2015 Sundance Film Festival Predictions: Anna Boden & Ryan Fleck’s Mississippi Grind

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Technically hitting paydirt in the indie biz with their breakout addiction drama, we could argue that over the course of their four film filmography (television fiction and docu assignments aside) that the writing-directing tandem of Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck are softening their searing-like stance yet adhering to a contemplative template. Half Nelson (easily among my top ten films of ’06) was followed by Sugar (2008), dramedy It’s Kind of a Funny Story (2010) and in 2015, we can “bet” on a roadtrippin comedy to detail our need to beat the odds. Boden and Fleck are no strangers to Park City, a pair of their shorts landed there prior to their first two features. Mississippi Grind is a blue-chip indie item that originally had Jake Gyllenhaal in the lead but Ben Mendelsohn, Ryan Reynolds take the reigns alongside Analeigh Tipton, Sienna Miller, Alfre Woodard and Concussion thesp Robin Weigert. Shot in Alabama, New Orleans and Louisiana, production began in January with Sundance vets cinematographer Andrij Parekh and Production Designer Jade Healy in the fold.

Gist: Down on his luck and facing financial hardship, Gerry (Ben Mendelsohn) teams up with younger charismatic poker player, Curtis (Ryan Reynolds), in an attempt to change his luck. The two set off on a road trip through the South with visions of winning back what’s been lost.

Production Co./Producers: Electric City Ent.’s Lynette Howell and Jamie Patricof (Blue Valentine), Sycamore Pictures’ Ben Nearn and Tom Rice (The Way Way Back) and Jeremy Kipp Walker (It’s Kind of a Funny Story).

Prediction: Premieres Category

U.S. Distributor: Rights Available. WME Global (domestic). Panorama (international).

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Eric Lavallée
Eric Lavalléehttps://www.ericlavallee.com
Eric Lavallée is the founder, CEO, editor-in-chief, film journalist, and critic at IONCINEMA.com, established in 2000. A regular at Sundance, Cannes, and Venice, Eric holds a BFA in film studies from the Mel Hoppenheim School of Cinema. In 2013, he served on the narrative competition jury at the SXSW Film Festival. He was an associate producer on Mark Jackson’s "This Teacher" (2018 LA Film Festival, 2018 BFI London). In 2022, he was a New Flesh Juror for Best First Feature at the Fantasia International Film Festival. His top films for 2023 include The Zone of Interest (Glazer), Inside the Yellow Cocoon Shell (Pham Thien An), Totem (Lila Avilés), La Chimera (Alice Rohrwacher), All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt (Raven Jackson). He is a Golden Globes Voter.

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