The Neighbor (2017 film)

2018 thriller film directed by Aaron Harvey

The Neighbor (2018 Film)

Theatrical Release Poster

Directed by| Aaron Harvey
Written by| Aaron Harvey
Richard Byard
Produced by| Robert Ogden Barnum
William Fichtner
Aaron Harvey
Oliver Ridge
Starring|

* William Fichtner
* Jessica McNamee
* Jean Louisa Kelly
* Michael Rosenbaum
* Colin Woodell
* Erich Anderson

Cinematography| John W. Rutland
Music by| James Curd

Production
companies

Michael Bruce Pictures
Blood Moon Creative

Distributed by| Vertical Entertainment

Release dates

* April 23, 2017 (2017-04-23) (Newport Beach Film Festival)[1]
* January 26, 2018 (2018-01-26) (United States)

Running time

| 97 minutes
Country| United States
Language| English
Budget| $500,000 (estimated)

The Neighbor (also known as Last Days of Summer) is a 2018 American drama film co-written, produced and directed by Aaron Harvey. The film stars William Fichtner as Mike, a technical writer who sees his life shaken by the arrival of new, younger neighbors.

The Neighbor premiered at the 2016 Rhode Island International Film Festival where it won the festival's top prize for "Best Narrative Feature".[2] It was released theatrically in the United States on January 26, 2018 by Vertical Entertainment.[3]

## Contents

* 1 Summary
* 2 Cast
* 3 Release
* 3.1 Reception
* 3.2 Accolades
* 4 References
* 5 External links

## Summary[edit]

Mike Prentis (William Fichtner) is a middle-aged man in a routine marriage, who works from home as a technical writer. When a new couple moves in next door, Mike quickly befriends the young Jenna (Jessica McNamee) and her car-dealer husband, Scott (Michael Rosenbaum). Working from home, Mike has plenty of time to pay attention to the beautiful woman next door; who slowly begins to reveal the details of her life with Scott, and the fact that all isn't as carefree as Scott would like it to appear. While Mike watches as the young couple's relationship begins to unravel, his own marriage starts coming apart at the seams. Mike's wife Lisa (Jean Louisa Kelly) sees Mike's attraction to Jenna forming and pulls further away from him - pushing their own relationship to the breaking point. Compounding the fact is Mike's son Alex (Colin Woodell), who returns from college and forms an unwitting friendship with Jenna, much to the disdain of his father.

As Mike witnesses the perceived abuse of Jenna at the hands of Scott increasing, he makes one last dramatic and misguided effort to intervene - which in the end only serves to completely sever his relationship with Jenna, his family and life in general.

## Cast[edit]

* William Fichtner as Mike
* Jessica McNamee as Jenna
* Jean Louisa Kelly as Lisa
* Michael Rosenbaum as Scott
* Colin Woodell as Alex
* Erich Anderson as Brian
* Robert Artz as Bar Patron

## Release[edit]

### Reception[edit]

The film premiered at the 2016 Rhode Island International Film Festival where it won the "Grand Prize, Best Narrative Feature" award".[4] It went on to play multiple other festivals, including the Quebec City Film Festival, the Newport Beach Film Festival and the Hollywood Reel Independent Film Festival where it won both "Best Director" and "Best Actor" awards.[5]

Michael Rechtshaffen from the Los Angeles Times gave the film a good review writing: "Aaron Harvey's The Neighbor finds a sturdy constant in its thoughtfully delineated performances and handsome production values. Harvey's contained direction and John W. Rutland's impressive cinematography provide a sharply observed continuity that's as admirably contained as the Prentices' impeccably appointed, if spiritually anemic, home."[6] J.R. Southall gave the film 6 out of 10 and said: "The Neighbour... is just about absorbing enough to hold your attention until its powerful but bleak finale. But only just."[7] Niall Browne from "Movies In Focus" gave The Neighbour three stars out of five and stated: "A slow-burning domestic thriller, Aaron Harvey's The Neighbour is a tense little movie with a captivating central performance from William Fichtner."[8]

Author Stephen King tweeted of the film; "The Neighbor, now streaming: Low-key, but what a bravura performance from William Fichtner, one of America's great unsung actors."[9]

### Accolades[edit]

The Neighbor received several awards and nominations.

Award  | Subject  | Nominee  | Result  | Ref.

|
|
|
|

Beloit International Film Festival | Director of Programming Award  | Aaron Harvey
Oliver Ridge  | Won  | [10]
Hollywood Reel Independent Film Festival | Best Actor  | William Fichtner | Won  | [5]
Best Director  | Aaron Harvey | Won  |
Newport Beach Film Festival | Best Film - Jury Award  | Aaron Harvey
Oliver Ridge  | Nominated  | [11]
Rhode Island International Film Festival | Best Feature Film  | Aaron Harvey
Oliver Ridge  | Won  | [12]
Whistler Film Festival | Narrative Feature - Audience Award  | Aaron Harvey
Oliver Ridge  | Nominated  | [13]

## References[edit]

1. ^ "2017 Newport Beach Film Festival". newportbeachfilmfest.com.
2. ^ August 19, matthew; Reply, 2016 at 12:11 AM · (2016-08-18). "LAST DAYS OF SUMMER, PRISON DOGS, TWO WORLDS Win Top Awards at FLICKERS: Rhode Island International Film Festival". VIMOOZ. Retrieved 2020-09-09.
3. ^ The Neighbor (2017) - IMDb, retrieved 2020-09-09
4. ^ "RIFF 2017 AWARD WINNERS". Vimooz.com. Retrieved 18 August 2016.
5. ^ a b "HRIFF 2017 AWARD WINNERS". Hollywood Reel Independent Film Festival. Retrieved 9 March 2019.
6. ^ Rechtshaffen, Michael. "Upper-middle-class male angst fuels 'The Neighbor'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 9 March 2019.
7. ^ Southall, J.R. "THE NEIGHBOUR". Starburst Magazine. Retrieved 9 March 2019.
8. ^ Browne, Niall. "Review: William Fichtner Is Captivating In THE NEIGHBOUR". Movies in Focus. Retrieved 9 March 2019.
9. ^ "THE NEIGHBOR". Twitter. Retrieved 16 January 2021.
10. ^ "The 2017 BIFFY Award Winners!". Beloit International Film Festival. Retrieved 9 March 2019.
11. ^ "Newport Beach Film Festival - 2017 Awards". IMDB. Retrieved 9 March 2019.
12. ^ "Rhode Island International Film Festival - 2016 Awards". IMDB. Retrieved 9 March 2019.
13. ^ "Whistler Film Festival - 2016 Awards". IMDB. Retrieved 9 March 2019.

## External links[edit]

* The Neighbor at IMDb
* The Neighbor at Rotten Tomatoes
* The Neighbor at Metacritic