The Portrait (2023 film)

Film by Simon Ross

The Portrait

Release poster

Directed by| Simon Ross
Written by| David Griffiths
Produced by|

* Christian de Gallegos
* David Griffiths

Starring|

* Natalia Cordova-Buckley
* Ryan Kwanten
* Isidora Goreshter
* Mark-Paul Gosselaar
* Virginia Madsen

Cinematography| Luke Hanlein
Edited by| Simon Ross
Music by| Alexander Wells

Production
companies

* David Griffiths Films
* Ambassador Film Group

Distributed by| Altitude Film Distribution

Release dates

* 20 October 2023 (2023-10-20) (San Diego Film Festival)
* 11 December 2023 (2023-12-11) (United Kingdom)

Running time

| 86 minutes[1]
Country| United Kingdom[2]
Language| English

The Portrait is a 2023 British psychological thriller film starring Natalia Cordova-Buckley, Ryan Kwanten, Isidora Goreshter, Mark-Paul Gosselaar and Virginia Madsen. Directed by Simon Ross, in his feature debut, and written by David Griffiths, the plot is about a wife accidentally causing her husband's brain injury and being haunted by a portrait that resembles him.

The film premiered at San Diego Film Festival on 20 October 2023, and was released in the United Kingdom through digital platforms on 11 December 2023.

## Premise

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|

After Sofia causes her husband Alex's accident that leaves him with a brain injury, she becomes fixated on a mysterious portrait that bears a striking resemblance to his former self. However, as the portrait begins to haunt her, she must determine whether it is possessed or if she is having a mental breakdown.[3]

## Cast

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* Natalia Cordova-Buckley as Sofia
* Ryan Kwanten as Alex
* Mark-Paul Gosselaar as Brookes
* Virginia Madsen as Mags, Alex's cousin
* Isidora Goreshter as police sergeant

## Production

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The Portrait was directed by Simon Ross (in his feature directorial debut) from David Griffiths' script. Natalia Cordova-Buckley, Ryan Kwanten, Mark-Paul Gosselaar and Virginia Madsen were cast in lead roles.[4]

## Release

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The Portrait had its North American premiere at the 2023 San Diego Film Festival on 20 October.[5] The film's European premiere took place at Raindance Film Festival on 31 October 2023, where it was nominated for Best UK Feature.[3][6] The film was released in the United States on VOD and digital platforms by Saban Films on 8 December 2023.[7][8] It was released in the United Kingdom by Altitude Film Distribution on 11 December 2023.[1][9]

## Reception

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On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 75% of 8 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 5.6/10.[10]

Phil Hoad of The Guardian gave the film a score of three out of five and writing, "While this gothic chestnut, and the psychodrama that follows—with Sofia unsure how much is the product of her own under-siege mind—feel familiar, Ross injects them with a troubling inner turbulence that bodes well for him".[9]

## References

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1. ^ a b "The Portrait (15)". British Board of Film Classification. 22 November 2023. Retrieved 22 November 2023.
2. ^ Calnan, Ellie (13 September 2023). "Raindance Film Festival 2023 unveils line-up of UK and international indie features". Screen Daily. Retrieved 20 October 2023.
3. ^ a b Duncan, Charlie (24 September 2023). "First look at Agents of Shield star's new movie as UK screening confirmed". Digital Spy. Archived from the original on 22 October 2023. Retrieved 20 October 2023.
4. ^ Wiseman, Andreas (6 February 2023). "The Portrait: First Teaser For Horror Starring Natalia Cordova-Buckley, Ryan Kwanten, Virginia Madsen, Mark-Paul Gosselaar & Isidora Goreshter". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on 9 February 2023. Retrieved 25 February 2023.
5. ^ "The Portrait \- Film Festival 2023". San Diego Film Festival. Archived from the original on 2 October 2023. Retrieved 4 October 2023.
6. ^ "2023 Nominations". Raindance Film Festival. Archived from the original on 5 November 2023. Retrieved 20 October 2023.
7. ^ DeVore, Britta (31 October 2023). "Natalia Cordova-Buckley Questions Her Sanity in New 'The Portrait' Trailer [Exclusive]". Collider. Retrieved 3 November 2023.
8. ^ Hullender, Tatiana (28 November 2023). "Virginia Madsen Paints A Terrifying Family History In The Portrait Clip [Exclusive]". Screen Rant. Retrieved 5 December 2023.
9. ^ a b Hoad, Phil (6 December 2023). "The Portrait review – knotty psychodrama with a dark, menacing power". The Guardian. Retrieved 8 December 2023.
10. ^ "The Portrait". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved 23 December 2023.

## External links

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* The Portrait at IMDb