Geoff Haley’s feature debut is a hilariously dark romantic comedy set in the City of Angels, where aimless souls are desperate either to make a connection or go out with a bang.

Evan Merck (Wes Bentley) is a writer who has found a most peculiar niche. Evan makes his living composing other people’s suicide notes. His reclusive world is thrown for a loop when, at a client’s funeral, Evan meets the beautiful, free-spirited Charlotte (Winona Ryder), the dead client’s sister. Unaware of his real day job—much less his connection to her brother’s suicide—Charlotte develops a fascination for the young writer. Sparks fly, and Evan is not one for sparks. As his feelings for Charlotte spiral, Evan desperately tries to keep his career a secret. Deceptions snowball, rocking the delicately crafted balance of Evan’s life and, consequently, the lives of his hapless clients.

Surprisingly touching, quirky, and wickedly intelligent, this charming comedy confronts loss, redemption, and our curious need to leave a legacy. Bentley and Ryder have a chemistry that sizzles. As Evan’s client and friend, Abel, Ray Romano puts the dead back in deadpan. Writer/director Geoff Haley returns to Sundance after his 2002 short film, The Parlor, made quite a splash. The Last Word puts Haley on the cine-map as a fresh voice that is decidedly alive.

Geoff Haley - Born in Mannheim, Germany, and raised in rural Pennsylvania, Geoff Haley graduated with honors from Stanford University in 1994. As a camera operator, cinematographer, and editor, he has worked with directors Steven Soderbergh, Barry Levinson, Sam Mendes, David O. Russell, and Clint Eastwood. In 1999, Haley’s footage of a plastic bag floating in the wind was praised as an iconic shot in the Academy Award–winning American Beauty. Haley’s short film The Parlor won an honorable mention at the 2002 Sundance Film Festival.

Screenings:

Sat. January 19, 5:30pm, Racquet Club, Park City
Mon. January 21, 9:15am, Eccles Theatre, Park City
Tue. January 22, 11:30am, Racquet Club, Park City
Thu. January 24, 8:30am, Racquet Club, Park City
Fri. January 25, Noon, Screening Room, Sundance Resort
Sat. January 26, Noon, Broadway Centre Cinemas IV, SLC

Tim Peternel
Billsburg Films
3534 Dahlia Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90026

310-569-6323
tim@deviantfilm.com