Crispin Glover Is in Search of an Exit in the Kafkaesque ‘Mr. K’ — Watch the Trailer

Ryan Lattanzio
·2 min read

Crispin Glover is a man in search of an exit — from a hotel — in the TIFF-bound “Mr. K.” The cult-favorite character actor — known for “Willard,” “River’s Edge,” “Dead Man,” and, who could forget, Cousin “I’m making my lunch!” Del in David Lynch’s “Wild at Heart” — stars in Tallulah H. Schwab’s surreal tale headed for the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival’s Platform section. IndieWire shares the exclusive trailer for the film ahead of the festival, which runs September 5-15 in the thick of the fall fest season.

Here’s part of the synopsis courtesy of TIFF: “The ordeal for Mr. K’s misfortunate protagonist — a traveling magician played by Crispin Glover in one of the richest performances in his long and continually surprising career — begins when he checks into a once-stately hotel. The following morning, Mr. K is understandably confused by his inability to find the exit. Then again, the magician doesn’t have much time to search for it due to the demands imposed on him by the hotel’s other inhabitants, a colourful gallery that includes a rather intimidating troupe of musicians, a bustling crew of kitchen workers, and a very classy elderly guest played by the great Fionnula Flanagan.”

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From the trailer alone, the film’s debts to Franz Kafka are apparent — and particularly to his novel “The Trial,” whose lead character Josef K. gets tangled up in a bureaucratic nightmare of his own. And the green walls of the hotel in “Mr. K” certainly recall the rundown Hollywood hideout in “Barton Fink,” which John Turturro has trouble escaping, at least psychically, too.

The Platform section awards a prize of $20,000 to the selected top film, with this year’s jury led by Canadian fixture Atom Egoyan, plus “I Saw the TV Glow” director Jane Schoenbrun and “A Normal Family” director Hur Jin-ho. The program is designed to showcase bold and emerging voices, which makes sense for “Mr. K” given that this is only Schwab’s second feature after “Confetti Harvest.” She was born in Oslo but now lives in Amsterdam.

“Mr. K” premieres Friday, September 6 at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival. It is currently seeking U.S. distribution.

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