| This Is Martin Bonner | |
| Director: | Chad Hartigan |
| Producer: | Cherie Saulter |
| Starring: |
|
| Cinematography: | Sean McElwee |
| Editing: | Julio C. Perez IV |
| Music: | Keegan DeWitt |
| Distributor: | Monterey Media |
| Runtime: | 83 minutes |
| Country: | United States |
| Language: | English |
This Is Martin Bonner is a 2013 American drama film written and directed by Chad Hartigan. The film stars Paul Eenhoorn as Martin Bonner, a man in his late 50s forced to relocate to Reno, Nevada, for a new job and his attempts to acclimate and make new friends. Through his work at a non-profit organization, he meets Travis Holloway (Richmond Arquette), and the two men form an unlikely friendship. It premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2013, where it won the Audience Award for Best of NEXT.
Martin Bonner has just moved to Nevada from Maryland, leaving behind his two children and a life he spent more than two decades building. He is there working at a new job as the volunteer coordinator for a non-profit organization that helps prisoners make the transition from incarceration to freedom in the best way possible. Despite his struggles, he fought on and so this is Martin’s first job in two years and he has recently declared bankruptcy.
At the same time, Travis Holloway, a prisoner in the program, is being released after serving twelve years. Sent back into the world with nothing, Travis also finds life in Reno difficult to adjust to, despite the help from his program sponsor, Steve Helms.
The stories of Martin and Travis slowly converge, as these two meet and find that they have much in common, not the least of which is an unspoken need for encouragement and support. Their unlikely friendship blossoms but is put to the test when Travis betrays Martin's trust in order to reunite with his estranged daughter.
This Is Martin Bonner was shot on location in the Nevada cities of Reno and Sparks, the latter being the hometown of writer and director Hartigan's mother. The Red One camera was used for the shoot, which took 16 days in November 2011.[1]
This Is Martin Bonner premiered at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival, where it won the Audience Award for Best of NEXT.[2] [3] Throughout the year, it screened at the Oxford Film Festival,[4] the Florida Film Festival,[5] the Nashville Film Festival,[6] the Maryland Film Festival, the Wisconsin Film Festival,[7] and the River Run Film Festival.[8] At the Sarasota Film Festival, it won the On Golden Pond Award for Artistic Accomplishment.[9]
It was given a limited theatrical release in North America on June 21, 2013.
On Rotten Tomatoes the film has an approval rating of 93% based on reviews from 30 critics, with an average rating of 7.85/10. The site's consensus reads: "Solemn but heartfelt, This Is Martin Bonner is a slow-burning drama with an outstanding performance by Paul Eenhoorn as the title character."[10] On Metacritic it has a score of 71 out of 100 based on reviews from 10 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[11]
John Anderson of Variety described it as "A mood piece, a character study and an exercise in poetic gesture possessed of a sort of evanescent, secular spirituality. Helmer Chad Hartigan's second feature is Americana of a very immediate sort, a tale of redemption that may leave its viewers with an uncanny sense of peace."[12] David Rooney of The Hollywood Reporter wrote, "Acted with smart restraint and shot with corresponding composure, this is a somber drama built out of small but acutely observed moments of naturalistic behavior."[13] The New York Times reviewer Nicolas Rapold commented, "It's gratifying to see the care taken with his characters, though it would be no betrayal of them for Mr. Hartigan to flesh out their world and their lives further."[14]
This Is Martin Bonner won the 2013 Sundance Best of Next audience award[15] and the 2014 Independent Spirit John Cassavetes Award.[16]