Katrin Cartlidge Movies
Best known as one of Mike Leigh's '90s repertory of actors, Katrin Cartlidge also made her intense, versatile talent felt in several key European films of the 1990s and early 2000s. Her sterling career was cut short, however, when she passed away in 2002 at the age of 41.Born to an orphaned British father and German-Jewish refugee mother, Cartlidge was raised in a bohemian London household. With her ability to read hampered by undiagnosed dyslexia, she was relegated to remedial classes at school, souring her on academics. More inspired by her trips to see avant-garde theater, Cartlidge began to audition for plays in her teens. Although without formal training, she joined the Royal Court Youth Theatre, and served as an apprentice in London and Edinburgh's fringe theater. Despite making her official London stage debut at 18, Cartlidge supported herself during her late teens by working as an art school model and as a dresser at London's Royal Court Theater. She was finally able to earn her living by acting when she landed a role on Channel 4's popular soap opera Brookside in 1982. During her six years on the show, she also became a regular stage presence at the Royal National Theatre and the Royal Court Theatre. Even after she moved to films, Cartlidge continued to work in theater, including appearing off-Broadway in the 2001 British import Mnemonic.
Cartlidge first caught Leigh's eye with her multi-role performance in a 1985 Royal National Theatre play. He offered Cartlidge work on some TV ads five years later, but she turned him down. The director eventually cast her in his 1993 film Naked. Although she had made her movie debut in Channel 4's Sacred Hearts in 1984, it was Naked that officially launched her into the international art cinema stratosphere. Through Leigh's famously long and rigorous pre-production process, Cartlidge created wry, druggie, Goth Sophie, a sexual free spirit who seems to be an apt carnal match for David Thewlis' drifter Johnny before she falls victim to the masculine sadism embodied by Thewlis and Greg Cruttwell's cruel yuppie. A brutal and sometimes mordantly hilarious examination of contemporary anomie, the film earned accolades at the Cannes Film Festival, while Cartlidge garnered the award for European Actress of the Year and the European Press Best Actress prize. She followed Naked with a starring role in Milcho Manchevski's drama Before the Rain (1994); featuring Cartlidge as a photo editor torn between her London husband and her Macedonian photographer lover, the movie examined the conflicts plaguing the newly independent republics formed after the dissolution of Yugoslavia, and became the first Best Foreign Film Oscar nominee from Macedonia. After appearing in several more projects, including the imaginative Antoine de Saint-Exupéry biopic Saint-Ex (1996), Cartlidge solidified her international status with a supporting role in Lars von Trier's landmark drama of faith and self-sacrifice, Breaking the Waves (1996). In a change of pace from her prior uninhibited characters, the actress portrayed a repressed, uptight sister-in-law bent on protecting Emily Watson's Bess from her sexually degrading, ill-fated quest to cure her paralyzed husband.
Cartlidge returned to the Leigh orbit to co-star with Lynda Steadman in the eponymous Career Girls (1997). Centering on two '80s college roommates who have an uneasy '90s reunion, the movie showcased Cartlidge's range and sharp humor as her Hannah evolves from a jittery, angry student seeking random wisdom from the Brontë sisters into a sleek, aggressive professional with a shade of vulnerable self-awareness. In the wake of Career Girls, Cartlidge noted that she would not be going to Hollywood because, "My breasts are too small, I have no collagen in my lips, and my eyebrows are too thick." Instead, the actress ventured into American independent films as part of the ensemble trolling Manhattan in Hi-Life (1998) and as the title character in Lodge Kerrigan's second feature, Claire Dolan (1998). Despite qualms over Claire Dolan's unvarnished view of sexuality, Cartlidge's unstinting turn as an immigrant prostitute garnered her London's Evening Standard Best Actress award. After taking on period roles with Michael Cacoyannis' film version of Chekhov's The Cherry Orchard in 1999 and a cameo role in Leigh's Topsy-Turvy the same year, Cartlidge went back to American indie films with Kathryn Bigelow's mystery-drama The Weight of Water (2000). Cartlidge then came as close to Hollywood filmmaking as she would ever get as one of Jack the Ripper's victims in Allen and Albert Hughes' visually flamboyant From Hell (2001). She received more attention, however, for Danis Tanovic's No Man's Land (2001), a film she had shot simultaneously. Exploring the same politically charged terrain as Before the Rain, Cartlidge's tough war correspondent was a key part of Tanovic's satiric dissection of the futile Bosnia-Serbia conflict. Nominated for Best Foreign Film, No Man's Land beat out the popular Amélie (2001) to become the first Bosnian film to win an Oscar.
Cartlidge's appearance in a BBC version of Crime and Punishment in 2002 became her final project. She died suddenly of septicemia that same year. ~ Lucia Bozzola, All Movie Guide
- 2002
Fyodor Dostoyevsky's evergreen psychological novel Crime and Punishment was given an up-close-and-personal treatment in this two-part British miniseries version, first telecast over the BBC in 2002. John Simm starred as Dostoyevsky's idealistic antihero Raskolnikov, who, secure in his belief that he was a superior being ungoverned by emotions, murdered a hateful pawnbroker and impassively watched as the ensuing criminal investigation unfolded before his very eyes. Police inspector Porfiry (Ian McDiarmid) was fairly confident that Raskolnikov was the guilty party, but rather than immediately moving in for his kill, Porfiry calmly waited for the killer's latent conscience to get the better of him. There was more to the story, of course, and Tony Marchant's teleplay admirably telescoped the Dostoyevsky original into a neat four-hour television package. Eschewing the straightforward approach taken by earlier adaptations of Crime and Punishment, director Julian Jarrold trafficked in tight, uncomfortable close-ups and vertigo-inducing camera angles, virtually forcing the viewer to become as neurotic and unraveled as Raskolnikov. Filmed on location in St. Petersburg in the former Soviet Union, Crime and Punishment was first seen in the U.S. over the Bravo cable network on January 28 and 29, 2003. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Simm, Ian McDiarmid, (more)
- 2000
In this bizarre satiric comedy, Kath (Toni Collette) is a chef who decides to leave the family business and strike out on her own. Her former lover Ronald (Daniel Craig) does not take this news well -- he's been trying to run the decaying Hotel Splendide, a resort and health spa, just the way his folks did years before, complete with regularly scheduled enemas and food not marred by flavor. After five years, Kath decides that it's time to bury the hatchet and volunteers to come back and work with Ronald at the Hotel, though the place has hardly improved in her absence. Hotel Splendide also features Stephen Tompkinson, Katrin Cartlidge, and Peter Vaughan. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Toni Collette, Daniel Craig, (more)
Renowned Greek filmmaker Michael Cacoyannis wrote and directed this adaptation of the classic final drama by playwright Anton Chekhov, set in 1900. Lyubov Ranevskaya (Charlotte Rampling) left Russia to escape troubling memories of the death of her son. Now her family is riddled with debt and Lyubov and her teenaged daughter Anya (Tushka Bergen) have come home to the family estate, looking for a way to pay their bills. Much to their dismay, the Ranevskayas are forced to sell their land to Lopakhin (Owen Teale), a crude businessman who intends to build a housing development in what was once the family's cherry orchard. The international cast also includes Alan Bates as Lyubov's brother Gaev, Katrin Cartlidge as Lyubov's ward Varya, and Michael Gough and Frances de la Tour as the family's servants. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Charlotte Rampling, Alan Bates, (more)
American filmmaker Lodge Kerrigan (Clean, Shaven) directed this French production, set in New York. Dublin native Claire (Katrin Cartlidge of Naked and Career Girls) is a New York prostitute constantly working to eliminate her debt to menacing Roland Cain (Colm Meaney), who's known her since she was a child. After the death of her mother, Claire sets out to unleash her pent-up feelings and gain control of her life. She meets a guy in a bar and has sex, is befriended by calm cabbie Elton (Vincent D'Onofrio), visits her Newark cousin, plays with her niece, and eventually tells Elton that she wants to have a baby. Atonal score by Ahrin Mishan and Simon Fisher. Shown in competition at the 1998 Cannes Film Festival. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Katrin Cartlidge, Vincent D'Onofrio, (more)
Roger Hedden wrote and directed this indie romantic comedy about a group of New Yorkers on the Upper West Side as Christmas nears. Unemployed actor Jimmy (Eric Stoltz), who owes $900 to local bookie Fatty (Charles Durning), tells his girlfriend Susan (Moira Kelly) that the money is for an abortion for sis Maggie (Daryl Hannah) -- who jilted bartender Ray (Campbell Scott). Ray and one of his regular customers April (Katrin Cartlidge) visit bars trying to raise the money, and eventually a half dozen others are drawn into the treasure hunt. Shown at the 1998 Mill Valley Film Festival and the 1998 Chicago Film Festival. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Katrin Cartlidge, Charles Durning, (more)
- 1996
This arty British effort attempts to pay homage to distinguished and fanciful French author Antoine de Saint-Exupery via a sort of tone poem. Those familiar with the writer's work will get the most from this film as it does not contain any excerpts from the writer's work. The film, though not a documentary, does contain interviews from those who knew and loved Saint-Exupery. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1996
A freighter crew slowly succumbs to the pressure and the numbing boredom imprisoned at sea because they carry a deadly cargo in psychodrama. Because her holds contain toxic materials, the ship Pandora has been banned from all ports for 16 months. Captain Belger is beside himself with frustration for his crew is growing restless and he has received no word or instructions from his employers. Matters grow worse when eco-terrorists assault the ship. Only one female survives. Angrily, Belger imprisons her below. There one of the crazed officers abuses her and eventually she gets gang raped. Meanwhile, Belger begins plotting desperate measures to get rid of the troublesome cargo. He doesn't realize that the embarrassed shipping company has similar designs, only they want to get rid of more than the poison. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1996
An agoraphobic woman has to put her fear to the test in this British made-for-television movie. Katrin Cartidge stars as Robin, a woman who lives in Scotland near a dangerous park. Afraid to leave her home, Robin spends her days and nights locked inside her home, taking photos of the passersby outside. She develops an obsession with one man in particular, and when she witnesses him in danger one evening, she is forced to confront her fear. ~ Bernadette McCallion, All Movie Guide
In this artful blend of suspense and black comedy, a woman who wants to find out the truth about the murder of her boyfriend finds out more than she ever suspected. When Sean (Stuart Laing) is found dead after attending a particularly uninhibited party, his girlfriend finds it hard to believe that his passing was entirely accidental, and she begins doing some amateur detective work on the matter. In time she discovers three minor-league public figures were the last to see him alive -- Angel Farnham (Con O'Neill), Andrea Wallis (Frances Barber), and Harry Roberts (James Fleet). The deeper the woman digs into the lives of these three, the more disturbed she becomes about the strange and sordid society that they inhabit, and she's drawn into a dark netherworld of crime and corruption. 3 Steps to Heaven was written and directed by Anglo-Greek filmmaker Constantine Giannaris; the film was purchased for American distribution by Miramax in 1995, but it was not seen in the United States until its video release in 2005. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- 1994
Ann-Margret stars in the made-for-cable movie Nobody's Children, filmed on-location in Bucharest, Romania, and based on a true story. Ann-Margret and Jay O. Sanders star as the real-life Carol and Joe Stevens, a married couple from Detroit who are unable to conceive a child of their own. They travel to Bucharest in 1990, just following the end of Ceausescu's regime, where a secret police controls the populace and state institutions are filled with abandoned children. The Stevenses bear witness to the deplorable conditions under which the unwanted babies must live as well as the extreme poverty and illness of the other Romanian children. French doctor Stephanie Vaugier (Dominique Sanda) helps Carol wade through the bureaucracy so she is able to adopt two children and return to the States. Originally aired on the USA television network in March of 1994. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide
Milcho Manchevski's first feature film is a three-part story of the violence and political chaos tearing apart the newly independent nation of Macedonia (former Yugoslavia). In part one, Kiril (Grégoire Colin), an Orthodox monk, encounters Zamira (Labina Mitevska), a Muslim from Albania. Zamira is frightened and has nowhere to go, so Kiril lets her stay in his cell, knowing that if the authorities find her, his peaceful life will be shattered. The second segment, set in London, concerns Anne (Katrin Cartlidge), married to stable but boring Nick (Jay Villiers) but enjoying an affair with Macedonian photographer Aleksander (Rade Serbedzija); Anne is trying to decide if she should stay with Nick or leave with Aleksander, before unexpected events make the decision for her. The conclusion follows Aleksander back to Macedonia; while he's tired of photographing war, he finds no sanctuary in his home town, as Christians and Muslims wage war and he accidentally causes the death of innocent bystanders. Before the Rain received an 1995 Academy Award nomination as Best Foreign Language Film. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Katrin Cartlidge, Rade Serbedzija, (more)
- 1984
Sacred Hearts in one of the more trenchant of the "nun- bashing" films of the 1980s. Anna Massey plays the unbalanced Mother Superior in charge of a British convent during the war years. Through the rigid enforcement of her Spartanlike rules, Sister Massey puts her fellow nuns through the torments of the damned (are we mixing metaphors?). Her greatest crime is to refuse to acknowledge the doubts and fears of the novices in times of extreme crisis--such as the war itself. Sacred Hearts might be even more fascinating if it were double-featured with The Nun's Story--or The Sound of Music. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Anna Massey, Katrin Cartlidge, (more)
Directed by actress Rosanna Arquette, this candid documentary is not only about the iconoclastic and somewhat reclusive film star Debra Winger (who does not even appear onscreen until an hour into the film), but also about the trials and tribulations of actresses in Hollywood who have reached "that certain age." In the course of her "search," Arquette interviews several of her colleagues, among them Whoopi Goldberg, Diane Lane, Teri Garr, Holly Hunter, Vanessa Redgrave, Charlotte Rampling, Meg Ryan, and Sharon Stone, all of whom have their own personal horror stories about insensitive producers and casting directors who tend to think of over-40 (and sometimes over-30) actresses as being suitable only for mother, "other woman," and "hero's girlfriend" roles -- when they bother to cast these actresses at all. The women also discuss the difficulties in balancing a successful career and a private life. Test-marketed on the film festival circuit throughout 2002, Searching for Debra Winger received its largest audience when it aired over the Showtime cable channel on August 18, 2003. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Patricia Arquette, Rosanna Arquette, (more)
The grim futility of the war between Bosnia and Serbia is reduced to its essence as two enemy soldiers are forced to share a wary trust for one another in this drama. A group of Bosnian soldiers are advancing upon Serbian territory during a misty night when the fog lifts at daybreak, making them plainly visible to their enemy. Serb forces open fire upon them, and soon only Chiki (Brancko Djuric) is still alive, after diving into a trench in no man's land. Two Serbian soldiers scouting the area set up a land mine using the body of a Bosnian soldier as "bait;" if moved, the mine will jump into the air and explode. Chiki watches as the soldiers set the trap, and furious at the disrespect to his fallen comrades, he kills one of the Serbs, and takes the other, Nino (Rene Bitorajac), hostage. With both soldiers alone and equally armed, they find themselves at a stalemate, and begin trying to attract help from either side. Eventually, the two men are found by a squadron of French soldiers attached to a U.N. peacekeeping unit; now held by supposedly neutral forces, Chiki and Nino are with the French troops when it's discovered that the dead Bosnian soldier isn't dead after all, though no one is sure how to disarm the mine without killing him in the process. No Man's Land was the debut feature from Bosnian writer and director Danis Tanovic. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Branco Djuric, Rene Bitorajac, (more)
The true-life horror story of Jack the Ripper gets a new spin in this screen adaptation of the acclaimed graphic novel by Alan Moore and Eddie Campbell. In 1888, a ruthless and cold-blooded killer begins hunting prostitutes in East London, and while the murderer's work is savage, the mutilation of his victims suggests the fiend has an extensive medical background. Amidst a background of political unrest and barely contained scandal among the royal family, the murderer's grisly exploits shock and frighten all of England, and one of Scotland Yard's top inspectors, Fred Abberline (Johnny Depp), is put on the case, along with his partner, Peter Godley (Robbie Coltrane). Abberline, depending on one's viewpoint, is either blessed or cursed with second sight, and while he blurs his ability to see future events with opium and other drugs, he still has an uncanny ability to ferret out dangerous criminals, which is put to the test as he and Godley search for the Ripper. As Abberline and Godley investigate the neighborhood where the crimes occur, they become acquainted with the prostitutes and street people who were friends and compatriots of the victims, and Abberline finds himself falling in love with Mary Kelly (Heather Graham), a beautiful Irish streetwalker. As Abberline tries to identify the killer before Mary Kelly can become the next victim, he and Godley have to contend with Sir Charles Warren (Ian Richardson), their superior who is keen to pin the murders on a culprit who isn't British, and Sir William Gull (Ian Holm), a respected physician who has his own ideas about the murders and the benefits of psychosurgery. From Hell marked a change of pace for Albert Hughes and Allen Hughes, the sibling directorial team best known for their gritty depictions of America's urban underground in such films as Menace II Society and Dead Presidents. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Johnny Depp, Heather Graham, (more)
A woman studying a crime of the past finds her own life becoming a morass of suspicion and deceit in this drama based on the novel by Anita Shreve. Jean Janes (Catherine McCormack) is a photographer working on a project that would document surviving evidence of a multiple murder that occurred a hundred years ago -- when a man named Louis Wagner (Ciaran Hinds) brutally killed two immigrant women from Norway with an axe, only to discover a third, Maren Hontvedt (Sarah Polley), witnessed the mayhem and survived to identify him in court. Jean travels to the small New Hampshire coastal town where the killings occurred with her husband Thomas (Sean Penn), an award-winning poet; his brother Rich (Josh Lucas); and Rich's girlfriend Adaline (Elizabeth Hurley). As Jean digs deeper into the troubling facts of the long-ago murder, as well as the tangential details of Maren Honvedt's unhappy marriage to John Hontvedt (Ulrich Thomsen) and her incestuous affair with her brother Evan (Anders W. Berthelsen), Jean begins to believe that she has a crisis of her own to contend with: she is convinced Thomas is having an affair with Adaline. The Weight of Water also features Katrin Cartlidge as Maren's sister Karen and Vinessa Shaw as her sister-in-law Anethe. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Catherine McCormack, Sarah Polley, (more)
The Lost Son brings together talented British director Chris Menges with a well-known face of French cinema, Daniel Auteuil, who plays a detective in self-exile in London who deals mostly with cases of adultery. At the same time, he is trying to come to terms with the ghosts of his past. While trying to locate the brother-in-law of an old friend who once saved his life, he finds himself in the middle of a network of pedophiles. The director tries to avoid voyeurism or over-simplification in dealing with such a sensitive issue. The tone is not judgmental. One memorable image sums up the thrust of the film: a silent boy urinating on the corpse of one of his torturers. ~ Gönül Dönmez-Colin, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Daniel Auteuil, Nastassja Kinski, (more)
Mike Leigh's first film after his international success Secrets and Lies was this comedy-drama about two former college roommates spending a weekend together -- the first time they've seen each other in six years. As teenagers, Annie (Lynda Steadman) was painfully shy, terribly nervous (so much so that it manifested itself in a severe facial rash) and in desperate need of self-esteem. Hannah (Katrin Cartlidge), on the other hand, had strong opinions about everything and a habit of blurting them out regardless of the hurt they would inflict upon others. Years later, Annie has gained a certain confidence and poise (and her face has cleared up), but she's yet to learn how to relax, while Hannah is still incapable of letting a quiet moment speak for itself. As they spend the weekend hunting for apartments (Annie's looking for a new place to live), they're constantly reminded of their past together -- how far they've come, and how far they still have to go. Marianne Jean-Baptiste, who won acclaim for her role as the daughter given up for adoption in Secrets and Lies, co-wrote the musical score for this film. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Katrin Cartlidge, Lynda Steadman, (more)
With Breaking The Waves, director Lars von Trier fashions an often disturbing tale of the singular power of love. Bess (the Oscar-nominated Emily Watson) is a naïve, borderline simple young woman who lives in a Scottish coastal town ruled by the religious doctrine of its council of elders. Recovering from a mental breakdown caused by the death of her brother, Bess marries a rough yet compassionate and attentive oil rig worker named Jan (Stellan Skarsgård). For a brief time, the couple enjoys peaceful wedded bliss, with the worldly Jan introducing Bess to the mysteries of sex. Jan must soon return to his job on the rig, however, where he is paralyzed from the neck down in a freak accident. Bess' emotional trauma over Jan's injury turns into obsession as she prays to God for his recovery and offers to do anything to have her husband back whole. Jan, constantly medicated and profoundly depressed, asks Bess to have sex with other men and tell him about it, thinking this will allow her to return to a normal life. Bess, on the other hand, sees it as an expression of her devotion to Jan that even God won't be able to ignore. Bess' resultant downward spiral leads to a finale of both tragedy and spirituality. Breaking the Waves is widely regarded as one of the most distinctive European movies of the 1990s, marking von Trier's movement toward his influential Dogma 95 school of filmmaking, which emphasizes realistic situations of contemporary life, filmed without background music and with a hand-held, restlessly moving camera. ~ Don Kaye, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Emily Watson, Stellan Skarsgård, (more)
A restaurant worker (Lanah Pellay) is fired from a posh London eatery, so the man returns with a band of terrorists, who have their own ideas about how to run a restaurant, and they begin feeding new customers with old customers. Motorhead provides the music. ~ John Bush, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lanah Pellay, Nosher Powell, (more)
A scathing look at Britain in the post-Thatcher era, Mike Leigh's Naked stars David Thewlis as Johnny, an unemployed layabout with a philosophical bent and a nasty edge. In the opening scene, he's committing rape, and before the credits even roll, he's also stolen a car to flee from Manchester to the London home of an old girlfriend (Lesley Sharp). The film's loose, sprawling narrative follows Johnny as he randomly makes his way through the streets of London, encountering a homeless Scottish couple, a nightwatchman and a series of women whom he charms and discards. He lives defiantly outside of the system, refusing to conform to the demands of anyone (including himself). ~ Jason Ankeny, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- David Thewlis, Lesley Sharp, (more)
