Love Is Strange for Marisa Tomei; Ira Sachs’ Adds Actress to NYC-Set Relationship Drama

Ira Sachs has found the third piece in his acting puzzle in the rarely used, under-appreciated actress who since Bent Hamer’s Factotum has become a fixture of sorts for supporting roles in quality indie fare items (we loved her take in Cyrus as well). Marisa Tomei (replaces a once attached Kelly Reilly) in Love is Strange, landing the role of Kate, a novelist who is married to Ben’s (John Lithgow) nephew. The couple agrees to let Ben move in after he’s forced to sell his apartment. Production is set for the end of the month and will be produced by Parts & Labor’s  Lars Knudsen and Jay Van Hoy, Lucas Joaquin (producer on Sach’s brilliant Keep the Lights On – read our 4-star review) and Jayne Baron Sherman.

Gist: This follows a newlywed gay couple (John Lithgow and Alfred Molina) who are forced to live apart.

Worth Noting: Mauricio Zacharias co-wrote Sachs’ last film and was among the writers on Karim Ainouz’s Madame Satã (’02)

Do We Care?: On paper we’ve got the right constellation of folks here in front of the camera (Tomei is a logical add-on while John Lithgow and Alfred Molina could both benefit from strong dramatic material), behind the camera (Ira Sachs, who we’ve been fans of since Forty Shades of Blue who comes off the critically acclaimed career relaunch Keep the Lights On) and on the scene (the magical touch from producers Knudsen & Van Hoy).