Movies News

Julia Stiles delivers searing performance in Dan Mirvish's ‘Between Us' (VIDEO)

By Greg Ptacek Jan 22, 2013, 4:36 GMT

(FILE) A file picture of US actress Julia Stiles EPA/MIKE NELSON

SlamDance 2013 Festival Spotlight:

Julia Stiles, mostly recently seen in Oscar-nominated “Silver Linings Playbook” but also known for the film franchise “Bourne Trilolgy” and Showtime's thriller series “Dexter” stars in filmmaker Dan Mirvish’s latest feature film, “Between Us.”

The film held its U. S. premiere screening last night at the 19th annual SlamDance Film Festival (which runs parallel to Sundance Film Festival) in Park City, Utah and featured a “virtual appearance” by Stiles via Skype from her New York apartment.

“Between Us” is a dark ensemble comedy exploring the bittersweet friendship between two couples who meet as old friends and discover their lives are tarnished by money, sex, success and children.

Stiles’ involvement was a moment of serendipity. She was scheduled to star on Broadway for six months in a new play by Neil LaBute when the project was indefinitely postponed two weeks before rehearsals were to start.

The next day her agent sent her the screenplay for “Between Us,” based on the hit Off-Broadway play by Joe Hortua (whose searing dialogue and interpersonal conflicts between characters has been compared to the work of both LaBute and David Mamet; Stiles was featured David Mamet's 2000 film “State and Main”). “I loved the script for ‘Between Us’ and got really excited and was actually kind of grateful that things turned out the way that they did,” she says. In addition to Stiles the ensemble cast features Taye Diggs, Melissa George and David Harbour. “It was great working with a cast that so invested in the script.”

PARTING SHOT: "It takes a lot for a director to exhibit restraint and not come in and try to control every little moment and line. Dan [Mirvish] gave us a lot of freedom to interact,” says Stiles.

FOOTNONE Mirvish was one of the co-founders of SlamDance. “SlamDance has always been a community of filmmakers, and ‘Between Us’ was made largely on the strength of the relationships and friends I’ve found through SlamDance,” said Mirvish.  “From meeting my cinematographer Nancy Schreiber at a SlamDance coffee to having Slamdancers on the crew and as Kickstarter backers, it really has been a SlamDance film in the truest sense.”

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