Tribeca Film Festival
NEW YORK -- The tale of a 19-year-old girl and her relationship with a middle-aged couple who introduce her to the world of prostitution, this low-budget indie, shot on digital video, features a compelling performance by Judith Ivey as a warm motherly woman who also happens to be a hooker and a pimp.
Modest in scope but sensitively written and acted, "What Alice Found" is the sort of little film for which an award like Sundance's Special Jury Prize for Emotional Truth, which it recently won, was invented. The film was also part of the lineup for this year's Tribeca Film Festival.
Making a compelling big-screen debut is Emily Grace as Alice, who at the film's beginning leaves her New Hampshire home on a road trip to join her friend at a Florida college. Her car breaks down shortly thereafter, and she's given a ride by a friendly couple, Sandra (Ivey) and Bill (Bill Raymond), who have plenty of room in their spacious and relatively luxurious motor home. Sandra and Bill treat the young Alice with an almost parental protectiveness, but their warmth and friendliness is tempered by the fact that they quickly attempt to have their guest join Sandra in her occupation as a hooker servicing the many truckers traveling the highways. Bill advertises their services on his CB radio, dubbing their vehicle the "Honey Bunny Wagon".
What in lesser hands might have been reduced to a television movie-style cautionary tale is rendered by director-screenwriter A. Dean Bell with far more complexity and ambiguity. The characterizations are particularly well-nuanced, with Sandra and Bill revealing a vulnerability that makes their exploitative treatment more understandable if not forgivable. And Alice herself is not simply an innocent victim ensnared in the machinations of a duplicitous couple but also a willing accomplice discovering her own sexual power.
There's a refreshing frankness to the film's treatment of its sordid subject matter that more than compensates for its technical limitations. The three performers inhabit their roles with, yes, an emotional truth that is bracing. This is particularly true of Ivey, who could have overdone Sandra's down-home aspects but instead subtly delineates the character's complex feelings and motivations. She's well-matched by Raymond, particularly superb in a scene where his new employee turns the sexual tables on Bill, and Grace, admirably subtle in her depiction of Alice's transformation.
NEW YORK -- The tale of a 19-year-old girl and her relationship with a middle-aged couple who introduce her to the world of prostitution, this low-budget indie, shot on digital video, features a compelling performance by Judith Ivey as a warm motherly woman who also happens to be a hooker and a pimp.
Modest in scope but sensitively written and acted, "What Alice Found" is the sort of little film for which an award like Sundance's Special Jury Prize for Emotional Truth, which it recently won, was invented. The film was also part of the lineup for this year's Tribeca Film Festival.
Making a compelling big-screen debut is Emily Grace as Alice, who at the film's beginning leaves her New Hampshire home on a road trip to join her friend at a Florida college. Her car breaks down shortly thereafter, and she's given a ride by a friendly couple, Sandra (Ivey) and Bill (Bill Raymond), who have plenty of room in their spacious and relatively luxurious motor home. Sandra and Bill treat the young Alice with an almost parental protectiveness, but their warmth and friendliness is tempered by the fact that they quickly attempt to have their guest join Sandra in her occupation as a hooker servicing the many truckers traveling the highways. Bill advertises their services on his CB radio, dubbing their vehicle the "Honey Bunny Wagon".
What in lesser hands might have been reduced to a television movie-style cautionary tale is rendered by director-screenwriter A. Dean Bell with far more complexity and ambiguity. The characterizations are particularly well-nuanced, with Sandra and Bill revealing a vulnerability that makes their exploitative treatment more understandable if not forgivable. And Alice herself is not simply an innocent victim ensnared in the machinations of a duplicitous couple but also a willing accomplice discovering her own sexual power.
There's a refreshing frankness to the film's treatment of its sordid subject matter that more than compensates for its technical limitations. The three performers inhabit their roles with, yes, an emotional truth that is bracing. This is particularly true of Ivey, who could have overdone Sandra's down-home aspects but instead subtly delineates the character's complex feelings and motivations. She's well-matched by Raymond, particularly superb in a scene where his new employee turns the sexual tables on Bill, and Grace, admirably subtle in her depiction of Alice's transformation.
DEAUVILLE, France -- The 29th Deauville Festival of American Film on Sunday awarded its top prize, the Grand Prix for Independent Film, to What Alice Found, the second movie directed by A. Dean Bell. The movie stars Emily Grace as an 18-year-old who sets off from New Hampshire for Florida and runs into a middle-aged couple in a camper van who lead her into the dark world of truck-stop prostitution. Alice picked up the Special Jury Prize at this year's Sundance Film Festival. None of the 10 movies in Deauville's competition section had emerged as a hot favorite, which reflected the diversity of styles and genres on show at Deauville.
- 9/15/2003
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
DEAUVILLE, France -- The 29th Deauville Festival of American Film on Sunday awarded its top prize, the Grand Prix for Independent Film, to "What Alice Found", the second movie directed by A. Dean Bell. The movie stars Emily Grace as an 18-year-old who sets off from New Hampshire for Florida and runs into a middle-aged couple in a camper van who lead her into the dark world of truck-stop prostitution. "Alice" picked up the Special Jury Prize at this year's Sundance Film Festival. None of the 10 movies in Deauville's competition section had emerged as a hot favorite, which reflected the diversity of styles and genres on show at Deauville.
- 9/14/2003
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
DEAUVILLE, France -- The 29th Deauville Festival of American Film on Sunday awarded its top prize, the Grand Prix for Independent Film, to "What Alice Found", the second movie directed by A. Dean Bell. The movie stars Emily Grace as an 18-year-old who sets off from New Hampshire for Florida and runs into a middle-aged couple in a camper van who lead her into the dark world of truck-stop prostitution. "Alice" picked up the Special Jury Prize at this year's Sundance Film Festival. None of the 10 movies in Deauville's competition section had emerged as a hot favorite, which reflected the diversity of styles and genres on show at Deauville.
- 9/14/2003
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
imdb.1eye.us, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.