Directed by Tom Colby.
Starring Lena Olin, Bruce Dern, Juliet Rylance, Robert Myers, Avan Jogia, Stefanie Powers, Catherine Curtin, Tonya Pinkins, Caryn West, Alexandre Bagot, Laura Chaneski, and Ravi Cabot-Conyers.
SYNOPSIS:
Claire Smythson, wife of the renowned abstract artist Richard Smythson, is plunged into a late-life crisis when her husband is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease and is in danger of not completing the paintings for his final show.
The Artist’s Wife appears to be a personal film possibly pulling from director Tom Dolby’s personal life as evident by paying tribute to his parents as the ending credits finish, and being honest, it definitely feels like one. However, it also feels like there is so much on Tom Dolby’s mind that the many pieces never really come together. Also co-writing with assistance from Nicole Brending and Abdi Nazemian, it’s clear that the film wants to explore the eponymous wife’s stress and pain coping with her wealthy and famou
The Artist’s Wife review – an indie drama lacking inspiration
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Acting legends Leno Olin and Bruce Dern star in a film about the pressures of supporting greatness. Olin plays Claire Smythson, the wife of celebrated painter Richard (Dern). Living comfortably in their old age, Claire keeps their lives running while Richard is allowed to surround himself with painting and teaching. When he begins to show signs of dementia, however, Claire attempts to reconnect with the family he pushed away, and tries to rediscover her own identity.
A good set up and prestige cast should be a strong indicator of success, but from beginning to end Tom Dolby’s film feels a bit lost. Claire spends much of her time cleaning up the mess her husband leaves behind, but there’s little glimpsing inside her own head. A good comparison would be Glenn Close’s The Wife, which wrapped an entire film around her slow building frustration. Here, The Artist’s Wife seems to be as s