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The King
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The King
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- 2005
- James Marsh
- 99 mins
- 15
Summary
Southern Gothic drama starring Gael García Bernal and William Hurt. Young Elvis Valderez leaves the navy and heads to Corpus Christi, Texas, where the father he has never met leads a respectable life as a pastor. When the older man rebuffs his illegitimate son, Elvis strikes up a close friendship with his 16-year-old daughter Malerie, who is unaware that they are blood relatives.
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Review
A star rating of 4 out of 5.
Leslie Felperin
In this unsettling drama from British director James Marsh, Gael García Bernal (The Motorcycle Diaries) stars as Elvis, a young man newly discharged from the navy who arrives in a Texas city to find David Sandow (William Hurt), the father that he's never met. But Sandow has become a prominent churchman with a family of his own and wants nothing to do with his illegitimate son. Perhaps out of spite, perhaps out of a genuine need for love, Elvis then begins a covert affair with his half-sister (Pell James), who's unaware of his actual identity. From then on, this peculiar drama evolves into a nicely nasty slice of southern gothic. Marsh's background in documentary films (The Burger and the King, Wisconsin Death Trip) shows in his studied use of locations and extras, building a hypnotic atmosphere that Deep South writers like Flannery O'Connor would have applauded. García Bernal, sporting a flawless American accent, is superb.
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6.6/10
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Credits
Cast
rolenameElvis ValderezGael García BernalPastor David SandowWilliam HurtPaul SandowPaul DanoMalerie SandowPell JamesTwyla SandowLaura HarringScootDerek AlvaradoDeck officerMatthew BuckleyElvis's girlVeronica Bernal
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Crew
rolenameDirectorJames Marsh
Details
Theatrical distributor
Tartan
Released on
2006-05-19
Languages
English
Guidance
Contains violence, swearing, sex scenes and nudity.
Available on
DVD
Formats
Colour
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