Every family tree has its nuts.|Nov. 05, 2007|USA|112 Min.|R
Genre: Drama;Thriller
Description: Fierce People is a 2005 independent drama thriller film adapted from Dirk Wittenborn’s 2002 novel of the same name. Directed by Griffin Dunne, it features a cast including Diane Lane, Donald Sutherland, Anton Yelchin, Kristen Stewart, and Chris Evans. The film delves into various aspects of family and societal dysfunction, including drug abuse, mental illness, and sexual assault.
The story follows 16-year-old Finn Earl, who is trapped in his drug-addicted mother’s apartment in New York City. Desperate to escape, he hopes to spend the summer in South America studying the Ishkanani Indians, also known as the “Fierce People,” alongside his anthropologist father, whom he has never met. However, his plans derail when he is arrested for buying drugs for his mother, Liz, a massage therapist. Determined to turn their lives around, Liz relocates them to a guesthouse on the estate of her wealthy former client, Ogden C. Osbourne.
In this world of privilege and affluence, Finn and Liz encounter a different kind of danger, one that is more complex than anything they might have faced in the jungle. As Liz fights her addiction and tries to regain her son’s love and trust, Finn falls for Osbourne’s granddaughter, Maya Langley. He befriends her brother, Bryce, and earns Ogden’s approval. However, a shocking act of violence ultimately disrupts Finn’s acceptance within the Osbourne family, revealing the harsh price of belonging. Both Finn and Liz find themselves in a brutal struggle for dignity in a world that can be as fierce as the people it portrays.
Cast director: Griffin Dunne
Cast actor: Diane Lane, Anton Yelchin, Donald Sutherland, Chris Evans, Kristen Stewart, Paz de la Huerta, Blu Mankuma, Elizabeth Perkins, Christopher Shyer, Garry Chalk
Original name: Fierce People