Not many actresses have managed to rebrand as successfully as Gemma Arterton. Just a few years back, and she was known mostly for her short-lived stint as a Bond girl, and for standing around delivering exposition in bad blockbusters like “Clash Of The Titans” and “Prince Of Persia.” But since then, Arterton’s been able to show us what she’s really capable of.
In the past few years, Arterton’s eschewed tentpoles for small, interesting indie movies in the U.S. (“The Voices”), the U.K. (“The Girl With All The Gifts”) and even France (“Gemma Bovery”), culminating this year in her career-best turn in the terrific “Their Finest.” And Arterton looks to have another interesting, serious turn premiering at the Toronto International Film Festival this week, and we’re happy to give you your first, exclusive look at the film.
“The Escape,” directed by British filmmaker Dominic Savage, sees Arterton headline opposite “Preacher” star Dominic Cooper in the story of a woman who feels oppressed by her marriage and motherhood, and looks for a way out (in this clip, in Paris).
Also starring Jalil Lespert, Frances Barber and Marthe Keller, the film screens at TIFF today, and we’ll hopefully get news of a U.S. release date soon. In the meantime, you can watch our clip, of what looks like another excellent showcase for Arterton, below, along with the synopsis.
Tara’s life is the picture many women dream of (or are told they should dream of ): a stay-at-home mom of two young kids — one boy, one girl — a handsome husband earning a handsome salary, and a beautifully appointed, modern home. Her withdrawn and melancholic mood shrugged off by family and friends, she’s told she should want for nothing. But she does want.
As she suffocates in her domestic role, Tara (Gemma Arterton) spends her days carting her kids around to school and the park and prepping meals. She doesn’t have time to do her hair or to take an art class that interests her, let alone think about a career. The occasional date night and routine, impersonal Saturday-morning sex with her husband are no longer enough to compensate for insensitive comments about laundry piling up or all the spilt orange juice. Always the disciplinarian and never the playmate, Tara doesn’t have the luxury of showing her children affection. It’s clear that she does love them, but she’s also aware that if she doesn’t learn to love herself, she may never be able to escape from the cycle of unhappiness that swirls around her.
“The Escape” screens tonight at 7:00pm ET at the Toronto International Film Festival. Get tickets while you can.
Click here for our complete coverage of the 2017 Toronto Film Festival
