As I Lay Dying (film)

Plot

The story is based on the loss of a mother and the struggles in which the family suffers by going the distance to her burial grounds in her home town.

Cast

Production

James Franco decided to write a screenplay of the novel with a fellow Yale graduate student Matt Rager. The novel As I Lay Dying was described as a story impossible to be transformed into a film due to the multi-narrative voices within it. Franco saw this as a challenge and was able to depict the many voices, through choices of styling through camera edits. Faulkner told this story in a chorus of voices: 15 narrators in the 59 chapters. To locate an equivalent for the novel’s polyphonal scheme, Franco in relation to this decision employs the use of narrative expressed through dialogue and voice overs.

Filming took place in Mississippi from August 21, 2012 to October 5, 2012.

Release

The film was originally scheduled for a theatrical release on September 27, 2013 but Millennium Films scrapped the plans. It was released on October 22, 2013 to iTunes and November 5, 2013 to DVD/VOD platforms.

Reception

The film received mixed reviews from critics, with praise and criticism focused on Franco's methods of presenting Faulkner's complex narrative. Kyle Smith of The New York Post was very harsh, declaring, "Franco dilutes the drama with first-year-film-student gimmicks, like split screens and slow motion, it just seems like a dull collection of pointless monologues from actors who can’t even be bothered to match up their accents." A.O. Scott of The New York Times said, "But in rushing in where wise men might fear to tread, Mr. Franco has accomplished something serious and worthwhile. His “As I Lay Dying” is certainly ambitious, but it is also admirably modest. The script, written by Mr. Franco with Matt Rager, tries to pare Faulkner’s multivoiced narrative to a manageable essence."

It holds a 41% 'rotten' rating on review aggregate Rotten Tomatoes.