Staying relevant at all costs has somehow overtaken truth itself. Celebrity over science, money over prestige, the whole theater of the absurd is playing out on a one-size-fits-all, 24-hour news cycle. Vertical Entertainment’s “How To Fake A War” brings the tried and true conundrums into a 2020 world already losing grasp of what truly matters anymore. In the film, an entertainer’s ambitions supersede global concerns as he prepares for another step into the limelight.
Jay Pharoah, Katherine Parkinson, and Lily Newmark head up the cast of the production. Pharoah leads in a performance that takes the actor outside of his famous impressions-based comedy. Instead, he’s getting the chance to create and develop a character all his own. Parkinson is also not new to the comedy genre. Her work in the series “The IT Crowd” continues to be seen throughout the world and the impact of her performance remains a hallmark for today’s current crop of comedy actors. She can also be seen in the BBC Two series “Defending the Guilty.” Newmark recently appeared in the critically acclaimed series “Sex Education.”
The film’s director, Rudolph Herzog, brings an intriguing background to the project. Mainly known for documentary work, Herzog appears to be pursuing a sense of realism from the Tim Price and Raid Sabbah script. It’s those details that play out in the nuanced shots found among the first look.
Here’s the film’s synopsis:
“When an unexpected outbreak of peace leads to a ceasefire between Russian forces and Georgian rebels, arrogant rock star Harry Hope (Jay Pharoah) fears for the success of his heavily hyped Piece of Peace global charity concert. Desperate, he dispatches his PR consultant, Kate and her naïve intern, Pegg, to create a fake war story – until the concert, at least.”
UPDATE: “How To Fake A War” will be available on-demand starting August 7.