Photograph: Cowtown Pictures Limited Hot Property BE Limited / Click to view the trailer.
It doesn’t feel that long ago that Ron Carter, himself one of jazz’s towering legends, played bass at the venue where a big screen now shows the 2026 biographical film Everybody Digs Bill Evans on a warm fall Tuesday evening in September.
Love & Anarchy’s instinct for selecting festival venues is second to none. Jazz is part of the Savoy Theatre’s DNA.
Bill Evans, an American jazz pianist and one of the finest ever to grace the world, is brought to life by Norwegian actor Anders Danielsen Lie, a major jazz buff and Evans fan who has played piano most of his life.
His portrayal of Evans as a soft-spoken world-class artist withdrawn into his shell after the shocking death of his bandmate, Scott LaFaro, the bassist whose connection with Evans seemed almost telepathic, draws the viewer into the world of temporary paralysis and mourning; it’s a journey through drug addiction, where fingers on keys set his inner turmoil to simmer.
But Everybody Digs Bill Evans gives the viewer more hope than gloom.
British director Grant Gee turns Intermission (2013), a fictional account by fellow British writer Martell Owen, into a gripping tale of the human condition with stunning cinematography and scene setting.
Shot mostly in grainy black-and-white 16mm film by Irish cinematographer Piers McGrail, every frame turns into a Rembrandt and cigarette smoke becomes a thin protective veil to keep the viewer at a comfortable distance.
But when the smoke clears and the film splashes with saturated color, even a few notes of Evans’ playing fill the room and the viewer’s reserve melts like chocolate in a sauna.
Gee, known for documentaries such as Joy Division, abandons his documentary-style picture-in-picture transitions and other artistic flourishes in favor of straight cuts and a compact story that moves with the intuitive interplay of the Bill Evans Trio.
The best performances indeed are delivered by a small, talented cast.
Hollywood veteran Bill Pullman (Lost Highway) gives a memorable performance as the witty father, Harry, and Laurie Metcalf (Lady Bird) brings a sharply observed warmth to her role.
Under the rather platonic surface, Evans’ life-energy pulsates in his golf swing, which underlines his vitality, a gleam of hope for the viewer.
When Evans’ brother, also named Harry (Barry Ward), and his niece Debbie (Tallulah Cavanaugh) urge him to play, the famous few bars of “Waltz for Debbie” electrify the room.
Oh, if only we could hear a few more notes, a few more songs.
Then we would have a perfect 100% score.
‘Everybody Digs Bill Evans’ was an official selection at the 39th Helsinki International Film Festival – Love & Anarchy.
FILM DETAILS
Title: Everybody Digs Bill Evans
Year: 2026
Running time: 102 minutes
Director: Grant Gee
Cast: Anders Danielsen Lie, Bill Pullman, Laurie Metcalf, Barry Ward, Valene Kane, Katie McGrath
Cinematographer: Piers McGrail
Writers: Grant Gee, Owen Martell (based on his novel Intermission (2013)), Mark O’Halloran (screenplay)
