It may only be August, but studios are already starting to make moves with regards to their awards fare.  Today, the first official image from Thank You for Smoking and Up in the Air writer/director Jason Reitman’s upcoming drama Labor Day has been released.  Based on the Joyce Maynard novel of the same name, the film takes place over the course of a Labor Day weekend and tells the story of a 13-year-old boy who convinces his reclusive mother to take in a drifter, who turns out to be an escaped convict on the run.  Kate Winslet plays the mother and Josh Brolin plays the convict, and Labor Day sees Reitman navigating decidedly different territory as he weaves the character drama with shades of a thriller.  The film also involves flashback and flashforwards, with Tobey Maguire playing the grown-up version of the young boy.  Given its pedigree, the pic is sure to be a contender in this year’s awards race.

Hit the jump to check out the image.  The film also stars Gattlin Griffith, J.K. Simmons, Clark Gregg, and James Van Der BeekLabor Day opens in limited release on December 25th before expanding wide on January 31st.

Via EW.

 

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Here’s the official synopsis for Labor Day:

“LABOR DAY” centers on 13-year-old Henry Wheeler, who struggles to be the man of his house and care for his reclusive mother Adele while confronting all the pangs of adolescence.  On a back-to-school shopping trip, Henry and his mother encounter Frank Chambers, a man both intimidating and clearly in need of help, who convinces them to take him into their home and later is revealed to be an escaped convict.  The events of this long Labor Day weekend will shape them for the rest of their lives.