Magnolia Pictures has picked up writer/director Dagur Kári’s THE GOOD HEART for US distribution. The film stars Brian Cox (ZODIAC) as a crusty old man who owns a run-down bar in New York City that serves as a haven to a rag tag group of professional drunkards. Paul Dano (THERE WILL BE BLOOD) stars as a young homeless man chosen by Cox’s character as the person responsible for carrying on the bar’s legacy after he passes away. French actress Isild Le Besco also stars in the film.

Magnolia will roll the film out next year as a part of their Ultra VOD series, in which films are given video-on-demand runs before they are released in theaters the following month. The film recently played at this past year’s Toronto International Film Festival. It is said to be a “warm-hearted character study with terrific performances, and a love letter to the city’s sordid watering holes.”

Here’s what Magnolia president Eamonn Bowles had to say on the acquisition: “We’re delighted to be working with Dagur, who has crafted a beautiful tribute to a New York institution—the dive bar…Brian Cox is one of the best actors working today, and gives a dynamite performance that we’re excited to share with American audiences.”

Kári (DARK HORSE, NOI) reciprocated those feelings when had this to say, “Magnolia is a company that I really admire, and I am thrilled about the fact that they are releasing THE GOOD HEART in the US. I look forward to working with them.”

Source Magnolia Pictures