Axiom Films Catalogue 2014 June 2014 | Page 48

OFF THE BLACK (2006) A film by James Ponsoldt Premiering in ‘Official Selection’ at the Sundance Film Festival 2006, James Ponsoldt’s debut film is an assured and beautifully played drama about a broken man’s redemptive relationship with the son he never had. Featuring an outstanding leading performance from two-time Oscar-nominee Nick Nolte (Hotel Rwanda, Hulk, The Thin Red Line), the film also features rising star Trevor Morgan (Mean Creek, The Patriot), Oscar-winner Timothy Hutton (The Good Shepherd, Kinsey) and Oscar-nominee Sally Kirkland (Bruce Almighty, EDTV). Ray Cooke (Nolte) is a disheveled, grumpy high school baseball umpire who forms an unlikely friendship with a troubled teenager, Dave Tibbel (Morgan). As the two grow more dependent on each th other, Ray