Cate Blanchett disappears in Where’d You Go, Bernadette, and somehow that doesn’t make it a horror film.
The inexplicably lighthearted movie is based on the novel of the same name, which follows a teenage girl trying to piece together why her mother has disappeared. That her mother has left at all is a massive oddity; not only is she a stable member of the family, she also has a pile of anxieties that usually keeps her close to home. She’s the last person you’d expect to up and leave, which only makes the questions her daughter must sort through all the more bewildering.
The trailer gives the impression that the mystery sets off a fairly lighthearted romp, which should play into the strengths of director and co-writer Richard Linklater. He can do an amiable, meandering narrative as well as anyone, but having the story center on women will be a change of pace for him. His ensembles are usually pretty male-oriented while Bernadette is bursting at the seams with female characters.
The good news is that the film landed a bunch of recognizable faces to fill those roles, with Judy Greer and Kristen Wiig joining Blanchett. Billy Crudup also stars as Blanchett’s husband, but the pivotal role of the daughter went to newcomer Emma Nelson. A lot is riding on her shoulders as the true lead of the film, but luckily she’s got some top-notch talent backing her up. As long as she can keep up with everyone, this should be an enjoyable mystery to solve.
Where’d You Go, Bernadette is directed by Richard Linklater and stars Cate Blanchett, Billy Crudup, and Emma Nelson. It will be released in the US on March 22nd, 2019. For international release dates, click here.
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