Bedrooms and Hallways starts shooting September 8th.

 Kevin McKidd and Jennifer Ehle will star alongside Hugo Weaving, Simon Callow and Harriet Walter in a new feature film, Bedrooms and Hallways, which begins principal photography on 8th September.

 Bedrooms and Hallways will be shot entirely on location in London and will be directed by Rose Troche, award-winning director of Go Fish.

 Starring in the film are Kevin McKidd (Trainspotting, Small Faces and soon to be released One in Four); Jennifer Ehle (Wilde and Pride and Prejudice for the BBC in which she starred as Elizabeth Bennet); Hugo Weaving (Priscilla, Queen of the Desert and Proof); Simon Callow (Four Weddings and a Funeral, Amadeus and A Room with a View); Tom Hollander (True Blue and Martha, Meet Frank, Daniel and Lawrence); Julie Graham (Preaching to the Perverted); and Christopher Fulford (Mountains of the Moon).

Bedrooms and Hallways is an original, humorous and thought-provoking romantic comedy about sexual identity which takes the genre to a more complex level.

 Troche's last feature Go Fish picked up the Teddy Award at the 1994 Berlin Film Festival, the Best Black Feature Film at the 1994 Cork Film Festival and the IFP Gotham Award in the same year. Troche has also produced, written and directed a number of short films.

The original screenplay is written by novelist and screenwriter Robert Farrar, whose screenplay adaptation of his novel Watch That Man, starring Bill Murray and directed by Jon Amiel, will be released in the Autumn for New Regency/Warner Brothers.

 Bedrooms and Hallways is a Berwin and Dempsey Production. Dorothy Berwin was Head of Co-Productions and Director of Production Finance and sat on the board at Zenith Films for whom she executive produced Walking and Talking, a huge success at the 1996 Sundance Festival. She is currently executive producing Wisdom of Crocodiles for Zenith. Ceci Dempsey has worked as Creative Affairs Executive for Eon Productions, Head of British Film Investment for BSB's the Movie Channel and Head of Production for Lumiere Films (Leaving Las Vegas).

 Worldwide distribution in all territories except the UK, France and Germany, is with Pandora Cinema whose recent successes include Shine and Kolya. ARP holds French distribution rights, Pandor Film holds rights in Germany and the BBC holds the UK Free TV rights.

by Caroline Westbrook
from Empire, May 1998

Subtle is not a word that springs to mind when describing the set of romantic comedy Bedrooms and Hallways. The backdrop for today's filming, for example is a lounge- cum-cocktail bar boasting the kind of electric pink that even heavy-duty shaded eyewear would have trouble filtering.

On a thespian level, Bedrooms And Hallways is a little easier on the eye, giving Jennifer Ehle a chance to shrug off assorted corsetry and play a 20th century love interest. It also marks Kevin McKidd's first chance to take centre stage after hogging plenty of attention both as Tommy in Trainspotting and in Small Faces. The amiable Scot stars as Leo, a gay twenty-something having to deal with the romantice entanglements and hang-ups of his chums, while trying to improve his own luck in the boudoir department.

Support includes Simon Callow and Harriet Walter as a bizarre married couple prone to conducting spiritual love-ins, while the directional aegis falls to American-born Rose Troche, previously known for putting magaphone to the no-budget, black-and-white lesbian love tome Go Fish. And keeping hold of the production reins are Dorothy Berwin and Ceci Dempsey, the team behind last year's indie hit Walking and Talking.

"When you read it, it comes across as a typical British comedy of errors." explains McKidd, "but I thing Rose has brought panache and style that hopefully work wonderfully together. The acting style she is going for is more off-the-cuff, slice-of-life. The comedy comes more from situations, similar to a lot of British comedy at the moment".

So how's he coping with his new-found leading man status? "It's very different. In a way it's more fun to play support because you do your turn and then disappear to ten days. But this is great, I'm loving it. I'm learning a lot about technique and feeling more at home in front of the camera".

"Kevin has such an interesting face" adds Troche. "I love people who aren't so straightforward good-looking, it's a tribute to what a good actor he is..." B&H will be released later this year.

4 out of 5 stars

Director Rose Troche
Writer Robert Farrar
Stars Kevin McKidd, Jennifer Ehle, Simon Callow, Tom Hollander, James Purefoy, Harriet Walter
Certificate n/a
Running time 1 hour 36 mins
Made UK, 1998

EDINBURGH FILM FESTIVAL SCREENINGS
22:30 Fri 21 Cameo 1
22:30 Thu 27 Cameo 1
THE sexual misadventures of others have never been as fun to watch as they are in this comedy from the director of "Go Fish". Emphasizing stylish visuals along with snappy dialogue and riotous parody, Troche presents a slick product that challenges the boundaries of sexual orientation.

Leo (a marvelously earnest McKidd) wants commitment in a relationship, and at almost-thirty years old, even envies the heterosexual bonds of marriage and kids for the hope of stability they hold out. When he is dragged along to a men's support group by a friend, he finds himself drawn to the apparently straight Brendan (Purefoy), who is breaking up with his girlfriend, Sally (Ehle). People are never quite what they seem, however, and unusual pairings-off become the mainstay of the film.

Troche keeps the story moving along at a brisk pace as we jump between the racy escapades of Leo's party-loving flatmate Darren (Hollander) and Leo's involvement with Brendan, Sally and the New Age men's group. Here the film is at its parodic best, with well-to-do Keith (Callow) encouraging his group to re-birth themselves through honesty sessions and a back-to-the-primitive camping trip.

A funny, stylish film about young Londoners and their romantic woes.

Rishika

Rose Troche is a major talent in the independent film scene; her 1994 debut, Go Fish, was a fresh, humorous and immensely popular examination of young lesbians and their dating quandaries. Her latest is a wonderfully sophisticated and witty romantic comedy that takes the genre to a whole new level with its thoughtful depiction of relationships and sexual identity in the nineties. Bedrooms & Hallways is an original, lively examination of the trials and tribulations of lust and love, brimming with scintillating performances by a fine cast of young British actors.

The story revolves around gay flatmates Leo and Darren, who share an apartment but not each other's beds; the former seeks a substantial relationship, while the latter is content with casual sex. But Leo, bleakly aware of his empty social life, has all but given up, despite positive reinforcement from Darren and his close friend and neighbour, Angie.

At the urging of another friend, Leo joins a "New-Man" therapy group overseen by the New Age guru Keith, and his tough wife Sybil. Leo is instantly drawn to the handsome, ostensibly straight Brendan, who is still recovering from an extended relationship with his business partner, Sally. During one of their "New Man" sessions, Leo confesses his attraction for Brendan, who is flattered and intrigued, but also hesitant. At a weekend getaway, Brendan gives in to the idea and the two begin a relationship. This results in a flood tide of doubt within the therapy group, as everyone begins to question their own sexual identity.

Sparkling humour and buoyant performances characterize this British treat; Kevin McKidd's (Tommy from Trainspotting) Leo is especially dashing and lovable, a fresh take on conventional versions of the male romantic lead.

-Michèle Maheux

There was only a short blurb (and it's not flattering about the movie) from an article about the Edinburgh Film Festival:
It would be tempting to blame the awfulness of Berooms & Hallways on an American director, Rose Troche, who has read the Time magazine piece on swinging London and never got over it. Bright young Londoners who look just like actors, living in prodigally spacious designer interiors despite apparently menial jobs in sandwich bars and furniture workshops, indulge in sexual self-questioning. Dishonestly cosy, the film makes the gay hero succumb to lovely Jennifer Ehle while leaving his flatmate a caricature flouncing queen. It kept reminding me of a ferociously unfunney sitcom, a sexier, more pretentious Friends, say.

Toronto's gay community came out in droves for Go Fish director Rose Troche's second feature Bedrooms and Hallways, a British comic romp with a cast of eccentric characters and startlingly campy production design. Managing Director of the festival, Michele Maheux, summed up the reaction to the film in her intro, "I wanted to sleep with every one of them by the end of the movie." With roars of laugher and heavy applause during and after the film, it's definitely a crowd-pleaser. But as brought up in the Q & A, Troche and her producers at Pandora have a tough marketing sale -- the film is not exactly a "gay film" and its conclusion has been construed by some as embracing heterosexuality over homosexuality. Troche's answer to the problem is one of openness to both. Still seeking U.S. and Canadian distribution, the film is lighthearted and fun enough to cross over into both audiences. The film, with its successful mix of cinematic styles, sympathetic characters, and smart acting, should also make Troche a hot property.

from New British Cinema, 42md London Film Festival Program

Bedrooms and Hallways
Fri 13 Nov 18:30 OWE1 and Sun 15 Nov 21:15 Ritzy

A frothy, fun-filled roundelay of love and desire, Bedrooms and Hallways is a polished second feature from Go Fish director Rose Troche. Robert Farrar's breezy, bustling screenplay loosens the restrictions of human sexuality to depict a freewheeling world of romantic longing and endless possibility where gay men can pursue straight women and straight men are not averse to exploring their bi-sexuality. Intending to spend his milestone 30th birthday in the company of a Chinese takeaway and a few beers, lovelorn Leo (Kevin McKidd) faces the unexpected ordeal of a surprise party. This prompts a flashback to his involvement with a New Age men's group where possession of the Honesty Stone obliges him to declare his homosexuality and attaction to fellow group member, dark and handsome Irishman Brendan (James Purefoy). The admission disrupts the dynamics of the group, but leaves the obstensibly heterosexual Brendan to take matters further. The results is a neatly unfolding tangle of farce that challenges stereotypes and subverts expectations.

-Allan Hunter, Screen International

Director Rose Troche with Kevin McKidd, Jennifer Ehle, Tom Hollander, James Purefoy
UK 1998, 96 minutes

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