The official trailer for Netflix's The Forty-Year-Old Version, the feature-length directorial debut from multi-hyphenate star Radha Blank. The Forty-Year-Old Version made a splash at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival earlier this year after scooping up the Directing Prize for Blank's work behind the camera. Blank also tackles lead actor and writer duties on The Forty-Year-Old Version, resulting in an inventive and inviting original feature from a truly original voice.

The Forty-Year-Old Version introduces us to Radha (Blank), a 40-year-old playwright living in the shadow of being put on a noteworthy "30 Under 30" list more than a decade ago. Now, Radha spends her days teaching and trying to figure out her next great work, the one that will get her back on the map. Radha is soon inspired to make an artistic lateral move from playwriting to music. Soon, she's exploring her options as a 40-year-old rapper talking about the very real issues she faces as a 40-year-old Black woman existing in the modern world. Will Radha find success on this new creative path? Or will she fall flat?

The Forty-Year-Old Version debuts on Netflix on October 2. You can watch the official trailer below. For more, here's what's coming to Netflix in September.

Here's the official synopsis and poster for The 40-Year-Old Version:

Radha, a down-on-her-luck NY playwright, is desperate for a breakthrough before 40. But when she foils what seems like her last shot at success, she’s left with no choice but to reinvent herself as rapper RadhaMUSPrime. The Forty-Year-Old Version follows Radha as she vacillates between the worlds of Hip Hop and theater on a quest to find her true voice.

 

Winner of the Directing Prize at The 2020 Sundance Film Festival, The Forty-Year-Old Version is a hilariously candid and deeply personal debut from writer/director Radha Blank. A fresh addition to the New York City slice-of-life canon shot in lush black and white 35mm, Blank’s film is an ode to the unfulfilled, and those whose adversity gives them a one-of-a-kind story to tell.

Allie Gemmill is the Weekend Contributing Editor for Collider. You can follow them on Twitter @_matineeidle.