RLJE Films, Shudder and AMC+ have teamed up and fully financed the highly anticipated thriller The excuse, we learned today. The film will be distributed by RLJE Films on December 16 in theaters and streaming on Shudder and AMC+ the same day.
Directed and written by Alison Star Lockein his debut in writing/directing feature films, The excuse stars Anna Gunn (“Breaking Bad,” defile), Linus Roache (my policeman“Homeland”), and Jeanne Garofalo (Hot and humid American summer, Reality Bites).
In The excuse, twenty years after the disappearance of her daughter, recovering alcoholic Darlene Hagen (Anna Gunn) prepares to throw her family’s Christmas party with her best friend Gretchen (Janeane Garofalo). Late on Christmas Eve, Darlene’s ex-brother-in-law Jack (Linus Roache) arrives unannounced, bearing nostalgic gifts and a dark secret. Soon, Darlene finds herself caught between sanity and ruthless instinct. Trapped together by a dangerous storm, a battle of wits escalates into a violent game of revenge.
“The excuse unlike anything else you’ll see this holiday season. An intense and chilling thriller led by a tour de force performance from Anna Gunn,” said Mark Ward, director of acquisitions at RLJE Films. “We’re thrilled to once again partner with our friends at Shudder and Company X Productions to bring this gripping original to audiences.”
Awarded the ReFrame Stamp for joint production, The excuse was produced by Lisa Whalen, Kim Sherman and Stacy Jorgensen of Company X Productions, the all-female production company behind films like No Man of God and Seven Stages to Achieve Eternal Bliss.
