Boy Erased, Front Runner and Six Other Must-See Telluride Premieres

“The Front Runner”
Director: Jason Reitman
Cast: Hugh Jackman, Vera Farmiga, J.K. Simmons, Alfred Molina, Sara Paxton
Release date: Nov. 7
Lowdown: If you’re under the age of 30 you probably have no idea who Gary Hart (Hugh Jackman) was, but in 1987 he was the leading candidate for the Democratic nomination for President and seen as someone who could defeat then-Vice President George H.W. Bush in the 1988 general election. Then his affair with Donna Rice (Sara Paxton) came to light and his political career was ruined. Directed and co-written by Jason Reitman from Matt Bai‘s novel “All the Truth Is Out: The Week Politics Went Tabloid,” Hart’s story has newfound historical relevance as the current sitting president has blatantly admitted to paying off women he had affairs with outside his marriage.

“The Old Man & The Gun”
Director: David Lowery
Cast: Robert Redford, Sissy Spacek, Casey Affleck, Danny Glover, Tika Sumpter
Release date: Sept. 28 (Limited)
Lowdown: This may or may not be Robert Redford‘s last acting role, but it most certainly will be one of them. This particular true story finds Redford as Forrest Tucker, a 70-year-old criminal who became an expert at escaping from some of the most secure prisons in the country. David Lowery‘s film focuses on his years after escaping from San Quentin, where he robbed banks in five states. Sissy Spacek plays what is believed to be a fictional love interest (the trailer hints the movie is “mostly” true) and Casey Affleck reunites with Lowery for the third time as the detective tracking Tucker down.

“Trial by Fire”
Director: Ed Zwick
Cast: Laura Dern, Jack O’Connell, Emily Meade,
Release date: TBD
Lowdown: Zwick’s somewhat under-the-radar drama is based on the true story of Cameron Todd Willingham (Jack O’Connell), a Texan who was convicted of setting an arson that killed his three young children despite forensic evidence to the contrary. David Grann’s investigation in the New Yorker is the basis for the film which finds “The Deuce” star Emily Meade playing his wife and Laura Dern portraying Elizabeth Gilbert, a playwright who corresponded with Willingham while he was in prison. An acquisition title, “Trial” is strangely not screening at TIFF.  Ponder.