Film Shot in Newburgh to Open at Downing

Linda Cardellini and John Slattery star in Return.

UPDATE: SCREENING HAS BEEN POSTPONED UNTIL MARCH!

Starting this Friday, you will be able to view a new movie and see how many scenes and people you recognize from the Newburgh area.  Return was filmed in the Hudson Valley during the summer and early fall of 2010 and local residents were cast in scenes shot in Newburgh, Beacon and New Windsor.

The movie will have its local area premiere at the Downing Film Center in Newburgh  on Friday, February 10 and will have screenings through February 21.

Return tells the story of returning military veteran, Kelli, who can’t wait to rejoin her old life in the Rust Belt town she’s always known. Kelly’s ready to experience the feelings of everyday life but her world feels unfamiliar. Her friends love her but seem preoccupied with trifles. Her children need more focused attention than she can give, and as much as he tries, her husband Mike doesn’t understand what she’s been through. As Kelli’s dislocation ripples through her world, she risks becoming an outsider. When she’s thrown back on her own resources Kelli has to struggle to find a new way forward.

Linda Cardenelli plays Kelli while Michael Shannon plays her husband and John Slatter takes on the role of a man who befriends her in rehab.    Scenes from the film were shot in the rambling Holden Home that set designers transformed into a drug and alcohol recovery residence where Kelli ends up after her return from serving in Iraq. Other scenes were filmed at Newburgh City Hall, where former Mayor Nick Valentine had a walk-on part, and at gas station on Route 94 in New Windsor.

Michael Shannon plays Cardellini's husband in the movie.

The director of Return is Liza Johnson, whose work has been exhibited internationally in museums, galleries, and film festivals and who is graduate of the Sundance Institute Screenwriters’ and Directors’ Labs.

Michael Snyder, film critic at Sirius XM Radio, said in his review, “Expertly and sensitively acted with a soul-baring lead performance by Linda Cardellini, Return is beautifully-written, artfully directed and all too relevant today.”

For screening times or to make a reservation for Return, telephone the Downing at (845) 561-3686 / (800) 974-8592 or visit the Web site at www.downingfilmcenter.com.