“A Most Violent Year” is currently the dollar bid on “Price Is Right.” Set for release at the tail end of December, A24 positioned J.C. Chandor's “All Is Lost” follow-up as the last awards contender of the year. But don't think the film will be hustling behind the competition: American Film Institute announced today that “A Most Violent Year” would have its World Premiere on Thursday, Nov. 6, as the Opening Night Gala of AFI Fest 2014, giving it nearly two months to slow boil that buzz.
A recent trailer for the “Violent Year” showcased murky scene-chewing from stars Oscar Isaac and Jessica Chastain, but the announcement gives us a clearer idea of exactly what Chandor's up to. Set in Winter 1981, the film tracks Abel and Anna Morales (Isaac and Chastain) as they “attempt to capitalize on the American Dream, while the rampant violence, decay, and corruption of the day drag them in and threaten to destroy all they have built.” Albert Brooks, David Oyelowo, Alessandro Nivola, Elyes Gabel and Catalina Sandino Moreno costar.
“J.C. Chandor has put together a remarkable crime drama, which is also an immersive period piece and morality tale that resonates on an emotional level,” said AFI Fest Director Jacqueline Lyanga, in a statement accompanying the announcement. “Chandor is a talented director who takes risks with every film that he makes and 'A Most Violent Year' is no exception. It is a great film with which to open the festival and begin the audience's eight-day journey through a landscape of extraordinary contemporary cinema.”
“A Most Violent Year” opens on Dec. 31.