Casey Affleck Has Directed A Movie, ‘Light Of My Life,’ About A World Without Women

It’s easy to forget this, but on top of being an Oscar-winning actor and someone accused of sexual harassment and other forms of misconduct, Casey Affleck is also a controversial filmmaker. Perhaps you remember 2010’s I’m Still Here, his semi-mock-documentary in which Joaquin Phoenix, who doesn’t have an Oscar, pretended to drop out of the acting business to become a rapper. It took him nearly a decade, but he’s finally helmed his sophomore effort, and its logline may be even more shocking.

It’s called Light of My Life, and, as per its new trailer, it’s one of those post-apocalyptic deals, but with its own special twist: It’s a world without women. That might seem a bit on the nose for someone who’s been very publicly shamed for his alleged interactions with female colleagues, but Affleck has already sworn it’s not a reaction to his purported actions. Light of My Life already premiered at the Berlin International Film Festival in the spring, and while there Affleck tried to get ahead of what some may be thinking.

I wrote this movie and made this movie before all of those things became part of the conversation,” Affleck said at the press conference. “I hope people keep their minds open and be responsible and measured in their reactions. And people can talk for themselves. It’s not something I can control.”

The film, which is due on August 9, isn’t entirely female-free. It concerns a pandemic that, a decade prior, wiped out “only” half of the world’s women, following a father, played by Affleck himself, guiding his son through this miserable new world. Elisabeth Moss, one of the only credited female actresses, plays his wife.

Affleck has been somewhat able to keep his career going despite the resurfacing of his allegations, which were first lodged in 2010 and from which Affleck claims to have learned. He appeared in last year’s The Old Man & the Gun, and his next three films, according to the IMDb, are directed by women. Still, some on Twitter have not moved on enough to be cool with Light of My Life’s premise.

https://twitter.com/benwheatleys/status/1154091923893817345

For some people, it just reminded them of a certain beloved comic that has struggled to find its way to the big, or even small, screen.

(Via IndieWire)