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Four Rational People

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Goethe once said that a string quartet is like "a conversation between FOUR RATIONAL PEOPLE," and for the members of the Emerson String Quartet, that conversation is coming to a bittersweet ending as they embark on their final season of a fifty-year history that includes 9 GRAMMY Awards and thousands of concerts. Interweaving vivid memories of the Emerson Quartet's past with delicate observations of life on the road in the weeks and days before disbanding, FOUR RATIONAL PEOPLE explores the group's difficult decision to walk away from the things that they cherish most in life: the music they play and the friends they hold dear. At once a frank examination of the tyranny of aging and a cri de cœur to pass the torch to a new generation of artists, FOUR RATIONAL PEOPLE culminates with one final Emerson Quartet performance for the ages, leaving all to ponder what happens to us after the final curtain.
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Critics Reviews

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Zachary Barnes Wall Street Journal 6h
The legacy of the Emerson String Quartet includes dozens of recordings, and it’s probably in those that the deepest lessons lie. For anyone curious to meet the musicians who made them, “Four Rational People” is a decent introduction. Go to Full Review Avi Offer NYC Movie Guru 2d
Tender, captivating and heartfelt. Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Cast & Crew

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Tristan Cook

Director

Birgit Gernböck

Producer

Carolyn Moriarty

Executive Producer

Donald Moriarty

Executive Producer

Zac Nicholson

Cinematographer

Tamara Mattos

Film Editing
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Four Rational People

Four Rational People (2025) Four Rational People (2025) View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis Goethe once said that a string quartet is like "a conversation between FOUR RATIONAL PEOPLE," and for the members of the Emerson String Quartet, that conversation is coming to a bittersweet ending as they embark on their final season of a fifty-year history that includes 9 GRAMMY Awards and thousands of concerts. Interweaving vivid memories of the Emerson Quartet's past with delicate observations of life on the road in the weeks and days before disbanding, FOUR RATIONAL PEOPLE explores the group's difficult decision to walk away from the things that they cherish most in life: the music they play and the friends they hold dear. At once a frank examination of the tyranny of aging and a cri de cœur to pass the torch to a new generation of artists, FOUR RATIONAL PEOPLE culminates with one final Emerson Quartet performance for the ages, leaving all to ponder what happens to us after the final curtain.
Director
Tristan Cook
Producer
Birgit Gernböck
Distributor
Juno Films
Production Co
Company 3, Deep End Development & Production, 2023 String Quartet Movie
Genre
Documentary, Music
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Feb 20, 2026, Limited
Runtime
1h 44m