C.O.G.

The first screen adaptation of comic writer David Sedaris’s work.

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• Director-Screenwriter Kyle Patrick Alvarez
• Producers Cookie Carosella, Stephen Nemeth
• With Jonathan Groff, Denis O’Hare, Corey Stoll, Dean Stockwell
• USA 2012
• 88 min
• Sales The Exchange

Marking the first screen adaptation of a David Sedaris work, this irreverent and characteristically cynical study of a young man facing a crossroads in his life effectively captures the idiosyncratic voice of its fêted author. Based on an essay from Sedaris’ 1997 collection Naked, C.O.G. tells the story of a Yale graduate who, under a new alias, ditches his real life to work on an apple farm in remote Oregon. Navigating his way from one curious situation to the next, he encounters a series of lost souls, each of whom force him to take a long hard look at his life. Pitched to perfection by director Kyle Patrick Alvarez, this quirky and distinctive coming-of-age tale boasts some wonderful performances (particularly from Jonathan Groff as our nomadic antihero) and sets the bar high for further Sedaris adaptations that will hopefully follow.

Michael Blyth