Lionsgate has finally unveiled their official trailer for the pulse-pounding, anxiety-inducing psychological thriller, Alice, Darling. Directed by Mary Nighy, Anna Kendrick absolutely shines in the clip as a woman plagued by a psychologically abusive relationship.
At the beginning of the trailer we’re introduced to the titular Alice (Kendrick), a woman asked by her friends to take a birthday trip upstate to have some relaxing girl’s time. The music throughout the trailer is brilliantly layered in with uneasiness already bubbling within these first few moments as Alice lies to her boyfriend, Simon (Charlie Carrick) about her friend's plans, instead saying that she needs to go on a work trip. Although the ladies are enjoying their time away, those good vibes are quickly cut short when Simon discovers Alice’s lie, leaving her with no choice but to leave early.
As her friends try to sway her into staying and present her with a sort of intervention about her abusive situation, everyone is knocked off their feet when Simon arrives at the cabin. The score pushes the drama along with the revelation that a girl has gone missing, giving Simon his reason to snoop through Alice’s emails, finding out the truth about her business trip. Tension is at an all-time high by the final moments of the trailer with Alice at her wit’s end, diving into a panic attack, digging for answers about what to do with her life, her boyfriend, and her friends. Penned by Alanna Francis, Alice, Darling also stars Kaniehtiio Horn, Wunmi Mosaku, and Mark Winnick.
The film celebrated its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival back in September and Collider’s own Perri Nemiroff caught up with Kendrick, Horn, Carrick, and Nighy to discuss the anxiety-filled story of abuse and regaining personal power. Specifically for Kendrick, the role is a major departure from her typical fare, something the Academy Award-nominated actress says was a fact that drew her to the project.
Speaking with Nemiroff, Kendrick said that she wanted to step away from her old “bag of tricks” and move into something a little less “soul-crushing.” Referring to her work as Alice as “an internal performance,” she went on to say that it was challenging for her to step out of the mindset of constantly checking in with the crew to see how things were shaping up on the monitors and to, instead, be fully present in the scenes. Because her past pieces have allowed Kendrick to gain the knowledge of how to hit every spot perfectly, she says there was a certain freedom that came with her role as Alice which allowed her to really lean in and trust herself to make sure her performance and the story shined through.
You can catch the trailer for Alice, Darling below. The film hits Los Angeles theaters on December 30, with a national release on January 20.