Wikipedia

Asleep in My Palm

Asleep in My Palm is a 2023 American drama film written and directed by Henry Nelson. The story follows Tom (portrayed Tim Blake Nelson) and Beth Anne (Chloë Kerwin), an unhoused father and daughter living near a college in rural Ohio, as they try to survive the winter. Jared Abrahamson, Grant Harvey, Gus Birney, and David Aaron Baker also star.

Asleep in My Palm
Theatrical release poster
Directed byHenry Nelson
Written byHenry Nelson
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyTatjana Krstevski
Edited byMax Ethan Miller
Music by
  • Henry Nelson
  • Will Curry
Production
companies
Distributed byStrike Back Studios
Release dates
  • September 28, 2023 (2023-09-28) (Woodstock)
  • March 1, 2024 (2024-03-01) (United States)
Running time
89 minutes
LanguageEnglish

Henry Nelson started writing the screenplay during his final year at Oberlin College, with the intent to film it with one of his professors in the starring role. He shared the script with his father Tim Blake Nelson, who signed on to produce and star in the film. The elder Nelson secured additional funding from his collaborators on Old Henry (2021), and principal photography took place in Oberlin, Ohio in early 2022. By March 2022, Kerwin and much of the supporting cast were confirmed to be starring. The film marked the directorial debut of Henry Nelson and the feature film debut of Kerwin.

After premiering at the Woodstock Film Festival in 2023, the film was theatrically released in the United States on March 1, 2024, by Strike Back Studios. It received generally positive reviews from critics, with many praising the performances of Tim Blake Nelson and Kerwin.

Cast

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Production

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Development

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Henry Nelson began writing Asleep in My Palm as he was about to graduate from Oberlin College.[1][2] He was inspired by his love of the 2000 film Chuck & Buck (2000), whose main character he "really related to". He sought to write a film with a similar tone but "in a very different setting" before eventually developing it into a "whole other movie".[1] He originally intended for the main role of Tom to be portrayed by one of his music professors, but after sharing the screenplay with his father Tim Blake Nelson, the latter said that the part required "a real actor" and offered to star. Tim Blake Nelson reached out to the financiers of Old Henry (2021), which he starred in, to receive funding for the project.[3] Shannon Houchins of Hideout Pictures, who also produced Old Henry, signed on as a producer, while the film's writer and director Potsy Ponciroli serving as an executive producer.[4] Once Tim Blake Nelson was cast, he and Henry worked together to develop the character of Tom to "suit certain things [Tim Blake Nelson] was gonna be able to bring" to the role.[3]

Filming

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The Nelsons hired cinematographer Tatjana Krstevski based on the strength of her work on The Load (2018), a Serbian film that they found "extraordinary". Asleep in My Palm was "predominantly" shot using a 25 mm camera lens to communicate that "the camera was almost struggling to be in the room".[1]

The film was officially announced in December 2021, with principal photography scheduled to begin in Oberlin, Ohio in late January 2022.[4] Filming took place over 17 days near Oberlin College.[5][6] In March 2022, it was confirmed that Chloë Kerwin, Grant Harvey, Gus Birney, and Jared Abrahamson also starred in the film, and that it had "recently wrapped production" in Oberlin.[7] Asleep in My Palm was Kerwin's first film role.[3] Production required flight training, but as the film did not have a high enough budget to cover the costs, Tim Blake Nelson paid for the lessons out of pocket.[1]

Release

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Asleep in My Palm premiered at the Woodstock Film Festival on September 28, 2023,[8][9] and screened at the Nashville Film Festival on September 30.[10] The film was theatrically released by Strike Back Studios on March 1, 2024, followed by a video-on-demand release on March 19.[3] It was later released to streaming services, including Amazon Prime Video, on April 19.[11]

Reception

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Critical response

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On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 93% of 14 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 6.3/10.[12] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 66 out of 100, based on four critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.[13]

Kyle Smith of The Wall Street Journal called the film a "virtuoso debut" with a "wonderfully offbeat imagination". In addition to Henry Nelson's direction, Smith praised the "oddly charismatic" and "beautifully naturalistic" lead performances of Tim Blake Nelson and Chloë Kerwin, respectively. He criticized some of the film's dialogue for its inaccuracy to "how the downtrodden actually speak", but concluded that "the film has much to recommend it, especially given its status as a rookie effort".[6] RogerEbert.com's Tomris Laffly also praised the lead actors, along with the "loose-limbed and terrific" Jared Abrahamson and the "charismatic" Grant Harvey. She complimented Henry Nelson's direction for having the "finesse of someone far more experienced" and for the story's focus on "the kinds of lives many would rather not talk about", but found the final act to be "unfortunately undercooked" and "disappointing".[14] In a review for Collider, Chase Hutchinson echoed the praise for Tim Blake Nelson and Kerwin, saying that "the duo of leads is what gives [the film] life", but was critical of some of the "slightly contrived" conflicts and "occasionally stilted" dialogue.[15]

Awards and nominations

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Accolades received by Asleep in My Palm
Award Date of ceremony Category Recipient(s) Result Ref.
Woodstock Film Festival September 30, 2023 Gigantic Pictures Award for Best Feature Narrative Henry Nelson Nominated [16]
[17]
Best Editing: Narrative Max Ethan Miller Won
Haskell Wexler Award for Best Cinematography Tatjana Krstevski Won

References

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  1. ^ a b c d Dean, Sadie (March 7, 2024). "INDIE SPOTLIGHT: Interview with 'Asleep in My Palm' Writer-Director Henry Nelson and Actor-Producer Tim Blake Nelson". Script. Active Interest Media. Retrieved July 24, 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  2. ^ New drama film 'Asleep in My Palm'. WNYW. February 26, 2024. Event occurs at 1:35. Retrieved July 24, 2024.{{cite AV media}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  3. ^ a b c d Mahler, Matt (March 22, 2024). "Tim Blake Nelson Discusses His Son's Directorial Debut, Asleep in My Palm: 'It Seeped Into My DNA'". MovieWeb. Retrieved July 24, 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  4. ^ a b Grobar, Matt (December 1, 2021). "Tim Blake Nelson To Produce & Star In 'Asleep In My Palm', His Son Henry's Feature Directorial Debut". Deadline. Penske Media Corporation. Retrieved July 24, 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  5. ^ Bentley, Rick (March 20, 2024). "Work on 'Asleep in My Palm' family affair for Tim Blake Nelson". KGET-TV. Retrieved July 24, 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  6. ^ a b Smith, Kyle (February 29, 2024). "Asleep in My Palm Review: Father and Daughter on the Fringe". The Wall Street Journal. News Corp. Archived from the original on March 4, 2024. Retrieved July 24, 2024.
  7. ^ Grobar, Matt (March 18, 2022). "'Alaskan Nets' From EP Chris Pratt Gets Release Date; 'Asleep In My Palm,' 'Condition Of Return' Cast Up; Acquisitions By Freestyle, Glass House Distribution; More – Film Briefs". Deadline. Penske Media Corporation. Retrieved July 24, 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  8. ^ Morfoot, Addie (August 29, 2023). "Woodstock Film Festival Kicks Off With 'Fair Play,' Will Honor James Ivory (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Penske Media Corporation. Retrieved July 24, 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  9. ^ "Asleep In My Palm". Woodstock Film Festival. Retrieved July 24, 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  10. ^ Nolan, Joe (September 28, 2023). "Reel Nashville: 24 Films to Check Out at This Year's Nashville Film Festival". Nashville Scene.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  11. ^ Schreur, Brandon (March 18, 2024). "Exclusive Asleep in My Palm Clip Sees Tim Blake Nelson Playing Piano in New Drama Movie". ComingSoon. Mandatory. Retrieved July 24, 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  12. ^ "Asleep in My Palm". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved July 24, 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  13. ^ "Asleep in My Palm". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved July 24, 2024.
  14. ^ Laffly, Tomris (March 1, 2024). "Asleep in My Palm movie review (2024)". RogerEbert.com. Retrieved July 24, 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  15. ^ Hutchinson, Chase (March 6, 2024). "'Asleep in My Palm' Review: This Is What 'Dune: Part Two' Was Missing". Collider. Retrieved July 24, 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  16. ^ Morfoot, Addie (September 30, 2023). "Oscar Hopeful 'Beyond Utopia' Takes Top Honors at Woodstock Film Festival 2023". Variety. Penske Media Corporation. Retrieved July 24, 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  17. ^ "Award Winners from the 24th Annual Woodstock Film Festival". Woodstock Film Festival. October 1, 2023. Retrieved July 24, 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
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