Young Werther is a 2024 Canadian romantic comedy film written and directed by José Lourenço, and starring Douglas Booth, Alison Pill, Iris Apatow and Patrick J. Adams. It is Lourenço's feature directorial debut and based on the 1774 novel The Sorrows of Young Werther by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe.[1][2]
| Young Werther | |
|---|---|
 Film poster | |
| Directed by | José Lourenço |
| Written by | José Lourenço |
| Based on | The Sorrows of Young Werther by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe |
| Produced by | Matt Code |
| Starring | Douglas Booth Alison Pill Iris Apatow Patrick J. Adams |
| Cinematography | Nick Haight |
| Edited by | Sandy Pereira |
| Music by | Owen Pallett |
Production company | Wildling Pictures |
| Distributed by | LevelFilm |
Release date |
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Running time | 101 minutes |
| Country | Canada |
| Language | English |
The film premiered at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival.[3] It was later screened in a gala presentation at the 2024 Cinéfest Sudbury International Film Festival,[4] and in the Borsos Competition program at the 2024 Whistler Film Festival.[5]
Premise
editA writer falls in love with a woman, but discovers that she's already engaged.
Cast
edit- Douglas Booth as Werther[1]
- Alison Pill as Charlotte[1]
- Iris Apatow as Sissy
- Patrick J. Adams as Albert
- Amrit Kaur as Melanie
Production
editIn May 2023, it was announced that Booth, Pill, Apatow and Adams were cast in the film.[1]
Filming occurred at LIUNA Station in the City of Hamilton, Ontario in the month of June 2023.[6]
In October 2023, it was announced that filming had been completed prior to the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike.[2]
Critical reception
editThe film received generally positive reviews. On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 70% of 23 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 5.4/10.[7]
In The New York Times, Brandon Yu wrote: "Booth and Pill make for a pair worth rooting for, but it’s Booth in particular, just barely but believably not of this world, who lends the film its winning sensibility. He’s helped by the film’s warmly pleasing focus, where the edges of the frame blur around the central characters, often Werther and Charlotte laughing and falling for one another. It’s as if we’re looking through a telescope, a representation of both the tunnel vision of love and also of a tragic romance of centuries past."[8]
Writing in Variety, Dennis Harvey said: "Jose Avelino Gilles Corbett Lourenco’s debut feature is a confident, clever update. Its own jeune homme figure again suffers the torments of an impossible love. But here he finally learns what his predecessor couldn’t: That the world does not end when you don’t get what you want, and insisting it should is the height of selfishness."[9]
However, in a review for Screen Rant, Mary Kassel wrote: "Aesthetically and linguistically, Young Werther pays tribute to its predecessors, with the work of Merchant Ivory hanging heavy over its head. It's difficult not to wish for the pastoral flourishes and grand houses of these period pieces, but the film finds some 18th-century magic in its city setting.[10]
Awards
editThe film was longlisted for the 2024 Jean-Marc Vallée DGC Discovery Award.[11]
References
edit- ^ a b c d Ravindran, Manori (May 16, 2023). "Douglas Booth, Alison Pill, Iris Apatow, Patrick J. Adams Board 'Young Werther' Adaptation of Goethe Classic (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved April 9, 2024.
- ^ a b Tabbara, Mona (October 26, 2023). "Mister Smith, CAA board 'Young Werther' starring Alison Pill, Douglas Booth; first-look image unveiled (exclusive)". Screen International. Retrieved April 9, 2024.
- ^ Kay, Jeremy (July 22, 2024). "Toronto film festival adds Angelina Jolie, Mike Leigh, Edward Burns, David Mackenzie titles". Screen Daily. Retrieved 13 December 2024.
- ^ Ulrichsen, Heidi (August 22, 2024). "Forget hockey rivalry: Sudbury's Cinéfest 2024 showing love for North Bay". Sudbury.com. Retrieved 13 December 2024.
- ^ Smith, Janet (October 28, 2024). "Hunting Matthew Nichols and Kryptic among B.C. contingent as Whistler Film Festival unveils Canadian entries". Stir. Retrieved 13 December 2024.
- ^ Nolan, Daniel (June 9, 2023). "Liuna Station playing German station in romance flick 'Young Werther'". The Hamilton Spectator. Retrieved April 9, 2024.
- ^ "Young Werther". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved January 17, 2025.
- ^ Yu, Brandon (2024-12-12). "'Young Werther' Review: Updating an 18th-Century Love Triangle". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2025-02-21.
- ^ Harvey, Dennis (2024-12-13). "'Young Werther' Review: Suitor or Stalker? This Canadian Comedy's Blindly Narcissistic Hero Is Both". Variety. Retrieved 2025-02-21.
- ^ Kassel, Mary (2024-12-11). "Young Werther Review: Modern Rom-Coms Should Be More Like This Charming 18th-Century Book Adaptation". ScreenRant. Retrieved 2025-02-21.
- ^ Thiessen, Connie (September 12, 2024). "DGC unveils Discovery Award long list". Broadcast Dialogue. Retrieved 13 December 2024.