Home for the Departed

Author: Maia Donovan
Location: LA

"Home for the Departed"

Directed by Todd Haynes
A Thriller written by Todd Haynes

Principal Cast:

Meryl Streep – Calista Michaels
Geena Davis – Louise Adams
Alec Baldwin – Peter Adams
Salma Hayek – Eva Torres
Chris Evans – Benny O’Toole
Mia Maestro – Eva Torres
Joe Pesci – Old Joe

Tagline: "THINK about It"

Synopsis: A twisted ghost tale… Neighbors in an old apartment building of New York City begin to wonder if they are in fact “alive” or if they are trapped in some kind of purgatory after a series of tragic and mysterious revelations.

Meryl Streep toplines as the eccentric Calista Michaels, the building’s oldest inhabitant who has spent the last years in a great depression after his husband’s suicidal. Geena Davis and Alec Baldwin star as the Adams, whose marriage holds on a string due to Baliwin’s character Peter’s infidelity. Salma Hayek and Mia Maestro are the Torres sisters, caught in a ferocious fight over neighbor Benny O’Toole’s (Chris Evans) love. Joe Pesci plays the building’s new and intriguing janitor “Old Joe”.

As they interact with each other, the neighbors become suspicious of Old Joe’s arrival to their building and they seem to be right: Old Joe has come to show them that “life” as they know it is not what it seems, or is it?

What the press would say:

Haunting! Thought-provoking! Director Todd Haynes revisits “The Sixth Sense” and ‘The Others” in “Home for the Departed,” a supernatural thriller that begins where these ghosts movies end.

The cast is great as neighbors with chaotic lives but Meryl Streep is the best as Calista, the first person in the building who suspects there’s a reason why she may not yet be able to move on in her life. Geena Davis, recently “revived” to US audiences thanks to the ABC show Commander in Chief is fantastic as the manic depressive wife who may now realize why she has been feeling guilty over the last years. Mia Maestro, from TV’s Alias, is heart-breaking as the only neighbor who is totally convinced that she was murdered by her sister in passion rage after having a conversation with the janitor. Yet, Joe Pesci (in a very dramatic role) gives the most powerful performance as Old Joe, the janitor determined to let them “see.”

Are they ghosts or not? You will only know if you catch this winter hit on your local theater.

Possible Nominations:

Best Picture
Best Director - Todd Haynes
Best Writer - Todd Haynes
Best Actress - Meryl Streep
Best Supporting Actor - Joe Pesci
Best Supporting Actress - Geena Davis, Mia Maestro & Salma Hayek
Best Editing
Best Cinematography
Best Original Score