Caroleen Feeney

A demoted writer with dashed dreams falls in love with a terrific woman as she and his best friend try to cope with his life-threatening alcoholism.

Danny Huston, Peter Weller and Lisa Enos star in this biting satire on the behind-the-scenes of the Hollywood film industry, with all its drink and drug-fuelled excess, from director Bernard Rose (Candyman, Paperhouse). Opening with the death of its titular protagonist, Ivansxtc goes back in time to chart the final days of hot-shot Tinseltown agent Ivan (Beckman Huston) and his fast-paced, wheeler-dealer lifestyle, which will ultimately lead him to an early grave after a shock cancer diagnosis. Loosely based on Leo Tolstoy's celebrated 1886 novella The Death of Ivan Ilyich, and featuring a searing performance by Danny Huston at its core and wonderfully sleazy turn from Peter Weller as Ivan's biggest client, Ivansxtc is a powerful meditation on life, death and morality set against the glitzy backdrop of La La Land.