While he had quite a deal of fun in I Love Boosters earlier this summer, Will Poulter’s next performance is one of his most impressively dramatic. Adam Meeks’ feature debut Union County, which premiered at Sundance earlier this year and will now be released by Oscilloscope Pictures on August 14, follows Poulter alongside Noah Centineo as brothers navigating a community hit by the opioid epidemic. Also starring Elise Kibler, Emily Meade, Annette Deao, and Danny Wolohan, the first trailer and poster have arrived.
Here’s the synopsis: “Will Poulter and Noah Centineo deliver pitch-perfect performances as brothers Cody and Jack Parsons, each navigating a court-mandated drug rehabilitation program in a pocket of rural Ohio hit hard by the opioid epidemic. Provided with hope for the first time since their struggles began and with the support of a tireless counselor (Annette Deao), the brothers work toward a brighter, sober future. Poulter and Centineo blend seamlessly with a supporting cast composed predominantly of non-professional actors as they share their actual experiences, pain, and optimism as they, themselves, navigate the program. Ohio-born filmmaker Adam Meeks creates a film imbued with realism for an honest, compassionate portrait of a battle being fought across America and the solidarity that flowers on its front lines.”
Jake Kring-Schreifels said in his review, “Last summer, in the middle of The Bear’s fourth season, Will Poulter strolled into the show’s eponymous Chicago restaurant and placed the kitchen staff’s jaws on the floor with his handsomeness. This wasn’t exactly a new reaction for the tall British actor—over the last few years, his cool, blue eyes, angular frame, and disarming accent have made him used to being looked at. No matter the supporting role, when he walks into a room, the energy changes. But in Union County, writer-director Adam Meeks’ assured feature debut, Poulter tries a disappearing act. As recovering drug addict Cody Parsons, he trudges into a courthouse with a scraggy beard, unkempt hair, and slumped shoulders, sanding down his vibrant sheen into a pale matte. Nobody around him turns their head, let alone loosens their jaw.”
See the trailer below.
