Trailer for Ceremony
Posted 02.05.11 by Ryan
The first trailer has arrived online for writer/director Max Winkler's debut feature-length movie Ceremony, which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival last September to rave reviews. SlashFilm called Ceremony a "fantastic feature debut" that is "filled with complex, interesting and engrossing characters." Audiences will be able to see for themselves when the movie opens on VOD on March 4, and in theaters April 8.
The movie follows a children's book author (Michael Angarano) who attempts to win the affection of an older woman (Uma Thurman) on the weekend of her wedding. Winkler recently admitted to MTV that it isn't the most straight-forward comedy ever made.
I think this is a movie where if it's successful in the way I want it to be, you can laugh and feel emotional and sad at the same time, that would be my goal. I think it’s a comedy, but I’m very influenced by movies of the ‘70s, like Paper Moon and Annie Hall, that can be comedies but also hit you emotionally. To me I always think the best kind of comedy comes from sadness, and that’s what we tried to capitalize on.
Winkler also says that Ceremony will show a different side of Thurman that isn't often shown in movies.
Uma, for whatever reason, sort of gravitated to the character. A lot of people are used to seeing her with a Samurai sword and killing 5,000 ninjas at a time. The real Uma, I think this character is probably closer to her, stripped down and who she really is — this unbelievable delicate vulnerability that Uma has when you meet her and you get past the intimidation of standing in front of this 6-foot, beautiful Avatar-esque goddess woman. You get to know her and you realize she has a real delicate quality to her that is unbelievable.
The rest of the movie's plot can be found in the synopsis below.
Sam Davis (Angarano) convinces his former best friend to spend a weekend with him to rekindle their friendship at an elegant beachside estate owned by a famous documentary filmmaker (Lee Pace). But it soon becomes clear that Sam is secretly infatuated with the filmmaker’s fiancée, Zoe (Thurman), and that his true intention is to thwart their impending nuptials. As Sam’s plan begins to unravel, he is forced to realize how complicated love and friendship can be.