- available formats: 35mm

Love Liza - starring Philip Seymour Hoffman and Kathy Bates

"My personal favorite from the 2002 Toronto International Film Festival...
Love Liza is kooky, classy and likely to be the most profound American movie of 2003."
- Kim Linekin, eye weekly

"An extraordinary film! Philip Seymour Hoffman gives the performance of the year!"
- Ain't It Cool News

Winner of the Waldo Salt Screenwriting award at the 2002 Sundance film festival, Love Liza features a tour de force performance by Philip Seymour Hoffman, one of this country's most original actors. Set somewhere in Middle America, Wilson Joel (Philip Seymour Hoffman), a successful website designer, suddenly sees his world stop with the untimely death of his young wife Liza. Trying to make sense of everything that has just happened, Wilson turns to his mother-in-law (Kathy Bates) for support. Their relationship intensifies when Wilson refuses to open a letter Liza left behind for fear it will shatter his ideal of the perfect life they shared. As Wilson attempts to rebuild his life, with unopened letter in tow, eccentric behaviour begins to surface taking him on an odyssey of self-pity, self-realization and a curious fascination with remote-control model enthusiasts. Through this temporary comfort, he begins dealing with his grief.

Love Liza is a beautifully drawn portrait of a survivor who invokes humour, humility and whatever it takes to find the possibilities for a successful resolution.

Starring Philip Seymour Hoffman, Jack Kehler, Sarah Koskoff, Stephen Tobolowsky and Kathy Bates.

 

2002, USA, 90 minutes.