My Days of Mercy
My Days of Mercy is a 2017 romantic drama film directed by Tali Shalom Ezer and written by Joe Barton. It stars Kate Mara, Ellen Page, Amy Seimetz, Brian Geraghty, and Elias Koteas.
| My Days of Mercy | |
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| Directed by | Tali Shalom Ezer |
| Produced by |
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| Written by | Joe Barton |
| Starring |
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| Music by | Michael Brook |
| Cinematography | Radek Ladczuk |
| Edited by | Einat Glaser Zarhin |
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Release date |
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Running time | 103 minutes |
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| Language | English |
It screened at the 2017 Toronto International Film Festival on September 8, 2017, as a Gala Presentation.[1] It was released in the United Kingdom on May 17, 2019, by Signature Entertainment, and was released in the United States on July 5, 2019, by Lionsgate.
Plot
Lucy Moro and her older sister Martha are anti-death penalty protestors, fighting for the acquittal of their father Simon, who is on death row for the murder of their mother eight years ago. The sisters live in their parents' house in a small Ohio town, and travel to various states in a mobile home, together with their little 10-year-old brother Ben. At one demonstration outside a prison in Illinois, Lucy meets Mercy Bromage, a lawyer whose father is a police officer. Despite the political tensions between the two, Lucy and Mercy grow closer to each other. They begin to keep in contact over the phone and over Skype. During a solo excursion to a demonstration in Missouri, Lucy and Mercy start a romance.
Meanwhile, Martha is determined to free their father (who she still believes is innocent) and manages to hire a lawyer, who is then able to get a four-month stay of execution to look for legal loopholes or any new evidence to re-open the case. When the last of Martha and Lucy's legal appeals is denied and the evidence continues to point towards Simon, a distraught Lucy travels alone to Illinois to visit Mercy. There, she learns that Mercy still lives with her parents and she also has a boyfriend. Feeling used and betrayed, Lucy breaks up with Mercy. Regardless, Mercy attends Simon's execution with the sisters.
Six months later, Lucy is working as a waitress in California when she bumps into Mercy. Mercy attempts to rekindle their relationship, but Lucy rejects her, saying "I just don't think you can come back into someone's life like this". Regardless, the two awkwardly set up a date for later.
Cast
- Ellen Page as Lucy Moro
- Kate Mara as Mercy Bromage
- Amy Seimetz as Martha Moro
- Charlie Shotwell as Benjamin "Ben" Moro
- Brian Geraghty as Weldon
- Elias Koteas as Simon Moro
- Beau Knapp as Toby
- Tonya Pinkins as Agatha
- Jake Robinson as Ian
- Jordan Trovillion as Katlin
Production
In August 2016, Ellen Page, Kate Mara, Pablo Schreiber, Elias Koteas and Amy Seimetz were cast in the film, with Tali Shalom Ezer directing from a screenplay by Joe Barton.[2][3][4][5] Christine Vachon and David Hinojosa served as producers under their Killer Films banner, alongside Mara and Page, while Robert Halmi Jr. and Jim Reeve will serve as executive producers through their Great Point Media banner along with executive producer Karri O'Reilly.[6] In September 2016, Brian Geraghty joined the cast of the film, replacing Schreiber.[7]
Filming
Principal photography began on September 19, 2016.[8]
Release
The film had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 9, 2017.[9][10] It was released in the United Kingdom on May 17, 2019, by Signature Entertainment,[11] and was released in the United States on July 5, 2019, by Lionsgate.[12]
Reception
On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 94% based on 18 reviews, and an average rating of 7/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "Though My Days of Mercy's knotty romance drifts into melodrama, it's grounded by Ellen Page and Kate Mara's exceptional chemistry."[13]
The film was selected to compete for the Premio Maguey's Best Film award at the 33rd Guadalajara International Film Festival, where Page was awarded in the Best Performance category.[14][15]
References
- McCarthy, Todd (September 8, 2017). "'My Days of Mercy': Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 22 April 2018.
- McNary, Dave (August 18, 2016). "Tali Shalom Ezer Directing Ellen Page and Kate Mara in Romantic Drama 'Mercy'". Variety. Retrieved September 19, 2016.
- DiClaudio, Dennis (August 23, 2016). "Kate Mara and Ellen Page to fall in love in the death-row drama Mercy". The A.V. Club. Retrieved January 3, 2017.
- Crucchiola, Jordan (August 18, 2016). "Ellen Page and Kate Mara Will Embark on a Forbidden Romance for the Drama Mercy". Vulture.com. Retrieved January 3, 2017.
- Dean, Charles (August 19, 2016). "Ellen Page and Kate Mara Teaming Up for 'Mercy'". The Playlist. Retrieved January 3, 2017.
- Erbland, Kate (August 19, 2016). "Ellen Page and Kate Mara To Star in Forbidden Romantic Drama 'Mercy'". IndieWire. Retrieved September 19, 2016.
- McNary, Dave (September 20, 2016). "Brian Geraghty Joins Ellen Page-Kate Mara Romance 'Mercy'". Variety. Retrieved September 21, 2016.
- Motsinger, Carol (September 26, 2016). "Ellen Page shares first look at her new Cincy film". Cincinnati.com. Retrieved January 3, 2017.
- "My Days of Mercy". Toronto International Film Festival. Retrieved August 22, 2017.
- Pond, Steve (August 15, 2017). "Aaron Sorkin, Brie Larson, Louis CK Movies Added to Toronto Film Festival Lineup". The Wrap. Retrieved August 15, 2017.
- "My Days of Mercy". Launching Films. Retrieved March 20, 2019.
- "My Days of Mercy". Lionsgate. Archived from the original on February 20, 2019. Retrieved February 19, 2019.
- "My Days of Mercy (2017)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved October 9, 2019.
- https://www.ficg.mx/maguey2018/catalogo-maguey/appfiles/assets/basic-html/index.html#45
- https://ficg.mx/maguey2018/index.php/en/awards/premio-maguey-best-film