly feel." A review in ''Maine Today'' says "The film is like a short story, in that we are presented with this snapshot of two lives and are left to fill in much of the meaning and the context. Processed that way, what can seem inconsequential or thin in traditional movie terms sticks with you." ''Variety'' describes it as a "tasteful, challenging yet ultimately inscrutable debut feature

hat A hat is a head covering which is worn for various reasons, including protection against weather conditions, ceremonial reasons such as university graduation, religious reasons, safety, or as a fashion accessory. Hats which incorporate mecha ...

never quite lives up to the caliber of her fine cast."

References

External links

* * 2015 films 2015 drama films American drama films 2010s English-language films 2010s American films {{2010s-drama-film-stub