Paul Bettany has always been a stellar supporting actor. That’s not meant to disparage him, he’s just a gifted actor who’s sadly never been offered the chance to truly shine in a leading role. Taking charge of dodgy genre pics Legion and Priest seemed like a waste of his undisputed talent. Now, in what could be a reaction to shoddy gigs, the Brit has slipped behind the camera for his directorial debut, Shelter.
Set to debut next week at TIFF – like every other buzzy movie – the film has Bettany directing wife Jennifer Connelly for a gritty street-set New York tale. Connelly plays Hannah, a homeless woman living on the streets of New York who befriends another homeless chap, Tahir (Anthony Mackie). Their individual stories intertwine when they realize in order to survive in the elements they’ll need each other.
In anticipation of the movie’s premiere, a crop of new images debuted over at The Playlist today. The two co-stars in a variety of stills from the flick are pretty damn compelling. Connelly is always a joy to watch, whatever she’s in. She totally outdid Russell Crowe in Noah. And Mackie’s been upcoming for a while, with supporting parts in Marvel’s universe never quite giving him the freedom to chomp on more substantial material.
Be sure to check out the stills below, as well as Shelter‘s beautiful one-sheet poster, and let us know what you think.
Hannah (Connelly) and Tahir (Mackie) come from two different worlds. But when their lives intersect, they’re at the same place: homeless on the streets of New York. How did they get there? As we learn about their past, we begin to understand that to have a future, they need each other. There are more than 50,000 homeless people living on the streets and in the shelters of New York City. To most of us they are nameless and faceless, and occasionally a nuisance. But every single person has a story. And Hannah and Tahir are no different. And theirs is a story of loss, love, hope and redemption.
