CineVegas 2009 Preview: ‘Mercy’

CineVegas 2009 is right around the corner (this week to be precise), and We Are Movie Geeks are going to be there in full force. Throughout the festival, which runs from June 10th through the 15th, we are going to be bringing you all the coverage you need including reviews, interviews, party breakdowns, and red carpet premiere coverage.

‘Mercy’ is the new drama/romance film written by Scott Caan and directed by Patrick Hoelck.  With screenplays for ‘Dallas 362’ and ‘The Dog Problem’ already under his belt, Caan seems to be anything but an amateur when it comes to writing about relationships and connections.  Hoelck is a first-time feature film director on this one, but, with a cast that includes Scott and James Caan, Erika Christensen, Wendy Glenn, and Dylan McDermott, ‘Mercy’ looks to be one of the more powerful films of the fest.

Here’s the film’s synopsis:

John is a novelist who writes about love… even though he’s never been in love. In fact, he’s pretty sure that love doesn’t exist. Yet that doesn’t keep him from leading a seemingly fulfilling bachelors lifestyle and honing his seduction skills to an art form. That’s until he meets Mercy. A critic who writes a scathing review of his latest book, Mercy sees through John’s “teetering on charming” exterior and into his shallow, egotistical core. In spite of these circumstances, or perhaps because of them, he asks her out. She says yes. Miraculously, their relationship blossoms into something very real and John begins to open up to love and life. Yet, in doing so, he exposes himself to the potential perils that come with the “L” word.Written by and starring Scott Caan, MERCY is distinctly contemporary in its setting and characters yet harkens back to love stories of old with its unabashed romanticism. Caan’s writing has an intimate quality that enables him to drop in small but pertinent insights then let the ripples spread through the story. Director Patrick Hoelck employs a winning mix of luscious cinematography and low-key naturalism to excavate that strange mix of confidence, longing and denial that underpins a certain strain of male psyche. With a tone that is romantic yet authentic, Caan and Hoelck create a charmingly comic but intensely moving story about finding oneself in love.

‘Mercy’ screens on Saturday, June 13th at 8:30 pm and on Sunday, June 14th at 12:30 pm.