''The Hottest State'' is a 2006

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

Ethan Hawke Ethan Green Hawke (born November 6, 1970) is an American actor and film director. He has been nominated for four Academy Awards, two Golden Globe Awards and a Tony Award. Hawke has directed three feature films, three off-Broadway plays, and a doc ...

, based on his 1996 novel of the same name. The film debuted at the

Venice Film Festival The Venice Film Festival or Venice International Film Festival ( it, Mostra Internazionale d'Arte Cinematografica della Biennale di Venezia, "International Exhibition of Cinematographic Art of the Venice Biennale") is an annual film festival he ...

on September 2, 2006, and received a limited theatrical release in the United States on August 24, 2007. It ran for 5 weeks and grossed $137,341 internationally. The film was subsequently issued on DVD in December 2007.

Synopsis

The film tells the story of a 20-year-old actor William ( Mark Webber) who falls in love for the first time with an aspiring singer, Sarah (

Catalina Sandino Moreno Catalina Sandino Moreno (born 19 April 1981) is a Colombian actress. She shared the Silver Bear with Charlize Theron and received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actress for her leading role in ''Maria Full of Grace'' (2004). She cu ...

). As their love blossoms and languishes, young William reexamines himself and his relationship with his mother Jesse (

Laura Linney Laura Leggett Linney (born February 5, 1964) is an American actress. Having studied acting at Juilliard School (1986-1990), she became known for her complex and multilayered performances on stage and screen. She has received various accolades, ...

) and estranged father Vince (

Cast

* Mark Webber as William Harding *

as Sarah * Michelle Williams as Samantha *

as Jesse *

as Vince *

Daniel Ross Daniel Ross may refer to: * Daniel Ross (actor) (born 1980), American actor, voice actor, and producer * Daniel Ross (philosopher) (born 1970), Australian philosopher and filmmaker * Daniel Ross (marine surveyor) (1780–1849), president of the Bom ...

as Young Vince *

Alexandra Daddario Alexandra Anna Daddario (born March 16, 1986) is an American actress who had her breakthrough portraying Annabeth Chase in the ''Percy Jackson'' film series (2010–2013). In 2021, she starred in the first season of the HBO series ''The White L ...

as Kim *

Cherami Leigh Cherami Leigh (born July 19, 1988) is an American actress. She has provided voices for a number of English-language versions of anime series and video games with Funimation, Bang Zoom! Entertainment, NYAV Post, Studiopolis and Viz Media. Some o ...

as Danielle *

Glen Powell Glen Thomas Powell Jr. (born October 21, 1988) is an American actor. He began his career with guest roles on television and small roles in films such as ''The Dark Knight Rises'' (2012) and ''The Expendables 3'' (2014) before making his breakthr ...

as John Jaegerman *

Sônia Braga Sônia Maria Campos Braga (; born 8 June 1950) is a Brazilian actress. She is known in the English-speaking world for her Golden Globe Award–nominated performances in '' Kiss of the Spider Woman'' (1985) and ''Moon over Parador'' (1988). She ...

as Mrs. Garcia * Anne Clarke as Young Jesse

Soundtrack

The music score for the film was composed by

Grammy The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pre ...

-winning musician

Jesse Harris Jesse Harris (born October 24, 1969) is an American singer-songwriter, producer, and guitarist. He has worked with Norah Jones, Melody Gardot, Madeleine Peyroux, Nikki Yanofsky, and Lizz Wright. Early life and education Harris and his twin sist ...

. Aside from the inclusion of two score tracks, the album is composed of sixteen original songs interpreted by such musicians as

Willie Nelson Willie Hugh Nelson (born April 29, 1933) is an American country musician. The critical success of the album ''Shotgun Willie'' (1973), combined with the critical and commercial success of ''Red Headed Stranger'' (1975) and '' Stardust'' (197 ...

Norah Jones Norah Jones (born Geethali Norah Jones Shankar; March 30, 1979) is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. She has won several awards for her music and as of 2012, has sold more than 50 million records worldwide. ''Billboard'' named her the ...

Cat Power Charlyn Marie "Chan" Marshall ( ; born January 21, 1972), better known by her stage name Cat Power, is an American singer-songwriter, musician and model. Cat Power was originally the name of her first band, but has become her stage name as a ...

, Bright Eyes, and Feist. It was also named one of "The Top 10 CDs of 2007" by the ''

New York Daily News The New York ''Daily News'', officially titled the ''Daily News'', is an American newspaper based in Jersey City, NJ. It was founded in 1919 by Joseph Medill Patterson as the ''Illustrated Daily News''. It was the first U.S. daily printed in ta ...

''.

Track listing

#"Ya No Te Veria Mas (Never See You)" - 2:06 (Rocha) #"Always Seem To Get Things Wrong" - 3:47 (

) #"Somewhere Down The Road" - 2:44 ( Feist) #"Big Old House" - 3:54 ( Bright Eyes) #"The Speed of Sound" - 4:19 (

Emmylou Harris Emmylou Harris (born April 2, 1947) is an American singer, songwriter and musician. She has released dozens of albums and singles over the course of her career and has won 14 Grammys, the Polar Music Prize, and numerous other honors, including ...

) #"It Will Stay With Us" - 2:17 (

) #"If You Ever Slip" - 2:33 (

The Black Keys The Black Keys are an American rock duo formed in Akron, Ohio, in 2001. The group consists of Dan Auerbach (guitar, vocals) and Patrick Carney (drums). The duo began as an independent act, recording music in basements and self-producing their ...

) #"Crooked Lines" - 4:28 (

M. Ward Matthew Stephen Ward (born October 4, 1973) is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist from Portland, Oregon. Ward's solo work is a mixture of folk and blues-inspired Americana analog recordings; he has released ten studio albums since 19 ...

) #"World of Trouble" - 4:35 (

) #"Never See You" - 5:04 (

Brad Mehldau Bradford Alexander Mehldau (; born August 23, 1970) is an American jazz pianist, composer, and arranger. Mehldau studied music at The New School, and toured and recorded while still a student. He was a member of saxophonist Joshua Redman's Quar ...

) #"It's Alright To Fail" - 3:40 (

) #"One Day The Dam Will Break" - 2:58 (Jesse Harris) #"You, The Queen" - 4:17 (

Tony Scherr Tony Scherr is an American jazz and folk rock bassist, guitarist, singer-songwriter, and record producer. Biography Scherr was born in New Haven, Connecticut, and is a graduate of the Hammonasset School. He played with Woody Herman as a teenag ...

) #"Morning In A Strange City (Cafe)" - 2:00 #"No More" - 3:59 (Rocha) #"Dear Dorothy" - 2:28 (Jesse Harris) #"Never See You" - 2:46 (Rocha) #"There Are No Good Second Chances" - 4:58

References

External links

* * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Hottest State, The 2006 films American drama films 2006 drama films Films directed by Ethan Hawke Films shot in New Jersey Films shot in Texas Films based on American novels 2000s English-language films 2000s American films