New Look: Seth Rogen & Michelle Williams In Sarah Polley’s ‘Take This Waltz’

Considering that her directorial debut, “Away From Her,” was extraordinary, earning its star, Julie Christie, an Oscar nomination (and really, she should have won the thing, beaten at the last by Marion Cotillard), we’ve been eagerly awaiting the sophomore film from Canadian actress Sarah Polley for quite a while now. The story of a young Toronto married couple, played by Michelle Williams and Seth Rogen, who struggle with monogamy and fidelity, the film also stars Sarah Silverman and relative newcomer Luke Kirby, and shot last summer in the Canadian city.

We loved the script, so we’ve been looking forward to the day we get to see it, and that day is getting closer and closer — the film’s in the last stages of post-production and is being shopped at Cannes at the moment by sales agent TF1 International, who’ve debuted a few new images from the film on their website, which you can find below.

There’s also a statement on the film from Polley, which gives some more clues of what to expect: note it sounds like the soundtrack will be indie-rocker-rrific and will feature the coveted Leonard Cohen song which the film derives its title from.

“Take This Waltz takes us into territory we all know but rarely have the courage to explore. It takes us into the belly of intimacy in a way that is often uncomfortable and intense.

While the film deals with profound emotion, just when we feel our hearts are breaking, we will feel the release of a laugh. While the film will move us, it is never overly weighted on the side of sadness, but rather oscillates wildly between moments of joy, levity, and difficult emotion. My hope is that the audience will be caught off guard by these lighter moments, enough to have the courage to recognize themselves in the characters. The moments that touch us creep up on us. The dialogue should keep us engaged and curious.

Visually, this film will be a colourful feast for the eyes. Toronto in the summertime will feel alive, vibrant, and sweltering hot. Sexy, diverse, energetic and dreamy. Sexuality should pulse through almost every frame; primary, hot colours striking us to our core. The look of this film is defined by summer, bathed in golden light, the sweltering heat filling every frame, adding to the claustrophobia and eroticism of Margot’s journey.

The film will never feel static or composed. There is always a sense that we don’t know where the camera will go, there are no boundaries, nowhere that is off limits, creating a sense of anticipation. We are often going into emotional territory that feels intense and unexpected – we feel it visually as well. We don’t know what we are going to see next, and that is thrilling and nerve wracking at the same time. There is always a sense of breath in the camera. There is always the slightest movement. Almost the entire film is shot on steadicam, giving it a sense of grace and fluidity as well as a sense of life.

The soundtrack is alive and pervasive and features legendary songs by Leonard Cohen as well as the contemporary music of many emerging independent bands.”

There’s no release date yet, but Canada loves its own, so expect a Toronto International Film Festival bow this September to be sure.