First Look at Kristen Stewart and Nicholas Hoult in 'Equals'

Imagine a world where all emotion has been erased. Feelings such as love, hate, and greed are wiped from existence, until one starts to have those emotions again. It may sound a lot like The Giver, but it's actually Equals, the latest love story from Like Crazy and Breathe In director Drake Doremus. The futuristic sci-fi romance stars Nicholas Hoult and Kristen Stewart, guaranteeing it will probably be the indie filmmaker's biggest film yet, and now we have the first shadowy image of his two stars sharing a moment. Here's the synopsis:

A futuristic love story set in a society where emotions have been eradicated. Equals tells the story of Silas (Hoult), who lives in a future society called The Collective. The inhabitants of this modern world are a new breed of humans called Equals. Equals are peaceful, calm, fair and polite. Life in The Collective is perfect; there is no greed, no poverty, no violence and no emotion but a new disease is threatening everyone. SOS, or Switched On Syndrome, is activating in its victims everything they thought they had escaped: depression, sensitivity, fear & love. Once a person is overtaken with SOS, they are sent away to The Den and never seen again. When Silas is infected, he becomes an outcast but he notices one person who seems to understand what he’s going through. Nia (Stewart) has feelings, but she seems to be able to hide them. When he confronts her, they discover a connection that quickly takes over everything. They feel love and intimacy for the first time in their lives but the only way for them to ensure their survival is to escape.

Guy Pearce, who starred in Breathe In for Doremus just a couple of years ago, plays a tracker hunting down the two lovers. For Hoult, he's proven pretty successful with unconventional romances having previously starred in Warm Bodies. Stewart has been working with one auteur after another, and this is just the latest in a string of challenging roles that will hopefully gain her the respectability she deserves.

Kate Lyn Sheil, Auroroa Perrineau, and Jacki Weaver co-star. Equals is filming now and should open some time next year. [Variety]

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New Poster and Trailer for 'Breathe In' Starring Guy Pearce and Felicity Jones

Fans of Like Crazy director Drake Doremus have been waiting a long time for his follow-up, Breathe In. The film debuted at last year's Sundance Film Festival and has already played in the UK, but it'll finally hit U.S. shores this spring, and a new trailer thrusts us right into the illicit affair depicted by stars Guy Pearce and Felicity Jones.

Pearce plays a former rocker who has settled into married life and a dull job as a music teacher, until a sexy transfer student played by Jones moves into their home. She does more than just ignite romantic passions he hasn't felt in years, but also sparks him creatively and intellectually, putting the stable life he's built into jeopardy. I reviewed the film last year and noted the "palpable chemistry" between the two stars, and also the performance by newcomer Mackenzie Davis, but felt Doremus was treading on well-worn territory without bringing anything new to the table.

Still, Breathe In should turn a lot of heads when it finally arrives on March 28th. But if you can't wait that long, and have a region-free DVD/Blu-Ray player, it's available now for order here.

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Drake Doremus Eyes Kristen Stewart and Nicholas Hoult for 'Equals'

Through his first two movies, Drake Doremus has shown a keen interest in observing the fragility of relationships. His breakout film Like Crazy covering a young love tested by distance and personal growth; while his follow-up Breathe In centered on a marriage crushed by infidelity. Our review of the latter film from this past Sundance can be found here, since it's still unclear when or if it will ever hit theaters stateside. Whether it was Felicity Jones and Anton Yelchin or Jones and Guy Pearce, he's always had an attractive central couple, which is exactly what he's looking for in his next project.

Deadline reports that Doremus is targeting Kristen Stewart and Nicholas Hoult for Equals, a sci-fi film penned by Moon writer, Nathan Parker. Details on it are few but in the past Doremus has referred to it as a film that explores love in the future.

No deals have been made and this sounds a little like wish list material, but we'll see if Doremus can get a deal in place. If he does, filming would begin in early 2014.

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Guy Pearce Cheats With Felicity Jones In First Trailer For 'Breathe In'

In his debut feature, Like Crazy, Drake Doremus explored the heartbreaking pangs of young love, stressed by the loneliness of separation and the constant threat of temptation. The theme of infidelity and the fragility of relationships is one he's obviously quite comfortable with, and he's taking them on again with his latest emotional drama, Breathe In.

Reuniting with Like Crazy star Felicity Jones and starring Guy Pearce, the film follows a former rock star (Pearce) now a music teacher with a wife (Amy Ryan) and daughter (rising star Mackenzie Davis), and it's the sort of boring life he never envisioned for himself. But he finds a new lust for life and a passion for music again with the arrival of a foreign exchange student (Jones), who pushes him on an intellectual and sexual level. The bonds of trust are broken, boundaries get crossed, and there are disastrous consequences for pretty much everybody involved.

Doremus opts for the slow burn here, but in my earlier review I couldn't escape the sense of "been there, done that", and felt the film lacked genuine passion. Maybe I'll feel differently next time. Breathe In opens in the U.K. next month, and should arrive here later this year.

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Sundance Review: 'Breathe In' starring Guy Pearce and Felicity Jones

Two years ago, Drake Doremus made a splash at Sundance with is beautifully crafted romance, Like Crazy. The film won major awards at the festival, but when on to be one of those many Park City darlings that died an ugly death in general release. Where it failed monetarily, it succeeded in introducing American audiences to Brit import Felicity Jones, and the alluring actress returns for Doremus' follow-up, Breathe In.

A sort of spiritual cousin to Like Crazy, the story follows yet another romantic entanglement with disastrous consequences. Doremus opts for a slow boil compared to his previous film's passionate whirlwind, while maintaining a sense of intimacy and urgency magnified by Jones and Guy Pearce's soulful performances.

Upon first glance, Keith(Pearce) and Megan(Amy Ryan) are the picture of a happy family, along with their teen daughter, Lauren (excellent newcomer Mackenzie Davis). Upon closer inspection, there's at least one major crack in the foundation. An ex-rocker who gave up a life of excitement for tuna melts and Jenga nights with the family, Keith quietly yearns for something more. A talented cellist who finds some measure of escape filling in for an acclaimed New York philharmonic, he's otherwise discontent with his job teaching music at his daughter's school.

As Keith and Megan seemingly are headed in opposing directions, the family unit is disrupted by the arrival of Sophie(Jones), a U.K. transfer student staying with them for the rest of the semester. She's quiet, fragile, and confident, at first making an ill fit into their home. Slowly but surely, she begins to form reluctant attachments, first with Lauren, and more cautiously with Keith. A refined pianist in her own right, Sophie and Keith share a musical interest he can't find in the other women in his life. During one of their first encounters, she challenges him with an angry piano solo that stirs up a fervor he thought long gone. Slowly but surely, they draw nearer to one another. The furtive glances hang a little bit longer; the innocuous conversations a bit more meaningful. Meanwhile, Megan and Lauren begin to suspect something is amiss.



Co-written by Doremus and Ben York Jones, they construct a number of fully realized characters from top to bottom. Pearce, long one of the most reliable actors around, gives a touching portrayal of a man in a no-win situation. Recognizing the love he still holds for his family, he's nonetheless overcome by the desire to live the life he felt was denied him. Jones easily could have fallen into the trap of playing the cliche home-wrecker, but she never gives a false moment throughout. She plays Sophie is a strong but flawed young woman in an unfamiliar place, looking desperately to forge a lasting connection that sets her free to live her own life. Doremus' ability to coax fantastic performances are nearly enough to forgive the film's most glaring flaws.

While the beautiful, melancholy score does a great job of setting the mood, there's an undeniable sense of "been there, done that". For all the energy Doremus puts into building these fully fleshed out characters, it's still a story we've seen a thousand times before with nothing novel brought to the table. Pearce and Jones have a palpable chemistry, but far too often the film lacks passion, so Doremus overcompensates with a final act that leans too hard on contrivance and histrionics.

So much about Breathe In works that it only makes the less competent areas more noticeable. Pearce and Jones are worthy of every bit of acclaim they will surely receive, but Doremus has yet to put together the total package.

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