Mystic River

Someday, Gothamist will go to the Cannes Film Festival. But until then, we will continue to get excited about films that premiere there and eagerly await for them to come Stateside. Like Mystic River, Clint Eastwood's adaptation of Dennis Lehane's bestselling novel. Gothamist had heard how wonderful a book Mystic River was ("Don't mind the 'New York Times Bestseller' and mass-market paperback size, Jen."), both in terms of the thrill and emotional story telling. It is a solidly written, haunting book about three friends whose "lives change forever" when one is kidnapped but returned a few days later; the friends reunite when one's daughter is found murdered.

The film will be released in September, but many critics, including Manohla Dargis and Roger Ebert, loved it, as the feeling was that this year sucked. All the more surprising that Mystic River was snubbed at the awards, but the built-in prestige of Clint directing, acting from Sean Penn, Kevin Bacon, Tim Robbins, Laura Linney, Marcia Gay Harden, and Laurence Fishburne, and good buzz ensures a good release by Warner Bros. Unlike the dumping they gave Femme Fatale.

Mystic River was filmed on location in Boston.