“Crash” Director Paul Haggis Back with “Third Person”

From Academy Award-winner Paul Haggis (“Crash,” “Million Dollar Baby”) comes the romantic thriller “Third Person” which jumps from Paris to Rome to New York as it traces the hidden connections between three very different men. The acclaimed film will be shown exclusively at Ayala Malls Cinemas nationwide starting February 19.

Written and directed by Haggis, “Third Person” had its successful world premiere at the 2013 Toronto International Film Festival and features an all-star cast including Academy Award®-nominee Liam Neeson, Academy Award®-winner Kim Basinger, Academy Award®-winner Adrien Brody, Academy Award®-nominee James Franco, Olivia Wilde, Mila Kunis, and Maria Bello.

“Third Person” wends its way through three cities and three tales. The various stories, situated in Paris, Rome, and New York, are, at first glance, all separate, but Haggis effortlessly makes connections among them as the film unwinds, concentrating on three men and their romantic entanglements.

Michael (Liam Neeson) is a writer whose latest manuscript has been refused, so he flies off to Paris to rethink his life, leaving his wife (Kim Basinger) behind in the States. Sean (Adrien Brody) finds himself wandering the streets of Rome and befriends a Romanian woman in a bar, while Rick (James Franco) lives in a tony New York apartment with his son from a previous marriage and his new girlfriend. Gradually, each one of these stories unveils its secrets, testifying to the whims and complexities of life. Surfaces are deceptive in the Haggis universe, but as each story is explored we discover untold pleasures and pains. Life is never easy: it can be deceptive, inhabited by anger and jealousy, but it can also be surprisingly joyous.

Each city in Haggis’s film provides a physical landscape that reflects the dilemma of the characters, and the locations are used in very different ways. The sensuality of Paris, the warmth of Rome and the edge of New York all heighten the atmosphere. “Third Person” is a film of unexpected wonders, subtle shifts of mood, and powerful emotions. Redemption can be found amidst the chaos, but so can its opposite. Haggis pulls the strings masterfully while negotiating between the two.

“The opportunity to work with the master himself – Paul Haggis – on creating an intelligent and intriguing relationship movie was an exceptional and fulfilling challenge for me. To see how this group of brilliant actors interpret the characters from the film, was an experience that far exceeded my expectations,” says producer Paul Breuls.

“This is an incredibly personal story, the way ‘Crash’ was an incredibly personal story,” Haggis shares. “I posed several questions to myself, as I was going along, and they were all about being in love with someone who is impossible.”

“Third Person” is distributed in the Philippines by Axinite Digicinema.