Sofia Coppola has remained one of the most distinct and consistent filmmaking voices in the entertainment industry for years now. Starting with her debut in 1999 with The Virgin Suicides, she's gone on to receive fairly consistent critical acclaim and hype with each of her subsequent releases. Her films have always been, on one level or another, intimate and unexpectedly specific human experiences, like Lost in Translation or Somewhere. But this year, Coppola is set to make her return to the big screen with the first, full-on genre film of her career, The Beguiled. Starring Nicole Kidman, Colin Farrell, Elle Fanning, Kirsten Dunst, and more, it's shaping up to be one of the most anticipated independent films of the year.
A remake of the 1971 Clint Eastwood and Geraldine Page-led film of the same name, it takes place during the American Civil War and focuses on a group of older and young women living quiet lives at a secluded girls' school in the country. Soon, their lives are thrown into disarray, however, when they take in a wounded confederate soldier (Colin Farrell) and the house becomes a hotbed of sexual tension and rivalries.
A new batch of images from The Beguiled have been released online by The Playlist today. While they don't reveal anything new story or plot-wise, they do continue to tease the multiple female characters fans can expect to see in the film, played by Fanning, Dunst, and Kidman. And based on the set design, costumes, and cinematography, it really doesn't look like anything Coppola has done before. Take a look for yourself in the gallery below:
[vn_gallery name="The Beguiled Images" id="912678"]
Some of the images feel reminiscent of Guillermo del Toro's Crimson Peak, and that's not necessarily a coincidence either. Both the time period and the dark story of the film are combining to give it a gothic feel that might be unexpected or shocking for longtime fans of Coppola's work, especially following her last film, the satirical, modern day-set Bling Ring. But the cinematography, editing, and framing of the film teased in the first trailer, feels extremely similar to Coppola's previous projects, and evokes the same dreamlike quality that helped elevate movies like The Virgin Suicides and Lost in Translation into greatness.
Coppola hasn't always had hits with her films, of course, and after the divisive reception to The Bling Ring, it'll be interesting to see how well The Beguiled plays with audiences later this year. It's is already shaping up to be one of the more packed years for film in recent memory, with a healthy blend of both exciting blockbuster and independent films already emerging as standouts. So all that's left to be seen now is whether or not The Beguiled will leave the year being one of 2017's best indies, or one of its more disappointing misses.
Next: The Beguiled Trailer
The Beguiled is set to hit theaters on June 23rd.
Source: The Playlist