Venice (AFP) – Hollywood actor-director Casey Affleck cast his two sons in his latest movie “Company” and invited brother Ben to the red-carpet premiere at the Venice Film Festival. The brothers were all smiles as they attended the family reunion on Tuesday night, but Casey also revealed they had lost both their parents this year.
“I lost both my mom and my dad this year and they’re very important to me,” he told a press conference on Tuesday. “I really wanted to show this movie to them and I didn’t get to. I think they would have liked it.”
“Company” is a complex low-budget gothic drama that features several interlocking stories. It is Affleck’s third effort behind the camera as a director, with the work drawing mixed reviews from critics. One of the biggest surprises was the casting of his son Indiana in his first film role, with the 22-year-old bearing more than a passing semblance to superstar Timothee Chalamet.
Affleck, who earned an Oscar for best actor in “Manchester by the Sea,” said that Indiana and younger son Atticus, 18, were initially reluctant to take part, but ended up agreeing to join the family business. “They were amazing and it made it the best professional experience of my life by far because I got to go to work every day with my kids and hang around,” the 51-year-old told reporters.
“Company” is in the running for the Golden Lion best film prize at the Venice Film Festival, which will be handed out on Saturday. Britain’s The Guardian newspaper said the movie “entertains us with creepy campfire tales,” but the Hollywood Reporter called it a “dull existential drama,” while The Wrap website described it as a “frustrating slog.”
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