What They Had

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What They Had
Theatrical release poster
Directed byElizabeth Chomko
Written byElizabeth Chomko
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyRoberto Schaefer
Edited byTom McArdle
Music byDanny Mulhern
Production
companies
  • Unified Pictures
  • Bona Fide Productions
  • Look to the Sky Films
  • June Pictures
Distributed byBleecker Street
Release dates
  • January 21, 2018 (2018-01-21) (Sundance)
  • October 19, 2018 (2018-10-19) (United States)
Running time
101 minutes[1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Box office$260,136[2]

What They Had is a 2018 American drama film written and directed by Elizabeth Chomko in her feature directorial debut. Starring Hilary Swank, Michael Shannon, Robert Forster, Blythe Danner, Taissa Farmiga, and Josh Lucas, the film follows two siblings in conflict with their father over whether or not to put their mother, who suffers from Alzheimer's disease, in a nursing home.

The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival on January 21, 2018, and was theatrically released in the United States on October 19, 2018, by Bleecker Street.[3]

Plot

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When Alzheimer's-stricken Ruth Everhardt wanders into the streets during a blizzard on Christmas Eve, her daughter, Bridget Ertz, travels back to her hometown to help her brother, Nicky, convince their father, Norbert, to put Ruth in a nursing home and face the end of their life together.

Ruth returns home with her family and discussions ensue about her future. Nicky has secured a spot for Ruth in one of the premiere assisted care facilities in Chicago, yet Norbert insists that he alone can provide the best care for her. Nicky looks to Bridget for help, but her time away from her parents makes this a challenge to address.

Bridget is dealing with her own immediate family issues as she's never connected with her husband, Eddie, while her daughter, Emma, suffers from anxiety and has stopped attending college. Nicky continues arguing with Norbert over Ruth's future and leaves afterwards. Bridget discusses her father's interference in her life just as they notice that Ruth has again disappeared. She is quickly found, but Norbert finally realizes that Ruth must leave for the assisted care facility.

Norbert reconciles with Nicky by visiting his tavern. Shortly thereafter, Norbert dies from a heart attack, leaving Nicky devastated. Bridget spends time with Ruth at the care facility and sees how well the staff are treating her. She leaves the facility with a restful smile on her face.

Cast

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Production

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Development

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In 2014, Elizabeth Chomko was selected for the Sundance Institute's Screenwriters Lab with a script for the drama film What They Had.[4] In September 2015, Chomko's script was announced as a winner for the Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting.[5] In June 2016, Chomko revealed she would also direct the film from her screenplay. Albert Berger and Ron Yerxa were later reported to produce for Bona Fide Productions, along with Bill Holderman, and Andrew Duncan and Alex Saks producing for June Pictures, and Keith Kjarval producing for Unified Pictures.[6]

Casting

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On March 17, 2017, it was reported that Hilary Swank, Michael Shannon, Robert Forster, Blythe Danner, and Taissa Farmiga had been cast in the film.[7] Sarah Sutherland's casting was confirmed in August 2017.[8]

Filming

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Principal photography began on March 22, 2017 in Chicago, Illinois.[7] On March 28, members of the Amboy American Legion performed a graveside service for a scene in the film on location in Westchester, Illinois.[9] Conboy Westchester Funeral Home also hosted the cast and crew for filming on March 28.[10] Production was set up in Hyde Park, Chicago for more than two weeks, concluding on April 17.[11] Filming wrapped in Los Angeles on May 2, 2017.

Music

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In December 2017, it was reported that Danny Mulhern would compose the film's score.[12]

The end credit song "Are You There" is written by Aoife O'Donovan, the film's writer and director Elizabeth Chomko and her mother Kate Chomko.[13]

Release

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In May 2017, Bleecker Street acquired domestic distribution rights to the film.[14] It had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival on January 21, 2018.[15][16] What They Had was initially scheduled for release on March 16, 2018,[17] but was pushed back to October 19, 2018.[18]

Reception

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On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 87% based on 119 reviews, with an average of Lua error in Module:Rotten_Tomatoes_data at line 136: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).. The website's critical consensus reads, "What They Had finds laughter and tears in its portrait of a family at a crossroads, with writer-director Elizabeth Chomko getting outstanding performances out of a talented cast."[19] Metacritic assigned the film a weighted average score of 69 out of 100, based on 25 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[20]

Accolades

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Award Date of ceremony Category Recipient(s) Result Ref.
AARP Movies for Grownups Awards 2019 Best Supporting Actor Robert Forster Nominated [21][22]
Best Supporting Actress Blythe Danner Nominated
Best Grownup Love Story Won
Alliance of Women Film Journalists Awards 2019 Alliance of Women Film Journalists Elizabeth Chomko Nominated [23]
Heartland International Film Festival 2018 Truly Moving Picture Award Elizabeth Chomko and Bleecker Street Media Won [24]
Audience Choice Award Elizabeth Chomko Won [25]
Philadelphia Film Festival 2018 Best First Feature Nominated [26]

References

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