‘Act One’ Director on the Sexy, Scary Teen-Actress Thriller

By Daniel D'Addario

Daniel D'Addario

Chief TV Critic

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Hannah, a teen actress, just wants to be great. And she’ll sacrifice everything to get there.

In writer-director Sophia Takal’s new film “Act One,” debuting at the Tribeca Festival on June 10, Ella Beatty throws herself into a performance as a would-be star who, snubbed by her school’s drama club, enrolls in an acting class led by the compelling and enigmatic Melanie (Ari Graynor), a stage star who’s downshifted into manipulating and dominating the performers in her thrall. Beatty begins to lose her sense of self as alcohol-fueled late-night sessions, a sexually compelling fellow student (Nate Mann) and Melanie’s own relentlessness push her to the edge.

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