Everyone wonders if the afterlife is real, but what if science were able to verify that we do indeed go on in some form after we are dead? What effect would this have on society? How would regular people react to the knowledge that death is not the end? These are the kinds of questions posed in the new Netflix movie The Discovery, set to have its world premiere at Sundance on January 20, 2017 ahead of a theatrical release on March 31, 2017.

Clearly, scientific verification of the afterlife would have a huge impact on the way people live, and it might not necessarily be a positive impact. The Discovery promises to explore some of the more negative, and downright spooky, effects of such a scenario - while possibly delivering a twisty supernatural thriller at the same time.

The new trailer posted on Netflix US and Canada (watch it above) suggests that The Discovery will be more than a little bit spooky. Roy Orbison's "Only the Lonely" plays in the background (not exactly a happy song) while lovers Rooney Mara (who can also be seen in the disturbing drama Una) and great everyman actor Jason Segel, and possible bad guy Robert Redford (he isn't retired quite yet), deal with the implications of the afterlife being confirmed. As if that weren't creepy enough, the music becomes distorted and the images in the trailer become even more mysterious and strange.

The Discovery was directed by Charlie McDowell, whose 2014 feature The One I Love also covered some troubling and at times comical philosophical ground, with its story of a couple encountering their own doppelgangers while on a marriage-saving weekend getaway. The trailer for The Discovery suggests plenty of philosophy and weirdness but not a whole lot of comedy. Despite its vagaries, The One I Love did feature strong lead performances from Elisabeth Moss and Mark Duplass, so that bodes well for Rooney Mara and Jason Segel as they play a disturbed couple in the new film.

The trailer doesn't give away a ton of hints about the plot of The Discovery, but if The One I Love is any indication, there should be some bizarre twists and plenty of delving into the mysteries of human relationships. McDowell's previous film seemed less concerned with sci-fi by itself and more with using sci-fi as a vessel for considering the human condition and particularly the eternal questions of love between man and woman.

There's clearly a weird, mysterious romantic element to The Discovery, but the trailer also sets us up for a twisty supernatural thriller. We'll see how Charlie McDowell and company blend all these interesting elements together when The Discovery drops at Sundance and later in movie theaters and on Netflix.

The Discovery premieres on Netflix March 31, 2017.

Source: Netflix US and Canada