"The Canyons" is coming soon.
The much-discussed Lindsay Lohan film was acquired by IFC Films on Friday and will "premiere day-and-date and on digital platforms in early summer."
Directed by Paul Schrader ("Taxi Driver") and written by Bret Easton Ellis, "The Canyons" stars Lohan and porn star James Deen. From the IFC Films press release:
THE CANYONS, a post-modern story about power and the dark side of Hollywood, centers around a scheming and very wealthy movie producer Christian (Deen) who makes movies to satisfy his father's demands that he maintain a viable career. Lohan stars as Tara, his girlfriend who's hiding an affair with an actor from her past. Christian becomes more and more demanding, inviting various sex partners to join him and Tara in his luxurious Malibu Canyon lair. Village Voice lead critic Scott Foundas, recently praised the film saying: "You could almost describe it as a cross between Easton Ellis’s AMERICAN PSYCHO and Schrader’s AMERICAN GIGOLO. These are minor characters on the fringe of the Hollywood scene, all equally desperate and engaging in various forms of psychological and sexual manipulation."
Much has been written about "The Canyons," mostly because of Lohan's involvement. The New York Times published a profile on the star, whose behavior on the set of "The Canyons" was somewhat erratic. (Lohan was fired by Schrader at one point, but ultimately rehired.) "The Canyons" also includes a good deal of nudity and sex, but it's not necessarily titillating.
"This is not an adult film," Deen told Animal NY last year. "We are not trying to arouse people. If someone does get aroused, well, it happens. [...] It’s not graphic sex for the sake of graphic sex. In the script you don’t see anything like, ‘You see [Lindsay's character] turn around and flash her boobs!'"
Deen, a popular male porn star, was recently approached to appear in the porn parody of "The Canyons."
In addition to the early summer release, IFC Films will screen "The Canyons" at the Film Society of Lincoln Center. The special presentation will be followed by "a conversation with Schrader and Kent Jones, Director of Programming of the New York Film Festival."
