生命中最重要的事情就是勇於嘗試。
女子住在一個冰天雪地的邊境小鎮，夢想著成為喜劇演員，這時她遇上一個過氣且身心俱疲、除了喜劇之外做什麼都可以的喜劇演員。
劇介
《真愛無國境》是一部黑色喜劇，表面上描述一個中年婦女設法擺脫沉悶的中西部小鎮生活，但同時又參雜了關於單口相聲、絕望、情緒疲勞和樂觀精神的探討。趣味的同時帶著悲傷和沮喪，就像生活在明尼蘇達州北部的小鎮。
劇介
明尼蘇達州國際瀑布城的一家飯店裡，女員工Dee（瑞秋哈里斯飾演）懷著單口相聲夢，她和丈夫Gary（馬修格雷夫飾演）育有兩個孩子，但她知道丈夫有外遇。單口相聲演員Tim來到她工作的飯店表演，Dee向他請教關於單口相聲的一切，然而Tim對這一行已經非常厭倦。寂寞的兩個人在國際瀑布城找到安慰，這是個好地方，來到此地的人也許就不想離開。
編劇/導演：安柏麥金尼斯（《The Gify》、《Missy》，《9 Days Later》）
製片：安柏麥金尼斯，尼古拉斯鄧雷維
製作公司：Outskirt Media, Pegalo Pictures
演員：瑞秋哈里斯（《無照律師》、《醉後大丈夫》、《魔鬼神探》）
羅伯許貝爾（《透明家庭》、《巨人》、《發展受阻》）
馬修格雷夫（《毒梟》、《廣告狂人》、《登月先鋒》)
凱文尼倫（《單身毒媽》、《高爾夫球也瘋狂》、《一家之主》）
導演簡歷
安柏麥金尼斯在北卡羅來納州美南浸信會家庭裡在家自學長大，目前開設Outskirt Media有限公司，製作和導演了第一部長片《真愛無國境》（2019）。她過去製作並導演了數部短片，並曾擔任艾美獎獲獎作品《Kennedy Center Hours》的策劃，製作了湯姆漢克斯及莉莉湯林的傳記電影。
她在德州韋科貝勒大學取得導演碩士學位，開始與新媒體製作公司WILL Interactive合作，導演並撰寫了超過20部關於改變行為的互動電影。她為《Girl In the Red Corner》寫的劇本入選2018年日舞影展劇作家實驗室以及奧斯汀電影節。
獎項：
- 2019年亞士蘭獨立電影節，最佳敘事長片，評審團大獎。
- 2019年西雅圖國際電影節，新美國電影競賽評審團大獎，安柏麥金尼斯
- 2019年亞特蘭大電影節，敘事長片入圍。
- 2019年本頓維影展，最佳敘事長片入圍。
- 2019年達拉斯國際電影節，敘事長片入圍。
- 2020年法哥電影節，最佳敘事長片特別提及，安柏麥金尼斯。
- 2019法哥電影節，最佳敘事長片入圍。
- 2019年傑佛遜州電影節，最佳女主角，瑞秋哈里斯。
拍攝地點（IMDB）：
- 美國明尼蘇達州國際瀑布城。
- 美國德州達拉斯（內景）。
影評：
- 「本片處處是驚喜，精彩演出、編劇和執導，融合成一部難能可貴的好片，看了之後讓人久久難以忘懷。」（The Curb，澳洲電影網站）
- 「觀看《真愛無國境》的感覺和看《冰血暴》很像……讓人既感到悲傷又極其滿足。」（The Stranger）
- 「真誠的劇本加上精彩的角色塑造，這部苦中帶甜的喜劇，描寫兩個人追求自我實現的過程。」（Escape into Film網站）
- 「兩位主角瑞秋哈里斯和羅伯許貝爾的互動火花四射，導演安柏麥金尼斯在單一場景電影展現精彩的執導技巧，《真愛無國境》是一部從頭到尾皆無冷場的好片。」（Moveable Fest）
- 「一首精心編排的旋律，交織著苦樂參半的戲劇、衝動情感和黑色幽默。瑞秋哈里斯和羅伯許貝爾隨著旋律跳著雙人舞，從頭到尾都沒有掉拍，兩人的互動既有趣又令人心碎，《真愛無國境》是一部非看不可的精彩作品。」（Pajiba.com）
- 本片有紮實的故事主幹，劇本結構層次分明，而且充滿精彩佳句（例如Dee簽署離婚文件時，律師斷然告訴她，「歡迎回到單身生活。」）
- 你一定會不由得愛上黑色喜劇《真愛無國境》。
- 一部難能可貴的好片！
- 靈感來自劇作家托馬斯沃德以自身單口相聲喜劇演員的經歷寫成的故事，導演安柏麥金尼斯再添上睿智寫實的對話，出人意表的情感共鳴，並找來獨立電影界兩位最優秀的喜劇演員同台演出，探討了大悲與大喜往往同時出現。
- 「一難能可貴的好片……趣味又哀傷」（好萊塢報導者）
- 導演安柏麥金尼斯首部執導作品，精彩處理了細微情緒轉折。瑞秋哈里斯和羅伯許貝爾也在她的指導下展現精彩演技，特別是瑞秋哈里斯飾演的Dee，在詮釋自己找到了新的內在力量時特別動人。看到她在影片結尾的勝利時刻笑開懷，讓人情不自禁地為她喝彩。（好萊塢報導者）
- 直率的幽默加上令人心碎的情節，一部切中要害的黑色喜劇。（RogerEbert.com）
- 「後勁很強的一部寫實喜劇片，看完後令人回味無窮。」（Red News Daily）
- 聰明、深刻加上黑色幽默，安柏麥金尼斯拍出一部精彩影片。
花絮：
- 托馬斯沃德以自身擔任單口相聲喜劇演員的經歷，建構了Tim的世界觀，導演安柏麥金尼斯鼓勵他從Dee的角度重新想像這個世界。兩人合作創造一部愛情片，纖細迷人又一團亂。
- Cater for You提供在國際瀑布城拍片期間的外燴服務，該公司由珍妮佛古斯塔夫森創立。IMDB
演職員表誤植：
- 執行製片（Executive Producer）的英文誤拼成Exectuive。IMDB
INTERNATIONAL FALLS (US/2019/COMEDY)
INTERNATIONAL FALLS
Language: English
Blurb
Dee is a middle-aged mother of two who is stuck in a Midwest rut. While on vacation, she meets Tim, a washed-up stand-up comedian, and an unlikely bond develops. Together, they find the silver lining in their gloomy lives.
Synopsis
The most important thing that any of us can do in life: try
A woman stuck in a small, snowbound border town has dreams of doing comedy when she meets a washed up, burned out comedian with dreams of doing anything else.
Synopsis
Billed as a dark comedy, International Falls is, at once, a simple story about a middle age woman clawing her way out of a Midwest rut; but it is simultaneously a complicated, knotted ball of yarn about standup comedians, desperation, emotional fatigue and unsinkable optimism. It is funny, and in equal parts, sad and gloomy, just like the northern Minnesota town where it is set.
Synopsis
At a hotel in International Falls, MN we have a mother of 2 children Dee (Harris) an aspiring stand-up comic who’s in a loveless marriage with her husband Gary (Glave) who Dee knows is cheating on her. When Tim arrives to play some sets at her hotel Dee starts to pick his brain since he’s a stand-up comedian (even if he doesn’t want to be). Now the two are each other’s solace in International Falls…a place so nice you may not want to leave.
Writer/Director: Amber McGinnis (The Gify, Missy, 9 Days Later)
Producer: Amber McGinnis, Nicholas Dunlevy
Production Co: Outskirt Media, Pegalo Pictures
Cast: Rachel Harris (Suits, The Hangover, Lucifer)
Rob Huebel (Transparent, Human Giant, Arrested Development)
Matthew Glave (Narcos, Mad Men, First Man)
Kevin Nealon (Weeds, Happy Gilmore, Man with a Plan)
Director Biography
Raised as a Southern Baptist homeschooler in North Carolina, Amber McGinnis now runs her own LLC called "Outskirt Medi" where she produced and directed her first feature length film, International Falls (2019). She has also produced and directed several short films, and has worked as an Associate Producer for the Emmy Award-winning "Kennedy Center Hours" where she produced biography films for Tom Hanks and Lily Tomlin.
After completing her MFA in Directing at Baylor University in Waco, TX, she began working with new media production company "WILL Interactive," where she has directed and written over 20 interactive films that focus on behavior change. Her screenplay for Girl In the Red Corner was a 2018 semifinalist at the Sundance Writer's Lab and Austin Film Festival.
Awards:
- Best Narrative Feature, Grand Jury Prize, Ashland Independent FF, 2019.
- Namber McGinnis, New American Cinema Competition, Grand Jury, Seattle IFF, 2019.
- Narrative Feature Nominee, Atlanta FF, 2019.
- Best Competition Narrative Nominee, Bentonville FF, 2019.
- Narrative Feature Competition Nominee, Dallas IFF, 2019.
- Amber McGinnis, Best Narrative Feature – Honorable Mention, Fargo FF, 2020.
- Best Narrative Feature Film Nominee, Fargo FF, 2019.
- Rachel Harris, Best Actress, Jefferson State Flixx Fest, 2019.
Filming Locations (IMDB):
- International Falls, Minnesota, USA
- Dallas, Texas, USA (interiors)
Reviews:
- “There are surpises galore, with performances, writing, and direction that all combine together to create a genuine treasure of a film. This is the sort of film that‘ll stick with you for a long while.“ The Curb
- “International falls has a similar feel to Fargo...it will leave you feeling both sad and supremely satisfied.“ The Stranger
- “A sincere screenplay and great character dynamics combine for this bittersweet but hilarious examination of two lives half-lived.“ Escape into Film
- Between the punchy rapport Harris and Huebel have organically and McGinnis‘ dynamic maneuvering around what’s largely a single location not to mention any number of treacherous subjects, “International Falls“ is energetic and consistently engaging throughout“ Moveable Fest
- “ “they orchestrate a melody that intertwines bittersweet drama, reckless rage, and wicked humor. And Harris and Huebel dance to this tricky tone without ever missing a beat. Together they are ferociously funny and thoroughly heartbreaking, making International Falls a stunning must-see.” Pajiba.com
- The bones of the film are strong, with a script that structures a layered narrative and also is punctured with stinging one-liners (like when Dee signs her divorce papers, the attorney flatly tells her, “welcome back to single life.”)
- Dark comedy “International Falls” will simply, emotionally sneak up on you.
- This one here is a gem!
- Director Amber McGinnis brings playwright Thomas Ward's story, based on his own experiences as a comedian and filled with sharp, authentic dialogue and unexpected emotional resonance, to life as a showcase for two of indie cinema's finest comedic actors, exploring how the deeply comic and profoundly sad often sit side by side.
- “A small gem…alternately funny and poignant” The Hollywood Reporter
- Director McGinnis, making her feature debut, does an excellent job handling the script's subtle tonal shifts. She's also elicited sterling performances from Huebel and Harris, the latter particularly moving as the wry Dee who discovers an inner strength she didn't know she had. When she happily grins while having a triumphant moment at the film's conclusion, you can't help rooting her on. The Hollywood Reporter
- With the brusque humor and aching vulnerability, they construct a comedy so cutting it had this critic cackling in the dark. RogerEbert.com
- “There is so much more than meets the eye with this film. Its authenticity will stick with you.” Red News Daily
- With intelligence and insight and more than a little dark humor, Amber McGinnis has directed a winner.
Trivia:
- Screenwriter Thomas Ward’s experiences as a stand-up proved the base of Tim’s weary worldview, and director Amber McGinnis encouraged him to imagine what that world might look like from Dee’s perspective. Their collaboration created a romance that’s as fragile and fascinating as it is messed up.
- "Cater for You" owned by Jennifer Gustafson provided all of the meals for the crew while on location in International Falls. IMDB
Crazy Credits:
- The closing credits for Executive Producer Eli Kooris, is mis-spelled as "Exectuive". IMDB
