Piercing Cast and Director on Their Psychosexual Sundance Film

One of the many films to world premiere at this year’s Sundance Film Festival was Piercing, director Nicolas Pesce’s thrilling follow-up to his acclaimed directorial debut The Eyes of My Mother. Based on the celebrated novel by Ryu Murakami, the film stars Christopher Abbott as a seemingly normal businessman who sets out to murder a random stranger, only to discover that the escort he picked up (Mia Wasikowska) is not who he expected and she has other plans for him. It’s a game of cat and mouse that also stars Laia Costa, Marin Ireland, Maria Dizzia, and Wendell Pierce.

mia-wasikowska-christopher-abbott-piercing — Image via the Sundance Institute

Before I had the chance to see the film, Christopher Abbott, Mia Wasikowska, Laia Costa and Nicolas Pesce came by the Collider Studio at Sundance for an exclusive video interview. Nicolas Pesce talked about why he wanted to make Piercing as his follow up to The Eyes of My Mother, why the cast wanted to be involved in the project, what it was like on set, if the actors were apprehensive about some of the subject matter that would be depicted on screen, what Pesce learned from friends and family screenings, and a lot more.

Check out what they had to say in the player above and below is exactly what we talked about followed by the synopsis.

Finally, a huge thank you to everyone at Kia and The Future Party for helping to make these interviews happen at the Kia Supper Suite and offering up transportation in the all new Kia Stinger high performance Sportback for our guests. We’d also like to thank Altec Lansing, Kunde Wines, Blue Moon Brewing, and Topo Chico for their support.

Christopher Abbott, Mia Wasikowska, Laia Costa and Nicolas Pesce:

Nicolas Pesce talks about why he wanted to make Piercing as his follow up to The Eyes of My Mother.
Was it tough to get financing?
The actors talk about why they wanted to be part of the project.
Were the actors apprehensive about some of the subject matter that would be depicted on screen?
How do they describe the film?
How do the actors like to work on set?
How they did a few versions of the scenes on set.
What did Nicolas Pesce learn from early screenings for friends and family?
They play a fast version of get to know your Sundance attendee.

piercing-director-nicolas-pesce — Image via the Sundance Institute

Here’s the Piercing synopsis via Sundance:

Reed (Christopher Abbott) is going on a business trip. He kisses his wife and infant son goodbye, but in lieu of a suitcase filled with clothes, he's packed a toothbrush and a murder kit. Everything is meticulously planned: check into a hotel and kill an unsuspecting victim. Only then will he rid himself of his devious impulses and continue to be a good husband and father. But Reed gets more than he bargained for with Jackie (Mia Wasikowska), an alluring call girl who arrives at his room. First, they relax and get in the mood, but when there’s an unexpected disruption, the balance of control begins to sway back and forth between the two. Is he seeing things? Who's playing whom? Before the night is over, a feverish nightmare will unfold, and Reed and Jackie will seal their bond in blood.

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Based on the critically acclaimed cult novel by Ryu Murakami, Director Nicolas Pesce (THE EYES OF MY MOTHER, Sundance 2016) blends psychological horror with comedy and stylish neo-noir, resulting in a sly take on the fantasy of escape and the hazards of modern romance.