The Wagner/Cuban Companies’ Magnolia Pictures announced today that it acquired US rights to Dagur Kári’s THE GOOD HEART, starring Brian Cox, Paul Dano and Isild Le Besco. The film, which bowed recently at the Toronto Film Festival, stars Cox as Jacques, the curmudgeonly owner of a gritty New York dive bar that serves as home to a motley assortment of professional drinkers. Jacques is determinedly drinking and smoking himself to death when he meets Lucas (Dano), a homeless young man who Jacques decides will be a fitting heir to the bar after his own inevitable passing.
The third feature film from Kári, whose other works include Nói and Dark Horse, THE GOOD HEART is a warm-hearted character study with terrific performances, and a love letter to the city’s sordid watering holes. The film will be released as part of Magnolia’s Ultra VOD program next year, premiering on VOD platforms nationwide a month prior to its theatrical release.
The deal was negotiated by Magnolia’s Senior Vice President Tom Quinn, Vice President of Acquisitions Dori Begley, and Head of Business Affairs Chris Matson, with Victoria Cook of Cinetic. Wild Bunch, a financier of the film, is selling the picture internationally.
