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At this point I have no real idea why Dark Places doesn't have a domestic release date in place (the film opens in France this weekend). It's got a stellar cast and is based on the quite good book by Gillian Flynn. While the material isn't up to the level of Gone Girl's insightful skewering of the cool girl syndrome, it's a highly functional crime thriller. I haven't seen director Gilles Paquet-Brenner's film Sarah's Key, but it was well reviewed. And in general I think it's poor form to speculate on a film's quality in these distribution situations because they often have little to do with each other. So what's the deal? Don't ask me.

I thought the trailer was serviceable, and this new clip is very much in that vein. Functional, without hitting that Gone Girl level of quality. It makes the interesting choice to introduce the book's "kill club" in what's almost rave-like setting, which I'm not sure I understand. Check out the Dark Places clip below. The film stars Charlize Theron, Nicholas HoultChloë Grace MoretzCorey StollChristina Hendricks, and Drea de Matteo. It hits French theaters on April 8th.

Here's the official synopsis for Flynn's novel:

Libby Day was seven when her mother and two sisters were murdered in “The Satan Sacrifice of Kinnakee, Kansas.” As her family lay dying, little Libby fled their tiny farmhouse into the freezing January snow. She lost some fingers and toes, but she survived–and famously testified that her fifteen-year-old brother, Ben, was the killer. Twenty-five years later, Ben sits in prison, and troubled Libby lives off the dregs of a trust created by well-wishers who’ve long forgotten her.

The Kill Club is a macabre secret society obsessed with notorious crimes. When they locate Libby and pump her for details–proof they hope may free Ben–Libby hatches a plan to profit off her tragic history. For a fee, she’ll reconnect with the players from that night and report her findings to the club… and maybe she’ll admit her testimony wasn’t so solid after all.

As Libby’s search takes her from shabby Missouri strip clubs to abandoned Oklahoma tourist towns, the narrative flashes back to January 2, 1985. The events of that day are relayed through the eyes of Libby’s doomed family members–including Ben, a loner whose rage over his shiftless father and their failing farm have driven him into a disturbing friendship with the new girl in town. Piece by piece, the unimaginable truth emerges, and Libby finds herself right back where she started–on the run from a killer.

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