Olive Kitteridge (Frances McDormand) is many things: beloved teacher, resented mother, seen-it-all middle-ager, wry chronicler of her small Maine town.
Based on author Elizabeth Strout’s Pulitzer-winning short-story collection, the HBO miniseries Olive Kitteridge by director Lisa Cholodenko “tells the poignantly sweet, acerbically funny, and devastatingly tragic story of a seemingly placid New England town wrought with illicit affairs, crime and tragedy, told through the lens of Olive (McDormand), whose wicked wit and harsh demeanor mask a warm but troubled heart and staunch moral center,” according to press materials.
Richard Jenkins co-stars as her husband, as does Bill Murray in an as-yet-unspecified role.
In the trailer, we see Olive as Olive: gently scaring little girls, joking about death, inspiring her students. It’s easily the meatiest role the Oscar-winning McDormand has enjoyed since optioning Strout’s book four years ago.
After debuting at the Venice International Film Festival, Olive Kitteridge will air on HBO on November 2 and 3.
[via The Playlist]
