There can never be enough Patricia Clarkson, as far as I’m concerned, and even though she’s always great in supporting roles she’s better in the rare opportunity to lead. I remember a great deal of positive buzz for the existential detective noir Out of Blue when it played at TIFF last year. Now the trailer is here and I’m excited for what looks to be an unconventional whodunnit.
Directed by Carol Morley, the film stars Clarkson as a detective brought in to solve a professor’s murder, only to encounter a number of strange characters along the way. As she probes further, a deeper cosmic truth begins to be revealed, so this isn’t just another crime procedural. Also in the cast are Jacki Weaver, Toby Jones, and James Caan.
Here’s the synopsis: Detective Mike Hoolihan (Clarkson) is called in to investigate the murder of a young professor who, the night before her death, gave a lecture on the mysteries of the universe. When the cool-headed Hoolihan digs into the case, she must contend with the victim’s dubious ex-boyfriend and a family with its own murky past. The more the detective begins to pull apart the various strands of the case, the more her own vulnerabilities and imperfections are revealed. As our mesmerizing protagonist gets closer to the truth behind the murder, she also begins to discover a larger truth — but she worries that the fully realized answer may elude her.
Out of Blue opens on March 15th.
