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Born to Be Blue

Panorama

Hawke taps into a certain neediness, junky jitteriness and loneliness

The Guardian
  • Archive - Festival 32
  • Director: Robert Budreau
  • Canada, United Kingdom 2015
  • 97 minutes
  • English
  • Subtitles in Hebrew


Ethan Hawke stars as Chet Baker, the legendary trumpeter and singer who, after becoming a jazz icon in the 1950s, became equally famous for his drug addiction.
Born to be Blue re-imagines Baker's life as a mixture of fact and fiction, picking up his story late in his career when, after years of heroin abuse, financial loss, and public disgrace, he attempts to stage a comeback. His hopes for a bright future are suddenly darkened when he suffers a brutal beating in a parking lot after a gig.
Filmography: That Beautiful Somewhere (2006).


  • Director Robert Budreau
  • Production Jennifer Jonas, Leonard Farlinger, Jake Seal, Robert Budreau
  • Script Robert Budreau
  • Cinematography Steve Cosens
  • Editing David Freeman
  • Music David Braid, Todor Kobakov, Steve London
  • Festivals Toronto, Tokyo
  • Actors Ethan Hawke, Carmen Ejogo, Callum Keith Rennie, Joe Cobden
  • Source Park Circus, Glasgow

Born to Be Blue