Foreign Correspondents is a 1999 American drama portmanteau film. Written and directed by Mark Tapio Kines in his directorial debut, it stars Melanie Lynskey, Wil Wheaton, Corin Nemec, and Yelena Danova.
| Foreign Correspondents | |
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| Directed by | Mark Tapio Kines |
| Written by | Mark Tapio Kines |
| Produced by | Julia Stemock |
| Starring |
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| Cinematography | Scott Spears |
| Edited by | Jay Woelfel |
| Music by | Christopher Farrell |
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Running time | 102 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $500,000[1] |
The film drew attention for being the first ever to utilize crowdfunding as a means of attaining its budget.[1][2][3] It premiered in February 1999 and played at the Chicago Alt.Film Fest that same year, receiving the Jury Award for Best Screenplay, as well as a Best Actress nomination for Lynskey.[4] It was released to home video in 2001.
Premise
editWhen postcards meant for the previous tenant begin arriving at the apartment of lonely young receptionist Melody, she finds herself sucked into a mysterious relationship she's no business being part of. Meanwhile, in a different stretch of Los Angeles, Englishman Trevor has flown in to meet his penpal—a Bosnian refugee on the verge of being sent back to her war-ravaged homeland—but the visit takes a dramatic turn when he discovers the real reason his friend has asked him to come.
Cast
edit- Melanie Lynskey as Melody
- Wil Wheaton as Jonas
- Corin Nemec as Trevor
- Yelena Danova as Mira
- Steve Valentine as Ian
- Blaire Baron as Rachel
- Douglas Coler as Nils
- Lisa LoCicero as Christina
- Alice Cunningham as Mary
- Guy Lewis as Michael
- James Michael Tyler as Randy
- Lillian Adams as Sonya
- Earl Schuman as Sam
- Richard Moll as Man in Bookstore
Production
editMark Tapio Kines originally envisioned the film as a 50-minute short with one single, self-contained narrative, but decided to expand it to feature length by joining together a pair of loosely connected vignettes, titled "Dear Jenny" and "Love, Trevor", respectively.[5] Following completion of his script,[5] Kines reached out to Melanie Lynskey—who was living in New Zealand and hadn't played a lead role since Heavenly Creatures two years prior—to offer her the part of Melody, after reading online that she was eager to work in America.[1] Kines employed crowdfunding—a strategy considered to be a "breakthrough" at the time—to raise the film's budget, which grew from an initial $40,000 to a final $500,000.[1] Filming took place in Los Angeles in 1997, with principal photography wrapping on August 11.[5]
Release and reception
editAfter playing at various festivals around the world, the film was distributed independently on video and DVD by Kines in 2001.[5] It was later made available for streaming on Netflix.[6]
In a mixed review, the Chicago Reader criticised the film's logic and lack of emotional resonance, but felt that Lynskey's work was strong, while saying of Kines, "[his] visual sense and attention to details are fairly adroit, and his graceful fades and camera movement suggest a gnawing mystery and a languorous desolation that almost compensate for the plot holes".[7] While believing it to be "semi-touching", Film Threat felt Correspondents "would have been better as two shorts", adding that the connective stories have "no solid relationship".[8] They were more enthusiastic about the performances, praising Wheaton and Nemec, and describing Lynskey as "perfect".[8]
References
edit- ^ a b c d Hartigan, Patti (May 14, 1999). "Filmmaker goes Hollywood on Internet". The Boston Globe. Archived from the original on December 4, 2021. Retrieved June 18, 2024.
- ^ Rodgers, Andrew (June 11, 1999). "Filmmaker Uses Web To Help Finance, Cast Movie". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on January 17, 2013. Retrieved June 18, 2024.
- ^ Tapio Kines, Mark (March 7, 2014). "I Invented Crowdfunding. Here's How It's Changed Since Then – and Where It's Headed". IndieWire. Archived from the original on June 19, 2024. Retrieved June 19, 2024.
- ^ "Foreign Correspondents - Awards". IMDb. Retrieved June 18, 2024.
- ^ a b c d Tapio Kines, Mark. "The Story Behind the Story". ForCor.com. Archived from the original on December 6, 2023. Retrieved June 18, 2024.
- ^ "Foreign Correspondents". ForCor.com. Archived from the original on September 6, 2024. Retrieved June 18, 2024.
- ^ Shen, Ted (26 October 1985). "Foreign Correspondent". Chicago Reader. Archived from the original on September 6, 2024. Retrieved June 18, 2024.
- ^ a b Przywara, Dennis (February 5, 2003). "Foreign Correspondents". Film Threat. Archived from the original on June 18, 2024. Retrieved June 18, 2024.