Sarah Silverman Goes Dark in ‘I Smile Back,’ Gets Mill Valley Fest Spotlight

Sarah Silverman is set to receive the Mill Valley Film Festival Award after a screening of her film “I Smile Back” at the festival (October 8 through 18, 2015) and an onstage Q&A.

“I Smile Back,” scooped by Broad Green out of Sundance and set for October 23 release, marks a serious dramatic turn for Silverman (excellent before as a recovering alcoholic in Sarah Polley’s “Take This Waltz”). She plays Laney, a suburban housewife whose facade is slipping away in the face of manic depression, and drug and sex addiction unknown to her long-suffering husband, played by Josh Charles (“The Good Wife”). This upsetting movie, even when careening into melodrama, is a real showcase for Silverman, who embodies a frittered woman willingly complicit in her own downfall, who wants redemption — but not quite yet.

The film is directed by Adam Salky and written by Paige Dylan and co-writer Amy Koppelman, who penned the novel on which it’s based.

The complete schedule for the 38th Mill Valley Film Festival, including the date for the Silverman spotlight, will be announced on Tuesday, September 15, 2015.