One of the many films premiering at that 2013 Sundance Film Festival this week is writer/director Michael Polish‘s Jack Kerouac adaptation Big Sur.  The film is a wild ride as we’re taken through the author’s struggle with alcoholism and depression in the years following the publication of On the Road.  Tackling the character of Kerouac would’ve been a daunting prospect for any actor, but Jean-Marc Barr brings an intimacy to Kerouac’s manic tendencies in the film that convey to the audience exactly what’s going on in his head.

I had the chance to speak with Barr earlier this week in Park City about his work in the film, and he talked about Kerouac’s influence on his life when he was younger, nailing down all the rhythmic Kerouac dialogue, how the principles behind the author’s beatnik movement are lost on the younger generations of today, and more.  Barr also talked quite a bit about working with Lars von Trier on the much anticipated Nymphomaniac, describing the film as an ambitious working tackling all facets of sex.  Read on after the jump, and click here if you missed by interview with Josh Lucas and Radha Mitchell about the film.

Director Lars von Trier is not exactly known for making tame films, and his upcoming pic Nymphomanic has drummed up a considerable amount of interest for a number of reasons.  The filmmaker’s follow-up to the well-received Melancholia stars Charlotte Gainsbourg as Jo, a self-diagnosed nymphomaniac who recounts her life story to Seligman (Stellan Skarsgard), an old, charming bachelor who finds Jo beaten up in an alley.  The film will feature its actors performing unsimulated sex on camera, and it also marks von Trier’s first movie since he got into a bit of hot water over some comments he made at the Cannes Film Festival.

I recently got the chance to speak with actor Jean-Marc Barr at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival for the upcoming Jack Kerouac adaptation Big Sur, and during the course of our conversation Barr also talked a bit about his work in Nymphomaniac and what we can expect from the pic, saying the film is unlike anything that’s ever been seen.  Hit the jump to see read on.

We finally saw a feature film adaptation of Jack Kerouac’s “unfilmable” novel On the Road hit theaters last year, and in 2013 another of Kerouac’s novels is coming to the big screen.  The first trailer for writer-director Michael Polish’s adaptation of Big Sur has been released online.  The film tells the story of Kerouac’s move from New York City to Northern California, and stars Jean-Marc Barr as Kerouac, Josh Lucas as Neal Cassidy, and Kate Bosworth as Billie, the love interest of both men.  Polish shows a strong eye for visuals in this trailer, and Barr looks to give an impassioned performance as Kerouac spirals into depression.

Hit the jump to watch the trailer.  The film also stars Radha Mitchell, Anthony Edwards, and Henry Thomas.  The pic will premiere at the upcoming 2013 Sundance Film Festival, which runs from January 17 – 27th.

Filming has commenced on director Michael Polish’s (The Astronaut Farmer) adaptation of Jack Kerouac’s Big Sur. The film stars Jean-Marc Barr as Kerouac, Josh Lucas as Neal Cassidy, and Kate Bosworth as Billie, the love interest of both men. Deadline reports that production just recently began on the film, which tells the story of Kerouac’s move from New York City to Northern California.

Polish wrote and is directing the film, which features a supporting cast that includes Anthony Edwards, Rahda Mitchell, Balthazar Getty, Patrick Fischler, Stana Katic, John Robinson and Henry Thomas. This marks the second Kerouac adaptation in a year, as Walter Salles recently filmed an adaptation of On The Road. That film stars Kristen Stewart, Garrett Hedlund and Sam Riley, Kirsten Dunst and Viggo Mortensen. Hit the jump for a synopsis of Big Sur.