Collaborator (film)

2011 American film

Collaborator

Directed by| Martin Donovan
Written by| Martin Donovan
Produced by| Julien Favre
Luca Matrundola
Pascal Vaguelsy
Ted Hope
Starring| Martin Donovan
David Morse
Olivia Williams
Melissa Auf der Maur
Katherine Helmond
Eileen Ryan
Cinematography| Julie Kirkwood
Edited by| Karen Porter
Music by| Manels Favre

Production
companies

DViant Films
This is that

Distributed by| Tribeca Film (United States)
Entertainment One (International)[1]

Release dates

* July 4, 2011 (2011-07-04) (Karlovy Vary Film Festival)
* June 18, 2012 (2012-06-18) (United States)

Running time

| 87 minutes
Country| United States
Language| English

Collaborator is a 2011 American drama film written and directed by Martin Donovan. The film had its world premiere on July 4, 2011, at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival.[2] The film stars Donovan and the two-time Emmy-nominee David Morse, with Olivia Williams, Melissa Auf der Maur, Katherine Helmond and Eileen Ryan in supporting roles

## Plot

[edit]

Robert Longfellow, a once-successful playwright, is taken hostage at gunpoint by an ex-con neighbor, Gus, while on a routine visit to his childhood home. Longfellow has avoided Gus since he was a boy. As the drama unfolds, social status, celebrity, politics, and the threat of violence converge, leaving the playwright simultaneously shattered and inspired.

## Cast

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* Martin Donovan as Robert Longfellow
* David Morse as Gus
* Olivia Williams as Emma Stiles
* Melissa Auf der Maur as Alice Longfellow
* Katherine Helmond as Irene Longfellow
* Eileen Ryan as Betty
* Julian Richings as Maurice LeFont

## Awards and nominations

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* 46th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (2011)
* Best Actor — David Morse[2][3]
* Award of International Film Critics (FIPRESCI)[2][3]
* 1st Canadian Screen Awards (2013)
* Nominated: Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role — David Morse[4]

## Production

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DViant Films and This Is That Productions produced Collaborator. The film's score was composed by Manels Favre. The soundtrack also includes a Brahms cover performed by PJ Harvey. Filming took place in Los Angeles and Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada.

## Reception

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As of January 2023[update], the film has a 73% rating on Rotten Tomatoes from 26 reviews.[5]

The New York Times found it "earnest" and "wooden", like a one-act play "in which any visceral tension is secondary to topical debates by a captor and his prisoner".[6] The Los Angeles Times found it "disappointing" and "somber", failing to generate any tension from its thriller elements.[7]

The Globe and Mail awarded it 2.5/5 and Adam Litovitz criticised some stagy elements but praised the film as a study of character.[8] The New York Post praised the performances, saying "both characters are riveting".[9]

## References

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1. ^ Adams, Mark (5 July 2011). "Collaborator". Screen International. Retrieved 7 November 2021.
2. ^ a b c "Prizes of the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival 2011". July 9, 2011.
3. ^ a b "'Restoration' wins at Karlovy Vary". Variety. Retrieved April 4, 2013.
4. ^ "Canadian Screen Award nominations". CBC News. January 15, 2013. Retrieved October 20, 2017.
5. ^ "Collaborator". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved January 23, 2013.
6. ^ Holden, Steven (July 5, 2012). "Collaborator (review)". New York Times.
7. ^ Goldstein, Gary (July 19, 2012). "Collaborator (Review)". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved October 22, 2013.
8. ^ Litovitz, Adam (July 13, 2012). "A dark buddy tale for the mancession". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved October 22, 2013.
9. ^ Smith Nehme, Farran (July 6, 2012). "Collaborator". New York Post. Retrieved October 22, 2013.

## External links

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* Collaborator at IMDb
* Collaborator at Rotten Tomatoes
* Collaborator on Facebook