Collaborator (film)


Collaborator is a comedy-drama film written and directed by Martin Donovan. This film held its world premiere on July 4, 2011 at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival.

Plot

Donovan also stars in the film, portraying a once-successful playwright, Robert Longfellow, who is taken hostage by an ex-con neighbor while on a routine visit to his childhood home. Two-time Emmy-nominee David Morse plays Gus ; a man Robert has avoided since he was a boy. The film also stars Olivia Williams, Melissa Auf der Maur, Katherine Helmond and Eileen Ryan in supporting roles. As the drama unfolds, social status, celebrity and the threat of violence converge, leaving the playwright simultaneously shattered and inspired.

Cast

and This Is That Productions produced Collaborator. The film's score was composed by Manels Favre. The soundtrack also includes a Brahms cover performed by PJ Harvey. Filming took place in Los Angeles, California, as well as Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada.

Reception

As of October 2013, the film has a 75% rating on Rotten Tomatoes from 24 reviews.
The New York Times found it "earnest" and "wooden", like a one-act play "in which any visceral tension is secondary to topical debates by a captor and his prisoner". The Los Angeles Times found it "disappointing" and "somber", failing to generate any tension from its thriller elements.
The Globe and Mail awarded it 2.5/5; Adam Litovitz criticised some stagy elements but praised the film as a study of character. The New York Post praised the performances, saying "both characters are riveting".