CHICAGO PREMIERE

It has been a decade since Hal Hartley (The Unbelievable Truth, Amateur, Flirt) last stepped behind the camera. Once a prolific voice in 1990s American independent cinema, Hartley has spent the intervening years quietly working to bring his latest project, Where to Land, to life. Funded through a successful Kickstarter campaign, the film is now complete and available to his devoted audience.  

Where to Land follows Joseph Fulton, a celebrated director of romantic comedies who has chosen to retire. Seeking a quieter life and a closer connection to nature, he applies for a job as an assistant groundskeeper at a local cemetery, simply to keep himself occupied, while also deciding that it is time to get his affairs in order, by drafting his last will and testament. But when his dramatic actress girlfriend misconstrues his actions, a rumor spreads that he is terminally ill but too stoic to admit it. As word gets around, she panics, and a steady stream of friends, former collaborators, and acquaintances begin showing up to bid him farewell and what unfolds is a sharply observed, deadpan comedy of manners. In Where to Land, Hartley returns to familiar ground: eccentric characters, stylized dialogue, and dry humor. His films are instantly recognizable for the deliberate cadence of his actors’ delivery, and narratives that blend accessibility with oddball charm. As always, there is an underlying precision to his formal style, which is paired with a distinctive rock score, this time again composed by Ned Rifle, Hartley’s frequent musical alias. Longtime fans will also be pleased to see familiar faces, including Bill Sage, Robert John Burke, and Edie Falco. With Where to Land, Hal Hartley reaffirms his place as a vital figure in American independent film, offering another unique, quietly profound addition to his singular body of work.