The Kindness of Strangers (film)
| The Kindness of Strangers | |
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 Theatrical release poster
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| Directed by | Lone Scherfig |
| Written by | Lone Scherfig |
| Produced by |
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| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Sebastian Blenkov |
| Edited by | Cam McLauchlin |
| Music by | Andrew Lockington |
Production companies |
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Release dates |
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Running time |
114 minutes |
| Countries |
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| Language | English |
| Box office | $129,603 |
The Kindness of Strangers is a 2019 internationally co-produced drama film, written and directed by Lone Scherfig. It stars Zoe Kazan, Tahar Rahim, Esben Smed, Andrea Riseborough, and Caleb Landry Jones.
It had its world premiere at the Berlin International Film Festival on February 7, 2019. It was released in the United States on February 14, 2020, by Vertical Entertainment.
Plot
On the run from an abusive husband, Clara tries to survive on the New York streets with her two children during a harsh winter. She has the help of lonely Alice, doltish Jeff, and the sad chef Marc.
Cast
- Zoe Kazan as Clara Scott
- Tahar Rahim as Marc
- Esben Smed as Richard Scott
- Andrea Riseborough as Alice
- Caleb Landry Jones as Jeff
- Bill Nighy as Timofey
- Jay Baruchel as John
- Jack Fulton as Anthony Scott
- Finlay Wojtak-Hissong as Jude Scott
- Nicolaj Kopernikus as Sergei Scott
- Rodrigo Fernandez-Stoll as Laundry Worker #1
Production
In February 2017, it was announced Lone Scherfig would direct the film, from a screenplay she wrote, with HanWay Films, Ingenious Media, Apollo Media, Creative Alliance, Strada Films, Telefilm Canada, Danish Film Institute, Nadcon, D'Artaganan, and Entertainment One serving as producers. In February 2018, Andrea Riseborough, Tahar Rahim, and Zoe Kazan joined the cast of the film. In March 2018, Bill Nighy, Caleb Landry Jones, and Jay Baruchel joined the cast of the film. In September 2018, it was announced the title was The Kindness of Strangers.
Filming
Principal photography began in March 2018, and took place in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, New York City, and Copenhagen, Denmark.
Release
It had its world premiere at the Berlin International Film Festival on February 7, 2019. It was released in the United States on February 14, 2020, by Vertical Entertainment.
Reception
According to the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 31% of critics have given the film a positive review based on 36 reviews, with an average rating of 4.3/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "A talented onscreen ensemble is done no favors by The Kindness of Strangers, which searches for meaning and comes up empty." Metacritic reports a score of 32 out of 100 based on 11 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews".