There are few filmmakers who have experienced what Lynne Ramsay has gone through over the past couple of years. After making what was arguably her widest reaching film to date, 2011’s harrowing and highly acclaimed “We Need To Talk About Kevin,” she geared up to direct Natalie Portman in the western “Jane Got A Gun.” To say that things didn’t go well would be an understatement, with the director clashing with the producers, and leaving the picture literally the day shooting was set to begin, ultimately replaced by Gavin O’Connor. Ramsay has kept a low profile since, but is now planning one helluva return.
Joaquin Phoenix is attached to star in Ramsay’s “You Were Never Really Here.” The actor will play a damaged military war veteran, who now rescues women involved in sex trafficking. However, when a job goes wrong at a Manhattan brothel, he sets out on a path of vengeance in the face of violence and corruption. Uh, wow.
This sounds like bold new territory for both filmmaker and actor alike, and it will be up for grabs at the Cannes marketplace. Here’s hoping the film gets the support it needs to go into production, because this is a pairing that sounds like it could lead to some truly explosive cinema. And it would definitely be nice to see Ramsay dust herself off after the whole “Jane Got A Gun” fiasco, and come back with a knockout picture. [Screen Daily]