For this writer, one of the underappreciated gems at this year's TIFF was undoubtedly Yaron Zilberman's feature debut "A Late Quartet." The finely tuned drama focuses on a world-reknowned string quartet (Philip Seymour Hoffman, Catherine Keener, Christopher Walken and Mark Ivanir) about to enter their 25th season together. When their cellist (Walken) is struck with an illness that forces him to resign from the group, the delicate dynamic between the other members is thrown out of sync. As the remaining trio search for a potential replacement, trusts are betrayed, relationships damaged and marriages broken.
Performances are strong across the board (particularly from Hoffman and Keener as the aforementioned married couple, not to mention a nice supporting turn by Imogen Poots), and as you might imagine from a story centered around musicians, music is a key component in the film. The soundtrack is a mix of original score by frequent David Lynch collaborator Angelo Badalamenti ("Mulholland Dr.," "Twin Peaks") as well as classical compositions like Beethoven's "Opus 131."
The soundtrack arrives on November 6th but you can preview the entire thing exclusively below and pre-order it now at Amazon and iTunes. "A Late Quartet" arrives in theatres this Friday, November 2nd.
Awesome stuff. Makes me want to see the film even though the word of mouth from TIFF was poorer than Hushpuppy from Beasts of the Southern Wild.