There’s a busy few days ahead for everyone trying to keep pace with the awards circuit as a bevy of highly anticipated films will finally be unveiled in Italy at the Venice Film Festival and Colorado at the Telluride Film Festival. With each passing day, the awards race will start to take shape and we’ll have more clarity on the various paths available to Oscar voters. However, a potentially new piece of the Oscar puzzle was announced today and stymied by all the fall film festival build-up. It’s been reported that Vertical Entertainment has acquired “Rosemead” for U.S. distribution, and with it Lucy Liu officially joins the Best Actress hunt.
The film is based on a Los Angeles Times article that examines the tragic true story of a Chinese American mother and son whose desperate circumstances force them into life-altering decisions. Lucy Liu plays the lead and received an enthusiastic reception from the audience when the film premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival this summer. It’s a passion project for the veteran Liu, who is also credited as a producer and was a vital part in getting the film made. Critics have been mixed on the project overall, but few haven’t been impressed with Liu’s unexpected turn. It’s definitely a change of pace for the actress, who will be most remembered among film-lovers for her scorching performance as the villainous O-Ren Ishii in Quentin Tarantino’s “Kill Bill: Volume 1.” In fact, Liu gravitated to the material because it presented her the opportunity to work on something so incredibly different than what she was accustomed to. It was the kind of challenge she eagerly awaited, and as a result had to dedicate herself even behind-the-scenes to making it a reality. It’s also the kind of breakaway performance that may resonate with awards voters. Liu’s career in the industry has spanned more than two decades and she remains an anchor for the Asian American acting community. It’s that kind of resume and respect that can strengthen her chances as she prepares her first excursion into the Best Actress race.
Vertical has recently acquired a number of films featuring Hollywood headliners, but the independent distributor has only seen mixed results. Most recently, their venture with Ron Howard’s “Eden” (an expensive production from last year’s TIFF) set off alarm bells on the future of the American box-office. However, Vertical was also responsible for releasing an overlooked gem from last year’s Venice “The Order,” starring Jude Law and Nicholas Hoult. Another film based on a true story, critics praised the timely thriller and applauded the performances by both actors. Unfortunately, Vertical wasn’t able to get any traction on either, despite a number of factors in the film’s advantage. It didn’t help that the title – marketed as more of a general thriller rather than the studied, patient allegory that director Kurzel conceived – couldn’t muster an audience. Nonetheless, the acclaimed film did introduce Vertical into deeper waters of the awards season than they’d previously experienced. It may also have announced to the industry that Oscar contention could certainly be something that interests them. Perhaps “Rosemead” could be the perfect fit to help them both boosts their box-office reputation and finally reap a major Oscar nomination – it’s a more modestly budgeted project that may not require a robust wide-release but rather a steady, curated, specialty rollout built on word-of-mouth and buzz for Liu’s performance.
The jury is still out on how far this partnership can go in today’s brutal market, but the Best Actress lineup is looking thin this year, with particularly few choices for performances based on real individuals and true stories. Another advantage for Vertical and Liu’s campaign is that a nomination would make her one of the few Asian American actors to have accomplished this honor, especially within the Actress category where Michelle Yeoh made history with a win in 2022. The Oscars have made significant strides these past few years amplifying the pool of talent they watch, spotlight and reward, although much work remains to be done. If voters of the Academy Awards still have a strong appetite for diversifying their selections, expect Lucy Liu to be a very tempting choice.