Black Flies
Directed byJean-Stéphane Sauvaire
Screenplay by
  • Ryan King
  • Ben Mac Brown[1]
Based onBlack Flies
by Shannon Burke
Produced by
  • Warren Goz
  • Eric Gold
  • Christopher Kopp
  • Lucan Toh
  • Sean Penn
  • John Ira Palmer
  • John Wildermuth
Starring
CinematographyDavid Ungaro
Edited by
Music by
Production
companies
Distributed byOpen Road Films
Release date
  • May 18, 2023 (2023-05-18) (Cannes)
Running time
120 minutes[2]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Black Flies is a 2023 American thriller drama film directed by Jean-Stéphane Sauvaire and written by Ryan King and Ben Mac Brown, based on the 2008 novel of the same name by Shannon Burke. It stars Sean Penn, Tye Sheridan, Katherine Waterston, Michael Pitt, Mike Tyson, and Raquel Nave.

The film premiered at the 76th Cannes Film Festival on May 18, 2023 and is set to be released theatrically by Open Road Films.

Premise

In preparation for medical school, Ollie Cross joins veteran paramedic Gene Rutkovsky on a drive through New York City.

Cast

Production

Black Flies is an adaptation of the 2008 novel of the same name by Shannon Burke. In December 2018, Ryan King's screenplay for the film was featured on the Black List, an annual survey of the most-liked yet unproduced scripts of the year.[9] By February 2019, Jean-Stéphane Sauvaire came on board to direct, with Mel Gibson and Tye Sheridan in final negotiations to star.[3] In February 2021, Sean Penn replaced Gibson in one of the lead roles and was reported that Open Road Films had acquired the U.S. distribution rights.[4] Katherine Waterston, Michael Pitt, Mike Tyson, and Raquel Nave were announced to star in the following months. Filming began in May 2022 in New York City with cinematographer David Ungaro.[5][6][7][8][10]

Release

Black Flies had its world premiere at the 76th Cannes Film Festival on May 18, 2023, where it competed for the Palme d'Or and will be released theatrically by Open Road Films.[11] The film was seeking United States distribution out of Cannes.[12]

Reception

Critical response

On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 47% based on 15 reviews, with an average rating of 5.2/10.[13] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 41 out of 100, based on 8 critic reviews, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[14]

Eric Ortiz Garcia of Screen Anarchy wrote that the film "finds its power reflecting the brutal level of stress inherent in this profession... Sauvaire makes his mission explicit: to raise awareness about those paramedics who are completely overwhelmed. That's something the filmmaker achieves."[15] Tori Brazier of Metro wrote, "Black Flies is a grim tale, and not a recommended watch for the more delicate cinema fan, but its message and lack of subtlety certainly hit home."[16]

Pete Hammond of Deadline wrote that the film had a "game cast and nice mostly handheld camera work by David Ungaro" but that it failed to offer anything new, and repeated plot points already covered in Martin Scorsese's Bringing Out the Dead (1999).[17] The Guardian's Peter Bradshaw concurred, writing that the "sub-Schraderesque" film was "trading on old ideas", and criticized its lack of female paramedic representation.[18] David Ehrlich of IndieWire wrote, "Black Flies is such an unrelentingly bleak look inside the busted gut of the American healthcare system that its posturing honesty soon curdles into something that's hard to believe."[19]

Awards and nominations

Awards and nominations for Black Flies
Award Date of ceremony Category Recipient(s) Result Ref.
Cannes Film Festival 27 May 2023 Palme d'Or Jean-Stéphane Sauvaire Nominated

References

  1. ↑ "Black Flies". Writers Guild of America West. September 22, 2022. Retrieved January 25, 2023.
  2. ↑ "BLACK FLIES". Cannes Film Festival. Retrieved May 7, 2023.
  3. 1 2 Wiseman, Andreas (February 1, 2019). "Mel Gibson & Tye Sheridan To Star In Blacklist Thriller Black Flies For A Prayer Before Dawn Director — EFM". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved May 4, 2022.
  4. 1 2 Fleming, Mike Jr. (February 25, 2021). "Sean Penn, Tye Sheridan To Star In Black Flies; Open Road Lands U.S. Rights, FilmNation Sells Overseas". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved May 4, 2022.
  5. 1 2 D'Alessandro, Anthony (May 4, 2022). "Katherine Waterston Joins Sean Penn & Tye Sheridan In Open Road Films & Sculptor Media Thriller Black Flies". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved May 4, 2022.
  6. 1 2 D'Alessandro, Anthony (May 10, 2022). "Michael Pitt Boards Sean Penn & Tye Sheridan Paramedics Thriller Black Flies". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved May 10, 2022.
  7. 1 2 Kit, Borys (May 16, 2022). "Mike Tyson Joins Sean Penn in Paramedic Thriller Black Flies (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved May 16, 2022.
  8. 1 2 Grobar, Matt (June 3, 2022). "Raquel Nave Signs With Paradigm, Boards Open Road Thriller Black Flies Opposite Sean Penn & Tye Sheridan". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved June 6, 2022.
  9. ↑ D'Alessandro, Anthony (December 17, 2018). "The Black List 2018 Ranked: Disgruntled Snapchat Employee Story Frat Boy Genius Leads; Scripts About Matt Drudge & Young Samuel L. Jackson Round Out Survey". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved May 4, 2022.
  10. ↑ Sauvaire, Jean-Stéphane (April 30, 2022). Black Flies. Retrieved May 16, 2022 – via Instagram.
  11. ↑ "The films of the Official Selection 2023". Cannes Film Festival. April 13, 2023. Retrieved April 18, 2023.
  12. ↑ Donnelly, Matt; Sharf, Matt (May 18, 2023). "Sean Penn's Black Flies Jolts Cannes With Splattered Brains, Mike Tyson and Raves for Tye Sheridan". Variety. Retrieved May 21, 2023.
  13. ↑ "Black Flies". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved June 6, 2023.
  14. ↑ "Black Flies Reviews". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved June 6, 2023.
  15. ↑ Garcia, Eric Ortiz (May 22, 2023). "Cannes 2023 Review: BLACK FLIES, Intense Portrait of Paramedics' Reality". Screen Anarchy. Retrieved October 8, 2023.
  16. ↑ Brazier, Tori (May 20, 2023). "Black Flies review: A ruthlessly blood-spattered paramedic thriller determined to drain you". Metro. Retrieved October 7, 2023.
  17. ↑ Hammond, Pete (May 18, 2023). "'Black Flies' Review: Sean Penn And Tye Sheridan Ride The Mean Streets Of Brooklyn In Dark But Familiar Paramedic Drama – Cannes Film Festival". Deadline. Retrieved July 21, 2023.
  18. ↑ Bradshaw, Peter (May 18, 2023). "Black Flies review – Sean Penn paramedic drama tries to grapple the horror". The Guardian. Retrieved July 21, 2023.
  19. ↑ Ehrlich, David (May 18, 2023). "'Black Flies' Review: Sean Penn Is a Jaded Paramedic in Miserably Bleak Drama". IndieWire. Retrieved July 21, 2023.
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