State of the Union

Director: Stephen Frears

Institute History

  • 2019 Sundance Film Festival

Description

New to counseling, Tom and Louise meet in a pub before their weekly marital-therapy appointment to fortify themselves with drink and get their stories straight. These informal pub-based sessions slowly reveal the shape of their relationship, as long-running resentments fight for space next to newly discovered complications—all of which are equally fueled by their sharp wits, their bruised emotions, and white wine. With blame and guilt being thrown from both sides, an unexpected energy starts to reemerge in their partnership, revealing who they have become and potentially building bridges back to who they once were.

Director Stephen Frears (The Grifters, Lay the Favorite) returns to the Sundance Film Festival with an original comedy series about contemporary relationships, and Nick Hornby’s script brims with humor and insight. Taking advantage of the serial structure to strip every episode down to just the good parts, Frears utilizes the likability and depth of actors Rosamund Pike and Chris O’Dowd to introduce us to a relationship that is immediately recognizable and infinitely watchable.

We are proud to present all 10 episodes of this short-form series, followed by a Q&A with its cast and creators.


— D.C.

Screening Details

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