''The Letter'', previously called ''The Stare'', is a 2012 American psychological thriller film written and directed by Jay Anania, starring Winona Ryder and James Franco. Franco is a former student of Anania's, who teaches directing at

NYU New York University (NYU) is a private university, private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then-United States Secretary of the Treasu ...

. The pair previously collaborated on ''

Shadows and Lies ''Shadows and Lies'' ( es, Sombras y mentiras, also known as ''In Praise of Shadows'' and ''William Vincent'') is a 2010 romantic drama film starring James Franco and Julianne Nicholson. Filming took place in New York City, New York. The film ha ...

''. In 2012, it was announced that Lionsgate purchased the distribution rights to the film, which was retitled ''The Letter''. The film got its first theatrical showing at the Cincinnati Film Festival on September 9, 2012.

Plot

A playwright, Martine (Ryder), suffers from

paranoia Paranoia is an instinct or thought process that is believed to be heavily influenced by anxiety or fear, often to the point of delusion and irrationality. Paranoid thinking typically includes persecutory beliefs, or beliefs of conspiracy concer ...

and hallucinations as she attempts to stage a new production. She is uncertain over whether she is deluded or if there is a plot against her. Tyrone (Franco) is an actor in Martine's new play.

Cast

* Winona Ryder as Martine * James Franco as Tyrone *

Dagmara Dominczyk Dagmara is a given name. Notable people with the given name include: *Dagmara Domińczyk (born 1976), Polish-American actress and author *Dagmara Grad (born 1990), Polish footballer * Dagmara Handzlik (born 1986), Polish-born Cypriot long distance ...

as Elizabeth Mcintyre * Josh Hamilton as Raymond *

Katherine Waterston Katherine Boyer Waterston (born March 3, 1980) is a British-American actress. She made her feature film debut in ''Michael Clayton'' (2007). She had supporting roles in films including ''Robot & Frank,'' ''Being Flynn'' (both 2012) and ''The Di ...

as Julie *

Marin Ireland Marin Yvonne Ireland is an American actress. Known for her work in theatre and independent films, ''The New York Times'' deemed Ireland "one of the great drama queens of the New York stage". Her accolades include a Theatre World Award and nomina ...

as Anita

Reception

Writing for ''7MPictures'', Liam Carr said that "''The Letter'' is not a thriller. It is barely a film. It's a boring, self-important, disjointed and pointless pile of tripe masquerading as a movie."

References

External links

* 2012 films 2012 psychological thriller films American psychological thriller films Films set in New York City Films shot in New York City 2010s English-language films 2010s American films {{psychological-thriller-film-stub