Love and Death on Long Island movie storyline. Giles De’Ath (John Hurt) is a British writer who doesn’t use or understand anything modern. One day, he forgets his keys and locks himself out of his flat. It begins to rain, so he goes to see an E. M. Forster movie but, instead, accidentally enters the wrong theatre and sees the teen flick Hotpants College II starring Ronnie Bostock (Jason Priestley).
He becomes instantly infatuated with Ronnie’s beauty and obsessed with the young actor. He goes to his movies in the cinema, buys teen magazines and cuts out pictures of him, and buys a VCR and TV in order to play rented video tapes of his movies. He lets his housekeeper come into his office less and less, so that he can do these things undisturbed.
As his infatuation grows, it becomes obvious to those around him that Giles is becoming increasingly disturbed, though they don’t know why. His friend and agent suggests that he take a holiday. Giles sets out to meet Ronnie on Long Island, New York. He flies to Long Island and takes a train to Ronnie’s home town where he takes a motel room for several weeks.
He searches the town for Ronnie – unsuccessfully at first – but finally spots Ronnie’s girlfriend and follows her to the supermarket. Giles rams his shopping cart into her to force an introduction and invents a story about his god-daughter, Abigail, being in love with Ronnie. The girlfriend, Audrey (Fiona Loewi), is seemingly glad to have found a fan-base for Ronnie in England, and spends the day talking to Giles. She then tells him that she and Ronnie will invite him over at another time, and they can talk about Ronnie’s career.
Eventually Giles becomes a regular visitor at Ronnie and Audrey’s house. Ronnie is flattered by Giles, and Giles is able to stay longer in his presence by claiming that he will write a new script for Ronnie, one that better suits his acting abilities. Audrey becomes suspicious of Giles’s motives regarding Ronnie, and she tells Giles that she is taking Ronnie to see her parents for an extended visit. Giles is very upset, and in a last-ditch effort confronts Ronnie and tells him how he feels about him.
The film was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 1997 Cannes Film Festival. It was picked up by Cinepix Film Properties after its premiere at the Festival. It was distributed by Lionsgate in the United States and Canada where it grossed $2,581,012 at the box office.
Love and Death on Long Island (1998)
Directed by: Richard Kwietniowski
Starring: John Hurt, Jason Priestley, Fiona Loewi, Sheila Hancock, Harvey Atkin, Gawn Grainger, Elizabeth Quinn, Maury Chaykin, Gawn Grainger, Elizabeth Quinn
Screenplay by: Richard Kwietniowski
Production Design by: David McHenry
Cinematography by: Oliver Curtis
Film Editing by: Susan Shipton
Costume Design by: Martha Curry, Andrea Galer
Music by: Richard Grassby-Lewis, The Insects
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for brief strong language, thematic elements and some sexual content.
Distributed by: Lionsgate Films
Release Date: March 6, 1998
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