Rich Hill (film)

Rich Hill is a 2014 American documentary film co-produced and directed by Andrew Droz Palermo and Tracy Droz Tragos.[2] The film premiered at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival,[3] where it won the U.S. Grand Jury Prize for a documentary.[4][5]

Rich Hill
Sundance film poster
Directed byTracy Droz Tragos
Andrew Droz Palermo
Produced byTracy Droz Tragos
Andrew Droz Palermo
David Armillei
Music byNathan Halpern
CinematographyAndrew Droz Palermo
Edited byJim Hession
Production
company
Dinky Pictures[1]
Distributed byThe Orchard
Independent Lens
Release date
  • January 19, 2014 (2014-01-19) (Sundance)
  • August 1, 2014 (2014-08-01) (United States)
Running time
93 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

After its premiere at the Sundance Film Festival, The Orchard and Independent Lens acquired distribution rights to the film. Independent Lens broadcast the film nationally on PBS, while The Orchard distributed the film in the U.S. and Canada outside of linear broadcast.[6][7] The film was released on August 1, 2014 in the United States.[8][9]

Plot

The film chronicles challenges, hopes, and dreams of three young residents — Andrew, Harley, and Appachey — of a rural American town.

Andrew's father has moved the family multiple times and his mother may suffer from agoraphobia. Harley lives with his grandmother in a trailer because his mother is in prison. Appachey was abandoned by his father at age 6 and lives with his mother and siblings. He chooses not to take medication for a number of conditions, including bipolar disorder, ADD, OCD, and ODD.[10]

Reception

The film received positive response from critics. Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reports that 84% of 45 film critics have given the film a positive review, with a rating average of 8 out of 10. The site's summary states: "As compassionate as it is infuriating, Rich Hill offers a sobering glimpse of American poverty."[11] On Metacritic, which assigns a weighted mean rating out of 100 reviews from film critics, the film holds an average score of '75', based on 20 reviews, indicating a 'Generally Favorable' response.[12]

Peter Debruge in his review for Variety called it "An open-hearted portrait of impoverished American life."[13] Duane Byrge of The Hollywood Reporter gave the film a positive review and called it "A hard-eyed but empathetic glimpse into the hardscrabble lives of struggling Missouri folk."[14] Katie Walsh from Indiewire in her review said: "A truly moving and edifying film, Rich Hill is the type of media object that could and should be put in a time capsule for future generations."[15] Dan Schindel in his review for Movie Mezzanine said "[it is] A wonderful look at pubescent melancholy and rural living."[16]

Accolades

Year Award Category Recipient Result
2014 Sundance Film Festival U.S. Grand Jury Prize: Documentary Tracy Droz Tragos and Andrew Droz Palermo Won
Sarasota Film Festival Documentary Directing: Special Jury Prize Tracy Droz Tragos and Andrew Droz Palermo Won[17]
Kansas City FilmFest Best Heartland Feature Documentary Tracy Droz Tragos and Andrew Droz Palermo Won[18]

References

  1. "Rich Hill — Tracy Droz Tragos". Dinky Pictures website. Retrieved 18 August 2019.
  2. "Sundance Woman Directors: Meet Tracy Droz Tragos". Retrieved 12 April 2014.
  3. "Sundance 2014: U.S. Documentary Competition". Retrieved 12 April 2014.
  4. "Sundance: 'Whiplash' & 'Rich Hill' Win Grand Jury Awards; Dramatic Directing Goes To Cutter Hodierne For 'Fishing Without Nets'". Retrieved 12 April 2014.
  5. "'Whiplash' Owns the 2014 Sundance Film Festival Awards Netting Two Top Prizes". Retrieved 12 April 2014.
  6. "Sundance Grand Jury Doc Prize Winner 'Rich Hill' Lands Distribution". Retrieved 12 April 2014.
  7. "Sundance Doc Winner 'Rich Hill' Goes to Orchard and Independent Lens". Retrieved 12 April 2014.
  8. "Gripping doc 'Rich Hill' in limited release this weekend". Archived from the original on August 12, 2014. Retrieved August 8, 2014.
  9. "Specialty B.O. Office Preview: 'Calvary', 'Rich Hill', 'Child Of God', 'The Strange Little Cat'". Retrieved August 8, 2014.
  10. "'Rich Hill' movie review: Dead ends and dreams deferred". Washington Post. Retrieved 1 September 2015.
  11. "Rich Hill(2014)". Rotten Tomatoes. Flixster. Retrieved August 8, 2014.
  12. "Rich Hill (2014): Reviews". Metacritic. CNET Networks. Retrieved 2014-05-29.
  13. "Sundance Film Review: 'Rich Hill'". Retrieved 12 April 2014.
  14. "Rich Hill: Sundance Review". Retrieved 12 April 2014.
  15. "Sundance Review: Grand Jury Prize-Winning Doc 'Rich Hill' Is A Finely Observed Portrait Of Millennial American Boyhood". Retrieved 12 April 2014.
  16. "SUNDANCE REVIEW: 'RICH HILL' FINDS BEAUTY IN SMALL MOMENTS". Retrieved 12 April 2014.
  17. "2014 Sarasota Film Festival Award Winners". Retrieved 8 August 2014.
  18. "2014 Kansas City FilmFest Award Winners". Retrieved 8 August 2014.
Awards
Preceded by
Blood Brother
Sundance Grand Jury Prize: U.S. Documentary
2014
Succeeded by
The Wolfpack
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