As detailed in fairly recent, candid interviews, Paul Bettany has been frustrated these last few years: the enormously talented British actor got stuck in poor Screen Gems actioners like "Legion" and "Priest," or in supporting starry flops like "The Tourist" or "Transcendence," with only the occasional "Margin Call" or "Blood" to remind us why we liked him so much in the first place. But he’s finding his mojo once again: he’s got another Johnny Depp team-up on the way next year with "Mortdecai," and after four voice-only credits in the Marvel movie universe, will appear in person as The Vision in next summer’s mega-blockbuster "Avengers: Age Of Ultron."
But first, he’s about to show a whole new side by making his directorial debut at the Toronto International Film Festival with "Shelter." Starring Bettany’s partner Jennifer Connelly and the great Anthony Mackie, it’s an intriguing love story about two homeless people in New York City who fall for each other.
The film hits at TIFF next weekend, but ahead of the premiere, we’re pleased to premiere a couple of exclusive photos from the film, along with a selection of others, and the movie’s official poster. Take a look above and below, and stay tuned for more on the film in the future. The full synopsis is below as well.
Hannah (Connelly) and Tahir (Mackie) come from two different worlds. But when their lives intersect, they’re at the same place: homeless on the streets of New York. How did they get there? As we learn about their past, we begin to understand that to have a future, they need each other. There are more than 50,000 homeless people living on the streets and in the shelters of New York City. To most of us they are nameless and faceless, and occasionally a nuisance. But every single person has a story. And Hannah and Tahir are no different. And theirs is a story of loss, love, hope and redemption.