How can one small business stand up to corporations? It might seem an unlikely question for a funeral home, but even that industry faces these issues. Maggie Betts’ “The Burial” looks at what happens when a small funeral home encounters corporate entities determined to corner the market on death care. The film, premiering at the 2023 Toronto Film Festival, finds a skilled acting duo in leads, Tommy Lee Jones and Jamie Foxx. Jones stars as the mom-and-pop business owner facing an uphill legal battle, while Foxx portrays the charismatic lawyer intent on helping him win. It is all the more intriguing as the latter’s character knows nothing about contract law — instead, he comes from a personal injury background.
The film also stars Jurnee Smollett, Mamoudou Athie, and Pamela Reed, with Bill Camp, and Alan Ruck. Filmmaker Maggie Betts is probably best remembered for directing the excellent nun dram, “Notiviate” with Margaret Qualley.
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For Foxx, getting the project into production was a matter of timing — years of seeing it in development all clicked with the addition of Betts. “Maggie Betts lines up. [Producer] Datari Turner lines up. Everybody involved lines up, and then here we are, embarking upon an incredible story with an amazing character. It just feels good!” he told People.
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The film’s official synopsis:
Inspired by true events, when a handshake deal goes sour, funeral home owner Jeremiah O’Keefe (Academy Award® winner Tommy Lee Jones) enlists charismatic, smooth-talking attorney Willie E. Gary (Academy Award® winner Jamie Foxx) to save his family business. Tempers flare, and laughter ensues as the unlikely pair bond while exposing corporate corruption and racial injustice in this inspirational, triumphant story.
“The Burial” arrives in select theaters October 6 before streaming globally on Prime Video on October 13. But before that, “The Burial” will premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival, so be on the lookout for our review soon. In the meantime, get your first look at the trailer below.
