WHY IT’S IMPORTANT TO SEE “REBEL IN THE RYE”
Any aspiring or already accomplished writers would be well-served in seeing REBEL IN THE RYE, starring Nicholas Hoult, Kevin Spacey, and Sarah Paulson, written and directed by Danny Strong, based on the biography J.D. Salinger: A Life by Kenneth Slawenski. The film opens this weekend at Landmark Theatres in LA and NYC. So why see this film? Aside from the importance of supporting independent film, Rebel in the Rye is not only about Salinger’s process in becoming a writer, but about the very process of writing itself—what it MEANS to be a writer, and the power the words of a writer can hold on generations, cultures, and individuals. You go into this movie with a blank slate and you walk out molded in the fashion of Rodin’s The Thinker—thinking about Salinger, about ALL the forces in his life, and ALL the forces in yours…
Danny Strong’s directorial debut captures the inner life of J.D. Salinger with a fresh, honest, and provocative perspective. Indeed, it is with a literary economy of scales that Strong orchestrates multiple layers of perspectives and relationships that ultimately define the life of Salinger, played with wonderful conviction by Nicholas Hoult. Based on true life events that blend fiction with fact, we get a real understanding for what made Salinger tick and untick. We see the role of intergenerational familial patterns at play and most powerful, the incredible relationship between mentor and student, via Salinger’s college professor Whit Burnett, played masterfully by Kevin Spacey. The crux of the story is that relationship—giving the viewer not only an inside look into the making of Salinger, but the making of any great writing, as Spacey delivers Burnett’s words and ethos that with powerful eloquence hammer in golden nuggets on writing and words of strength, courage, and wisdom to last a lifetime. Official Trailer: https://youtu.be/hjt3J9mM7aE
