Luce (film)

Luce
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Julius Onah
Written by	J.C. Lee Julius Onah
Based on	Luce by J.C. Lee
Produced by	John Baker Julius Onah Andrew Yang
Starring	Naomi Watts Octavia Spencer Kelvin Harrison Jr. Norbert Leo Butz Tim Roth
Cinematography	Larkin Seiple
Edited by	Madeleine Gavin
Music by	Geoff Barrow Ben Salisbury
Production companies	Dream Factory Group Altona Filmhaus
Distributed by	Neon Topic
Release dates	January 27, 2019 (2019-01-27) (Sundance) August 2, 2019 (2019-08-02) (United States)
Running time	109 minutes[1]
Country	United States
Language	English
Box office	$2.3 million

Luce is a 2019 American social thriller drama film directed, co-produced, and co-written by Julius Onah. It stars Naomi Watts, Octavia Spencer, Kelvin Harrison Jr., and Tim Roth. The film was based on the play of the same name by J.C. Lee, and tells the story of a couple (Watts and Roth) forced to reconsider their marriage and their family after an extremely disturbing essay written by their adopted son (Harrison Jr.) is brought to their attention by his teacher (Spencer).

Principal photography took place in Roosevelt, New York and Los Angeles, California and the film was shot on 35mm film.

Luce had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival on January 27, 2019, and was released in cinemas on August 2, 2019, by Neon and Topic. It received positive reviews from critics, who praised the cast's performances, Onah's direction, the writing, and the film's themes. The film made over $2.3 million worldwide.

The film received multiple nominations from the various award organizations including the Black Reel Awards and various critics organizations, including the Hollywood Critics Association and the San Diego Film Critics Society Awards.