Short of starring in a superhero movie for either Warner Bros., Marvel or 20th Century Fox, Jake Gyllenhaal is one of the hottest actors of the moment. After wowing audiences with his gaunt, haunting turn as Lou Bloom in Nightcrawler, the actor beefed up for the visceral Southpaw. Now, Gyllenhaal’s latest vehicle, Demolition, is primed to be the opening film of this year’s Toronto International Film Festival, and Fox Searchlight has today offered up our first look at his out-of-luck investment banker, Davis.
After losing his wife in a tragic car accident (can’t Gyllenhaal have any luck?), his protagonist crosses paths with Naomi Watts’ pot-smoking single mother, Karen. Despite having little in common, the two form an unlikely relationship, spurring Gyllenhaal’s lead to demolish his past life and all of the raw, painful memories it holds.
For a film that doesn’t necessarily jump off the page, it’s interesting to see the amount of confidence Fox Searchlight has in Demolition. There’s no question that both Gyllenhaal and Watts are two excellent performers, and we’re excited to see whether their on-screen chemistry can live up to this early buzz.
Jake Gyllenhaal will search for a new start with Naomi Watts when Jean-Marc Valleé’s Demolition opens TIFF before making its commercial release on April 8, 2016.
Davis (Jake Gyllenhaal), a successful investment banker, struggles after losing his wife in a tragic car crash. Despite pressure from his father in law Phil (Chris Cooper) to pull it together, Davis continues to unravel. What starts as a complaint letter to a vending machine company turns into a series of letters revealing startling personal admissions. Davis’ letters catch the attention of customer service rep Karen (Naomi Watts) and, amidst emotional and financial burdens of her own, the two form an unlikely connection. With the help of Karen and her son Chris (Judah Lewis), Davis starts to rebuild, beginning with the demolition of the life he once knew.
