What would you sacrifice for your family?
For Catherine Claire, the answer is "Everything".
When Catherine's husband, George, gets a new job as a professor at a small liberal arts
school in upstate New York, Catherine gives it all up - her dream job, her social circle,
and life in the big city - to support George and his career.
But as Catherine, George, and their daughter, Franny, begin to settle into their new life,
it quickly becomes clear that not everything as it seems.
Because the movie was filmed in New York's Hudson Valley, there's a haunting backdrop
to the story's setting.
And nearly everyone in the large, rural community around the Claires' seems to know more than
they let on.
Odd, unexplained occurrences at the Claires' old farmhouse keep them up at night.
Most troubling, Catherine and George's marriage begins to disintegrate as new acquaintances
come between the couple, while old secrets bubble to the surface.
Things Heard and Seen is part domestic drama, part thriller, part horror film, and entirely
unexpected, featuring a truly all-star cast and plot twists that will keep you guessing
until the very end.
You may think you know where Things Heard and Seen is going, but trust us: You have
absolutely no idea.
Things Heard and Seen's many mysteries will keep you glued to the screen, but it wouldn't
work as well as it does without a strong cast.
Thankfully, this film's performers are truly spectacular.
Taking the lead as Catherine is none other than Amanda Seyfried, star of hits like Mamma
Mia!, Les Miserables, and Mean Girls.
This is the first film that Seyfried has appeared in since earning a best supporting actress
Academy Award nomination for her work in Mank, in which she played William Randolph Hearst's
long-time mistress Marion Davies.
"The little sausage might have gone to jail."
"Jeepers!"
As in that film, Seyfried plays a character in Things Heard and Seen who's strong, extremely
vulnerable, and hopelessly trapped all at once.
It doesn't matter if Catherine's demons are supernatural or personal - she's prepared
to fight them either way.
"I'm starting to see things."
Meanwhile, Catherine's husband is an entirely different beast.
Like he was in films like Little Women and War and Peace, James Norton is inherently
amiable as George, and he certainly isn't lacking in natural charm.
However, while George is easy to like, he's also hard to trust.
Entitlement comes to George just as easily as a joke, and Norton masterfully leverages
his natural charm into something much, much more mysterious.
"Is something wrong, Cath?"
Things Heard and Seen's supporting cast is just as capable as its two leads, coming together
to create a roster of characters you won't soon forget.
Oscar-winner F. Murray Abraham makes an immediate impact as George's new boss, an old-school
academic who nonetheless has an open mind when it comes to more spiritual pursuits.
Rhea Seehorn, who's quietly been turning in the best performance on television for years
as Kim Wexler on Better Call Saul, shines as George's co-worker Justine.
That's not all, though.
Things Heard and Seen also features Stranger Things' Natalia Dyer as Willis, a pretty local
college student who catches George's eye.
And Indiana Jones' very own Karen Allen appears in the movie as a real-estate agent who's
awfully cagey about the history of the Claires' new house.
Then there's Alex Neustaedter as Eddie Lucks, a handsome young handyman with a secret connection
to the old farmhouse.
That's almost too much talent for one movie, but thankfully, Things Heard and Seen is built
on a very solid foundation.
The bones of the story come from Elizabeth Brundage's novel All Things Cease to Appear,
which has earned critical acclaim from the likes of The New York Times, Entertainment
Weekly, and the master of horror and suspense himself, Stephen King.
It was adapted for the screen by the husband-and-wife team of Shari Springer Berman and Robert Pulcini,
who also directed the film.
Things Heard and Seen is new territory for Berman and Pulcini, but that shouldn't come
as a surprise to anyone who's been following their careers.
In fact, the most consistent thing about the duo's filmography is their willingness to
experiment.
Berman and Pulcini's breakout feature, 2003's American Splendor, combined biopic with documentary
to tell the story of Harvey Pekar, the cartoonist known for his slice-of-life comics.
Their film Cinema Verite, which was nominated for nine Emmys, stars Diane Lane, Tim Robbins,
and James Gandolfini, and chronicles the production of PBS' An American Family, one of the very
first reality shows.
Clearly, Berman and Pulcini aren't afraid to play with different genres, which serves
them well on Things Heard and Seen.
It's a movie that draws equally from classic haunted house stories and gritty, domestic
crime dramas, fusing both into something that's unlike anything you've seen - or heard - before.
Thanks for watching.
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