CACrown ArchivesThe cinema collection
EN/FR
Search
Menu
Research dossier · Arts & Letters

Bottom of the World (film)

2017 film directed by Richard Sears

Manuscripts, fine bindings, an engraving plate and preserved performance ephemera
Arts and lettersInterpretive dossier study · Crown Archives visual atlas
Record originEnglish Wikipedia
Text licenseCC BY-SA 4.0
Source revisionFeb 18, 2026
Entity authorityQ30521594 ↗
Source-derived summary

Bottom of the World is a 2017 drama film. It was directed by Richard Sears, written by Brian Gottlieb and stars Jena Malone, Douglas Smith and Ted Levine.

Plot

A couple traveling along Route 66 toward Los Angeles stop at a hotel. When Scarlett (Jena Malone) disappears, Alex (Douglas Smith) begins a search then is brought into the desert by a masked stranger. Alex wakes, only to find himself in a different life although he retains memories of Scarlett.

Cast

Production

Filming began in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, on September 1, 2014. Filming also was located near Gallup, New Mexico and Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Release

Bottom of the World was released on DVD and video on demand on February 1, 2017.

Editorial summary

The public source identifies “Bottom of the World (film)” as 2017 film directed by Richard Sears. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Bottom, World and film.

Editorial reviewA productive route into publication, performance and collection histories when the underlying object or edition remains clearly identified. The current lead gives the account dated anchors—2017, 2014—that can be checked directly. The linked authority record independently contributes the date 2017. Its value is orientation rather than verdict, with Bottom, World and film providing the first useful test.
Editorial analysis

Why this record matters

A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “Bottom of the World (film)”, the useful work is to connect “2017 film directed by Richard Sears” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.

Evidence profile

Attribution, date and provenance are strongest when supported by the original work, a catalogue record and documented transmission. The source revision retrieved here is dated Feb 18, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q30521594. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 2017 and 2014.

Critical limits

Titles can refer to several editions, objects or performances, making precise identification essential before interpretation. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.

How to read it

Separate the work, its editions or performances, and its later reception. Catalogue records, publication histories and object files often preserve different parts of that story.

Best used for
  • Identifying works and editions
  • Tracing reception history
  • Finding collection records
Verify next

The original object or edition, catalogue raisonné, performance record, rights file and holding institution.

Three-step research path

  1. Establish the record: confirm the title “Bottom of the World (film)”, its source revision and the description used here.
  2. Expand the search: follow Bottom of the World (film) primary sources, Bottom of the World (film) archive and Bottom research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
  3. Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.

Questions for further research

  1. Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Bottom of the World (film)”?
  2. Where is authorship, date or provenance documented?
  3. How did later circulation or interpretation alter the work’s reception?
Subject index

Search terms from this dossier

Source & attribution

This entry incorporates text from “Bottom of the World (film)” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.