The Place Beyond the Pines is a drama movie that premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2012. Directed by Derek Cianfrance, it stars Ryan Gosling, the known actor of “La La Land,” Bradley Cooper, Eva Mendes, Ben Mendelsohn, and Rose Byrne. When a stunt bike rider tries to provide a better future for his family, how far will he go?
Luke Glanton (played by Gosling) is an amazing stunt bike rider who works at a carnival. Despite not having a lavish life, he is quite comfortable. After all, he only needs to provide for himself. Nonetheless, that changes when he re-encounters Romina (Mendes), a former girlfriend.
He is quick to learn that he is the father of a one-year-old baby. Therefore, he quits the carnival gig and begins working for Robin (Mendelsohn), who owns a repair shop.
But the money isn’t enough. As Robin shares his past as a bank robber, they team up to do burglaries. Finally, Luke is able to provide for his family.
Avery Cross (Cooper) proudly works at the police department. He is the father of a baby boy with his wife Jennifer (Byrne). One day, he is in pursuit of a robber.
After finally chasing him down, he shoots and kills him. The days to follow are tough for him as he finds out that the victim leaves a baby boy behind.
In high school, two teenage boys named Jason (DeHaan) and AJ (Cohen) befriend each other. After fifteen years, Avery Cross will learn that actions have consequences in “the place beyond the pines.”
To conclude, what makes this film unique is the fact that there are two protagonists. Once you feel empathy for Gosling’s character, those emotions suddenly are replaced by Cooper’s persona.
Moreover, Cianfrance is known for uniquely directing family-dramatic films. Surprisingly, as he was working with Ryan on “Blue Valentine” (2010), Gosling shared with him the idea of how to execute the perfect bank heist. To his surprise, the director had already written a script.
To conclude, “The Place Beyond the Pines” is such an underrated piece of movie. Even a decade after its release. Happy New Year’s Eve in advance, everyone!
Watch the “The Place Beyond the Pines” teaser trailer and if intrigued, stream the movie on your favorite platform!
