Yahoo UK – “We’re exploring the consequences of money and, to some extent, capitalism”
The Menu, Triangle of Sadness, The White Lotus; we’re fascinated by the lives of millionaires – and Sharper, an upcoming Julianne Moore-starring thriller heading to Apple TV+ on Friday, 17 February, takes another shot at the wealthy.
“We’re exploring the consequences of money and, to some extent, capitalism,” Sebastian Stan, one of Sharper’s leads, tells Yahoo UK when asked about the current wave of ‘eat the rich’ content coming to cinemas and streamers.
Read more: Sebastian Stan undergoes transformation for new movie
“Money is supposed to give you all these opportunities, but at the same time, it takes so much away.
“It divides in so many ways, and it imprisons you and isolates you.”
Justice Smith, who appears alongside Stan in Sharper, believes we’re all fascinated by “the darkness inside of ourselves”.
“We all like to imagine that we would be good people under different circumstances,” the actor – best known for Detective Pikachu and Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom – says.
“But we’re fascinated by our capability of darkness. Same reason why we’re so fascinated by serial killers. We’re fascinated to the extent that people can be horrible to one another.
“Because we recognise in ourselves how we are, how we could potentially be horrible.”
It’s a theory that’s fitting considering Sharper’s about a group of people who, on the surface, appear normal, yet transpire to be a bunch of liars, thieves, and double-crossing scam artists.
To say too much more would spoil the fun – over its runtime, the movie slowly reveals itself, every new scene unravelling more secrets as we discover what drove a young woman (Briana Middleton) to steal $350,000 from a book-store owner (Smith).
Directed by Benjamin Caron, who helmed the last two episodes of the Star Wars series Andor, Sharper’s a tight mystery that, ideally, should be seen on the big screen. However, the movie’s heading to streaming a week after its theatrical debut in the US. That’s not too much of an issue for Smith.
“I like streaming,” he says. “It’s accessible. “There are people, me included, where sometimes I can’t sit through a two hour film. I need to watch it on my own terms. And I enjoy it because I got to watch it on my own terms.”
Stan is slightly more cautious. “I think having the choice is important,” he says. “But maybe I’m more old school. I hope that we continue to also protect the theatrical experience.”
Yahoo points out that a film like Sharper probably wouldn’t get made without a streamer’s backing. “Where does [a movie like this] live nowadays?” Stan asks. “I’d rather have it exist, quite frankly, than not.”
“I was going to sit through the movie [in a cinema] because I was like, ‘I don’t remember what my acting is like on a big screen. I don’t even know if it’s any good,’” he continues.
“There’s something that gets processed in a different way when it’s like that.”
Sharper will enjoy a limited theatrical release in the US and UK, and will stream on Apple TV+ from 17 February, 2023.
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