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Seberg

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Seberg
Theatrical release poster
Directed byBenedict Andrews
Written by
  • Joe Shrapnel
  • Anna Waterhouse
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyRachel Morrison
Edited byPamela Martin
Music byJed Kurzel
Production
companies
  • Automatik Entertainment
  • Bradley Pilz Productions
  • Phreaker Films
  • Ingenious Media
  • Totally Commercial Films
Distributed by
Release dates
  • August 30, 2019 (2019-08-30) (Venice)
  • December 13, 2019 (2019-12-13) (United States)
  • January 10, 2020 (2020-01-10) (United Kingdom)
Running time
102 minutes[1]
Countries
  • United States
  • United Kingdom
LanguageEnglish
Budget$8 million[2]
Box office$675,808[3][4]

Seberg is a 2019 political thriller film directed by Benedict Andrews, from a screenplay by Joe Shrapnel and Anna Waterhouse based on the life of Jean Seberg. It stars Kristen Stewart, Jack O'Connell, Margaret Qualley, Zazie Beetz, Anthony Mackie, and Vince Vaughn.

It had its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival on August 30, 2019. It was released in the United Kingdom on January 10, 2020, by Universal Pictures and in North America on February 21, 2020, by Amazon Studios, after an awards-qualifying run on December 13, 2019.

Plot

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Jean Seberg, an American actress known for playing the female lead in Jean-Luc Godard's film Breathless, bids her husband, Romain Gary, and child farewell in Paris before leaving for Los Angeles. On the jet flight in first class, she witnesses a Black activist insisting on sitting in first class and offering to pay for the seats. The activist demands preferential treatment for Malcolm X's widow, claiming she should be treated like "royalty"; Seberg appears to be attracted to the passenger, who introduces himself as Hakim Jamal, a member of the Black Panther Party (BPP).

Upon landing in the U.S., Seberg notices a group of Black activists protesting at the airport, indicating their displeasure with the treatment Jamal and his traveling companions received on the flight. She joins them and raises her fist in a Black power salute in solidarity. Unbeknownst to her, undercover FBI agents, including Jack Solomon, are at the airport. Solomon suggests the FBI shadow her activities while she is in the U.S. and arranges to have her phone conversations taped due to her perceived association with the Black Power movement.

After telling Jamal she knows the incident on the plane was staged to get her attention, Seberg begins a sexual relationship with him, despite both of them being married. The FBI's surveillance program COINTELPRO begins to target Seberg, recording her and Jamal having sex and playing it to Jamal's wife, Dorothy, over the phone.

Jamal ends things with Seberg after Dorothy confronts him, leaving Seberg devastated. She becomes increasingly suspicious, fearing her life is being monitored. Solomon anonymously calls Seberg to warn her to sever her ties with the movement.

Seberg becomes pregnant by an unknown person. Continuing their surveillance and harassment of her for years, COINTELPRO agents create a rumor that the baby was fathered by a member of the BPP and feed it to the media. Seberg attempts suicide, which leads to her unborn daughter dying. The combination of her daughter's death and the FBI's smear campaign about the child's paternity send her into a deep depression.

Seberg announces she would sue the publication that published the rumor. Solomon, wanting to come clean, shows her the FBI file on her at a bar, confirming her suspicions. After the encounter, the real-life Seberg is said to have moved back to Paris while still supporting the BPP and died in 1979 due to a probable suicide.

Cast

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Production

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In March 2018, it was announced Kristen Stewart, Jack O'Connell, Anthony Mackie, Margaret Qualley and Colm Meaney had joined the cast of the film, then titled Against All Enemies. Benedict Andrews will direct the film from a screenplay by Joe Shrapnel and Anna Waterhouse. Fred Berger, Brian Kavanaugh-Jones, Kate Garwood, Stephen Hopkins, Bradley Pilz, will produce the film under their Automatik and Bradley Pilz Productions banners, respectively.[5] In April 2018, Zazie Beetz joined the cast of the film.[6] In May 2018, Vince Vaughn, Yvan Attal and Stephen Root joined the cast of the film.[7] In June 2018, Cornelius Smith Jr. and Jade Pettyjohn joined the cast of the film.[8] In July 2018, Ser'Darius Blain joined the cast of the film.[9]

Filming

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Principal production started on June 30, 2018, in Los Angeles.[10] Production concluded on August 2, 2018.[11]

Release

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Amazon Studios acquired distribution rights to Against All Enemies in February 2019.[12] The film was retitled Seberg, and had its world premiere out of competition at the Venice Film Festival on August 30, 2019.[13][14] Universal Pictures distributed the film in select international territories outside of America.[15] It also screened at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 7, 2019.[16] The film was released in the United States on December 13, 2019, in an Oscar qualifying run, before being released on February 21, 2020.[17][18] and in the United Kingdom on January 10, 2020.[19]

Critical response

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On review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 35% based on 140 reviews, with an average rating of 5.5/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Seberg's frustratingly superficial treatment of a fascinating true story does a disservice to its subject—and Kristen Stewart's performance in the central role."[20] On Metacritic, the film holds a weighted average score of 54 out of 100, based on 28 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[21]

Time's annual best performances of the year list by Stephanie Zacharek listed Stewart as the tenth best performance of 2019.[22]

Accolades

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Award Date of ceremony Category Recipient(s) Result Ref.
Alliance of Women Film Journalists 2020 Actress Most in Need of a New Agent Kristen Stewart Nominated
Camerimage November 16, 2019 Best Directorial Debut Benedict Andrews Nominated
San Sebastián International Film Festival 2020 City of Donostia Audience Award Benedict Andrews Nominated

References

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  1. ^ "Biannele Cinema 2019 - Seberg". Venice Film Festival. July 19, 2019. Retrieved August 13, 2019.
  2. ^ Film and Television Tax Credit Program Program 2.0 (PDF) (Report). California Film Commission. July 29, 2019. p. 1. Retrieved August 26, 2019.
  3. ^ "Seberg (2020)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved March 29, 2020.
  4. ^ "Seberg (2019)". The Numbers. Retrieved March 29, 2020.
  5. ^ Tartaglione, Nancy (March 14, 2018). "Kristen Stewart To Play Icon Jean Seberg In Political Thriller 'Against All Enemies'; Jack O'Connell, Anthony Mackie Also Star". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved June 10, 2018.
  6. ^ Kroll, Justin (April 2, 2018). "Zazie Beetz Eyes Jean Seberg Film 'Against All Enemies' Starring Kristen Stewart (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved June 10, 2018.
  7. ^ Tartaglione, Nancy (May 9, 2018). "Vince Vaughn & More Join Kristen Stewart In Jean Seberg Thriller 'Against All Enemies' – Cannes". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved June 10, 2018.
  8. ^ N'Duka, Amanda (June 19, 2018). "'Scandal' Alum Cornelius Smith Jr. Cast In 'Against All Enemies'". Deadline Hollywood.
  9. ^ N'Duka, Amanda (July 25, 2018). "Ser'Darius Blain Cast In 'Against All Enemies'; Chris O'Shea Joins 'Modern Persuasion'; Carlos Leal In 'The Last Thing He Wanted'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved July 25, 2018.
  10. ^ "Against All Enemies". Production Weekly. Retrieved June 10, 2018.
  11. ^ Morrison, Rachel (August 2, 2018). "That's a wrap on #againstallenemies. So much gratitude to my incredible camera crew featuring one and only @englishsly and @moneypennyyyyy and a bunch of other cats who are too cool for IG. 🤞we made something we all can be proud of. As often in Hollywood, there are filming flaws. In the airplane, we see the inside of a Jumbo jet. The 747 came into aviation 10 years later than the time period in this film. The 707 filmed from the outside is correct". Instagram. Archived from the original on December 24, 2021. Retrieved August 2, 2018.
  12. ^ Siegel, Tatiana (February 8, 2019). "Berlin: Amazon Nabs Kristen Stewart as Jean Seberg in Thriller 'Against All Enemies' (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved February 8, 2019.
  13. ^ Anderson, Ariston (July 25, 2019). "Venice Film Festival Unveils Lineup (Updating Live)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved July 25, 2019.
  14. ^ Sharf, Zack (July 25, 2019). "'Seberg' First Look Unveils Kristen Stewart as 'Breathless' Actress and French New Wave Icon Jean Seberg". IndieWire. Retrieved June 26, 2020.
  15. ^ "Universal buys select international territories on Kristen Stewart Venice title 'Seberg' (exclusive)". Screen International. August 7, 2019. Retrieved November 13, 2019.
  16. ^ Vlessing, Etan (August 13, 2019). "'The Aeronauts,' 'Burnt Orange Heresy' Added to Toronto Film Fest Lineup". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved August 13, 2019.
  17. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (December 12, 2019). "Kristen Stewart Pic 'Seberg' To Roll Out In February Following Oscar Qualifying Run". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved January 11, 2020.
  18. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (September 26, 2019). "Kristen Stewart Amazon Studios Pic 'Seberg' Stakes Release Date In Awards Season". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved September 26, 2019.
  19. ^ "Seberg". Launching Films. Retrieved November 13, 2019.
  20. ^ "Seberg (2019)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. Retrieved November 30, 2022.
  21. ^ "Seberg Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved October 27, 2021.
  22. ^ Zacharek, Stephanie (November 26, 2019). "The 10 Best Movie Performances of 2019". Time. Retrieved November 28, 2019.
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