Chapter 27

“Chapter 27” is an adaptation of blank pages,of a missing chapter. At the outset, JarrettSchaefer’s debut feature seems to promise ameasured character study of the man who shotex-Beatle John Lennon on the 8th of December1980. The film’s title alludes to the 26 chaptersof J.D. Salinger’s classic novel “The Catcher inthe Rye”. Lennon’s killer meant to add a finalchapter, written in the blood of his victim.Traveling through a wintry New York, Chapmanis an elusive presence – smudged at the edges,listlessly gazing out from behind his glasses. Hismental state is an equal blur as he graduallysubmerges himself into the psychology ofJ.D. Salinger’s antihero, Holden Caulfield,discarding his own identity. In a parallel move,Schaefer borrows the structure, timeframeand narration of Chapman’s favorite book, the film evolving from character study into a postmodernliterary game.Drawing vocal protest from Lennon fans,fearing that the film would humanize Chapman,the film persistently maintains the tensionbetween individual psychology and meta-text,making the viewer ask: Is it a character studyor is it something else entirely?

Premiere Status
Nordic Premiere: Cast
Jared Leto, Lindsay Lohan, Ursula Abbott: Producer
Alexandra Milchan, Naomi Despes, Robert Salerno: Script
Jarrett Schaefer: Cinematography
Tom Richmond: Music
Anthony Marinelli: Spoken language
English