THE CRITIC
Section: Special Presentations
Director: Anand Tucker
Screenwriter: Patrick Marber
Logline: A savage newspaper theatre critic (Ian McKellen) teams up with an actress (Gemma Arteton) in an attempt to blackmail his editor in 1930s London.
International Sales: Culmination
Panelists: Anand Tucker (director), Gemma Arterton (actor), Ben Barnes (actor), Alfred Enoch (actor)
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First Screening: Sept. 11, 2023.
Key Quote: “When I started out, I got some savage reviews, but, actually, I’ve sort of reclaimed them, especially when I’m working with much younger actors. If they get a bad review, I’m like, ‘Do you think that’s a bad review? I’ll show you a bad review, mate!’ I find it very empowering now, because I had some savage ones back in the day, and they sit with you. I saw a documentary with Robert Redford and Paul Newman, and they could remember, word for word, the worst things that had ever been said about them. I’m the same way. I can reel off two or three that would just make me feel sick. But the point is, you don’t remember the good, and that’s an adjustment we need to make in our heads.” — Ben Barnes
Click above to watch the panel video.