Casey Affleck on 'Company' at Venice: Conflicts and Grief — SkimNews
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- Casey Affleck premiered his Competition film 'Company' at Venice alongside cast Adelaide Clemens, Scoot McNairy, Emily Alyn Lind, partner-producer Caylee Cowan, and 85-year-old Nick Nolte; co-star Ben Mendelsohn left Venice to be with his unwell father.
- Affleck told journalists the film is 'not explicitly a political movie' but was made 'in part' as a response to 'raging conflicts in the world,' invoking Chekhov's view that art 'formulates the problem' rather than solving it.
- Affleck cast his sons Atticus (screen debut) and Indiana (second feature) in 'Company,' saying neither wanted to participate but calling the shoot 'the best professional experience of my life by far.'
- Affleck lost both parents this year and dedicated the film to them, telling reporters he never got the chance to show them the finished movie.
- The article explicitly flags as 'unsaid' the period following 'I'm Still Here' — two settled lawsuits out of court, his name pulled into the MeToo debate, his 2018 Oscars-presenting withdrawal, and no Academy nomination since his 2016 win for 'Manchester By The Sea.'
- 'Company' is set over a winter night in 1975 with a mysterious woman named Evelyn recounting layered stories; Affleck co-wrote the script with novelist Ron Hansen, making this his third directorial feature, seven years after 'Light Of My Life.'
Why it matters: Affleck returned to the Venice Competition as a director seven years after 'Light of My Life,' addressing both global conflicts and personal grief over losing both parents this year — his first major directorial outing since the 'I'm Still Here' MeToo controversies and two settled lawsuits.
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