| The Letter | |
| Director: | Jay Anania |
| Producer: | Vince Jolivette Marni Zelnick Jeff Kalligheri |
| Starring: | Winona Ryder James Franco |
| Music: | Arvo Pärt |
| Cinematography: | Bradley Schmidt |
| Runtime: | 92 minutes |
| Country: | United States |
| Language: | English |
The Letter, previously called The Stare, is a 2012 American psychological thriller film written and directed by Jay Anania, starring Winona Ryder and James Franco. Franco is a former student of Anania's, who teaches directing at NYU.[1] The pair previously collaborated on Shadows and Lies. In 2012, it was announced that Lionsgate purchased the distribution rights to the film, which was retitled The Letter.[2] [3] The film got its first theatrical showing at the Cincinnati Film Festival on September 9, 2012.[4]
A playwright, Martine (Ryder), suffers from paranoia and hallucinations as she attempts to stage a new production. She is uncertain over whether she is deluded or if there is a plot against her. Tyrone (Franco) is an actor in Martine's new play.[5]
Writing for 7MPictures, Liam Carr said that "The Letter is not a thriller. It is barely a film. It's a boring, self-important, disjointed and pointless pile of tripe masquerading as a movie."[6] [7]