CANNES, France (AP) – Tim Roth toned things down for his role in the Cannes Film Festival entry “Chronic.”
The British actor known for his explosive turns in films from “Made in Britain” to “Pulp Fiction” is tense and taciturn as a nurse who cares for the dying in the English-language debut of Mexican director Michel Franco.
Roth’s character, David, is compassionate with his patients but deeply depressed in his own life, and the film adopts a deliberately subdued style. It lets the camera linger on the often-silent David as he washes, feeds and moves patients unable to care for themselves.
The film invites the audience to contemplate the toll caring for the dying takes on those who do it, and makes viewers consider their views on end-of-life suffering and assisted suicide.
Roth said he wanted to make sure that his strong presence did not overwhelm the movie that Franco planned to make.