Set in Russia in the early 1900s, an aging actress named Irina Arkadina pays summer visits to her brother Pjotr Nikolayevich Sorin and her son Konstantin at a country estate. On one occasion, she brings her lover Boris Trigorin, a successful novelist. Nina, a free and innocent girl on a neighboring estate, who is in a relationship with Konstantin, falls in love with Boris.
Cast
Annette Bening as Irina Arkadina, an actress. Mother to Konstantin and lover of Boris
Saoirse Ronan as Nina Zarechnaya, young actress and lover of Konstantin
Corey Stoll as Boris Trigorin, a successful author and Irina's lover
Elisabeth Moss as Masha, daughter of Polina and Shamrayev
Mare Winningham as Polina, wife to Shamrayev
Jon Tenney as Dr. Sergeyevich Dorn
Glenn Fleshler as Shamrayev, father of Masha and husband to Polina
Michael Zegen as Mikhail Medvedenko, a young schoolteacher in love with Masha
Billy Howle as Konstantin Treplyov, a playwright in a tumultuous relationship with Nina
Brian Dennehy as Sorin, Irina's aging brother
Production
On May 13, 2015, it was announced that Michael Mayer would direct the adaptation of Anton Chekhov's play The Seagull, scripted by Stephen Karam. Saoirse Ronan and Annette Bening would star along with Corey Stoll and Billy Howle. Producers are Leslie Urdang, Tom Hulce and Robert Salerno. Filming began on June 29, 2015 in New York City, with much of the film shot on location at Arrow Park in Monroe, NY.
Release
In October 2017, Sony Pictures Classics acquired distribution rights to the film. The film had its world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival on April 21, 2018. It was released on May 11, 2018.
Critical response
On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 68%, based on 122 reviews, with a weighted average of 6.12/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "The latest iteration of The Seagull does little to distinguish itself from other Chekhov adaptations but provides a pleasing showcase for its sterling cast." On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 58 out of 100, based on 31 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". A.O. Scott reviewing the film for The New York Times found the cast for the film to be very well selected for their roles but the film as a whole to be disappointing stating: "Ms. Bening, Ms. Moss and Ms. Ronan in particular are superb, as you also probably didn’t need me to tell you. Each one finds the individuality that Chekhov, with uncanny sympathy and sly gallantry, imparted to his female characters. The cast is great. The play is great. But this is still a bad movie, because it has no clear or coherent idea of how to be one".
