Just last month, Netflix released an Ohio-set drama tracing interweaved stories across multiple family generations with a seriously starry cast in Antonio Campos’ The Devil All The Time. And now, the streaming service is about to unleash another Ohio-set drama film, which traces interweaved stories across multiple family generations with a seriously starry cast in Ron Howard’s Hillbilly Elegy. Except, this one looks like it doesn’t have gruesome murders, deviant priests, and Harry Melling pouring live spiders all over his face. Instead, it has powerhouse performances from Amy Adams and Glenn Close, and the kind of Serious Movie trappings that indicate you’re going to cry buckets. Watch the trailer here.
Based on J.D. Vance’s memoir, the film follows three generations of his family – there’s Gabriel Basso (of Super 8 and The Kings Of Summer) as Vance himself, with Amy Adams as his mother Bev, and Glenn Close as grandmother Mamaw. Between them all, there are struggles of buried traumas, addiction, death and dreams – here’s the official synopsis: “J.D. Vance (Gabriel Basso), a former Marine from southern Ohio and current Yale Law student, is on the verge of landing his dream job when a family crisis forces him to return to the home he’s tried to forget. J.D. must navigate the complex dynamics of his Appalachian family, including his volatile relationship with his mother Bev (Amy Adams), who’s struggling with addiction. Fueled by memories of his grandmother Mamaw (Glenn Close), the resilient and whip-smart woman who raised him, J.D. comes to embrace his family’s indelible imprint on his own personal journey.”
Hillbilly Elegy marks Howard’s first non-documentary film since Solo: A Star Wars Story (he’s since made docs Pavarotti and Rebuilding Paradise), and those make-up heavy emotional performances signal likely awards contention for all involved – could this be the film that finally lands Amy Adams her long-overdue Oscar after six nominations? Find out when it hits cinemas in November, with a release on Netflix on 24 November.