Man from Reno
Apr 30 - May 04, 2015
(Dave Boyle, United States, 2014, DCP, 111 min)
Seattle premiere!
Skype Q&A with director Dave Boyle on opening night!
The neo-noir is back with a vengeance: Man From Reno is a twisting puzzle of a film, one that effortlessly swivels between multiple story lines and multiple languages. A tightly knit community of Japanese expats. A celebrity crime novelist hiding from the press. A small town sheriff ready to hang up his badge. A body without a name, and a name without a face. In the maze-like alleys of San Francisco, and the lonely dirt roads of inland California, truth is a rare thing. And lies, once unravelled, only reveal further enigmas.
Director Dave Boyle (White on Rice, Surrogate Valentine) picked up Best Narrative Feature at the LA Film Festival for this impeccably scripted mystery, which pays homage to the great noir traditions even as it challenges the genre. The austere cinematography of Richard Wong (Snow Flower and the Secret Fan) haunts each scene with the alienating sensation of a lurking danger, always just offscreen. But the heart of the film is written on the face of Ayako Fujitani (Tokyo!) whose intelligent, understated performance eloquently sets the tone as she sets about solving the mystery. Viewers will have their work cut out as the twists come fast and faster, along with the questions. But what really is the mystery? What is the crime? Man From Reno challenges all expectations, ultimately revealing itself to be a noir unlike any other.
"a retro-style mystery. . .a classic crime-saga face off"
—Hollywood Reporter
"This is stellar pulp storytelling with a twist. . .a lean and gripping thriller"
—The Playlist
"Dave Boyle keeps that fuse burning slowly but brightly"
—Indiewire