Review

Malle reteams with his old My Dinner with Andre pals Shawn and Gregory for this riveting theatrical exposition. Gregory and Shawn assembled a group of actors on a pro-bono basis and spent four years rehearsing their bare-bones (no sets, no props, no nothin') production of David Mamet's adaptation of Chekhov's "Uncle Vanya." Entranced by their work, Malle set out to make a record and the result is invigorating. Filmed in the dilapidated New Amsterdam Theatre on 42nd Street in New York, Vanya is as close to true theatre on film as one will ever see. Mamet's script is 100% true to Chekhov and in the hands of stage director Gregory and his accomplished cast, his masterful examination of spiritual yearning in the face of brutal existential angst is brought vividly to life.