Meadowland (film)

Plot

Sarah and Phil are on roadtrip with their son, Jessie. They stop at a gas station to buy snacks and so their son can go to the bathroom; however, in the time it takes for them to make their purchases they find that their son is missing.

Sarah, who is a teacher, deals with her grief by obsessing over one of her students, Adam, who has Aspergers and who is ostracized by the other kids and treated poorly by his foster mother, Shannon. Phil meanwhile begins to attend a support group for parents who have lost their children.

Despite claiming that she knows their son is still alive, in the hazy aftermath of this unimaginable loss, Sarah begins a downwards spiral. Phil, a New York City cop, starts to lose sight of his morals as Sarah puts herself in increasingly dangerous situations, falling deeper into her own fever dream.

Production

On February 11, 2014, it was announced that Olivia Wilde would star in and executive-produce the dramatic film Meadowland, which Reed Morano would direct and shoot from a script by Chris Rossi. On July 30, Luke Wilson, Natasha Lyonne, Elisabeth Moss and Eden Duncan-Smith joined the film's cast. On August 18, Giovanni Ribisi, Ty Simpkins, Juno Temple, Scott Mescudi, Mark Feuerstein, and Kevin Corrigan were added to the cast of the film.

Filming

The principal photography on the film began on August 18, 2014, in New York City.

Release

The film had its world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival on April 17, 2015. On June 24, 2015 it was announced Cinedigm had acquired distribution rights to the film and planned an October 2015 theatrical release. The film was released in a limited release on October 16, 2015, prior to being released through video on demand on October 23, 2015.

Reception

Meadowland has received positive reviews from critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a rating of 100%, based on 20 reviews, with an average rating of 7.1/10. On Metacritic, the film has a score of 67 out of 100, based on 11 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".

Jordan Hoffman of The Guardian gave the film four stars out of five, said that "What Meadowland refuses to do, to its great credit, is conform to expectations." Chicago Sun-Times critic Richard Roeper gave the film three out of four stars, wrote that "The filmmaking is sure-handed, the performances authentic." Chuck Bowen from Slant Magazine gave the film three out of four stars, also praised the performances, with describing them as "Both Olivia Wilde and Luke Wilson understand the greatest pain of loss to be rooted in its searing inexpressibility."