In his striking and moving debut feature BLUEBIRD, writer/director Lance Edmands explores the interconnectedness of a small town in the northern reaches of Maine. When Lesley, the local school bus driver (Tony nominee Amy Morton, AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY), becomes distracted during her end-of-day inspection, she fails to notice a sleeping boy in the back of the bus. What happens next shatters the tranquility of her small logging town, proving that even the slightest actions have enormous consequences. Stricken by an overwhelming sense of guilt, Lesley’s fragility is further tested by her husband (Emmy nominee John Slattery, “Mad Men”)—a local logger preoccupied by the imminent closing of the town paper mill—and the boy’s mother Marla (Louisa Krause, KING KELLY), a disaffected young woman looking to take advantage of a delicate situation. Shot on location in the stark, frozen mountains of Maine, BLUEBIRD fosters a profound sense of place—chillingly capturing the setting’s lonely yet beautiful tone—thanks to the masterwork of cinematographer Jody Lee Lipes (MARTHA MARCY MAY MARLENE). The film boasts a powerful supporting cast including Emily Meade (“Boardwalk Empire”), Emmy winner Margo Martindale (“Justified,” MILLION DOLLAR BABY), and Adam Driver (“Girls”).
