Linklater and Ethan Hawke Reunite in “Blue Moon,” Opening in Japan This March

Richard Linklater and Ethan Hawke reunite once again in the new film “Blue Moon,” which is set to open in Japanese theaters on Friday, March 6.

Inspired by a single night in the life of legendary Broadway lyricist Lorenz Hart, the film marks another collaboration between the duo behind the “Before” trilogy — “Before Sunrise,” “Before Sunset,” and “Before Midnight” — as well as “Boyhood.” Set during a party, “Blue Moon” unfolds as a finely tuned conversation drama, tracing tangled emotions of love, jealousy, and longing with Linklater’s signature sensitivity. Margaret Qualley, fresh off her striking turn in ‘The Substance’, stars as Elizabeth, the woman who quietly occupies Hart’s heart. The screenplay is written by Robert Kaplow, known for ‘Me and Orson Welles’.

Widely praised as a film that “embodies everything Linklater and Hawke do best,” “Blue Moon” has earned 22 nominations and 8 wins at film awards around the world. It received Golden Globe nominations for Best Motion Picture (Comedy or Musical) and Best Actor, and was also nominated for Best Original Screenplay and Best Actor at the Academy Awards.

Alongside the Japan release announcement, the official trailer and poster have been unveiled. The trailer captures Hart confronting his conflicted emotions on the night his former partner, composer Richard Rodgers, celebrates a major success, while the poster features an intimate moment between Hart and Elizabeth at the bar of the iconic Broadway restaurant Sardie’s.