Keira Knightley heads to post-WWII Germany in the trailer for her latest period drama, The Aftermath. The film is based on the 2013 novel by Rhidian Brook and directed by James Kent, a fellow who (much like Knightley) is far from a stranger to historical fare, following his efforts on the WWI-set Testament of Youth and such TV series as The White Queen. Jason Clarke (Mudbound) and Alexander Skarsgård (Big Little Lies) join Knightley in the cast here, along with Kate Phillips (Wolf Hall) and Fionn O'Shea (Roy).

Set in 1946, The Aftermath follows a woman named Rachael Morgan (Knightley) as she journeys to post-WWII Hamburg in the dead of winter, in order to reunite with her husband Lewis (Clarke), a British colonel who is overseeing the German city's reconstruction. However, much to Rachael's dismay, she arrives to discover that Lewis has decided to share the house the pair are staying in with its original owner, Stefan Lubert (Skarsgård), and his daughter. From there, "enmity and grief give way to passion and betrayal", as the film's synopsis puts it.

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While Kent shot The Aftermath in the Czech Republic back in early 2017, the film won't actually hit theaters until Spring 2019. Even so, Fox Searchlight has decided to get its marketing campaign started now, presumably to take advantage of the recent influx of awards season friendly period dramas (including Knightley's own Colette). You can check out The Aftermath's newly-released trailer in the space below.

Considering that Fox Searchlight didn't even set a release date for The Aftermath until more than a year after it started production, it stands to reason that the studio isn't banking on the film becoming an awards contender, unlike many of Knightley's period dramas past (Colette included). Kent's movie is set to open in theaters one week before Avengers 4, assuming that the latter doesn't move up to late April like Avengers: Infinity War did this year. Either way, Fox Searchlight has positioned The Aftermath to serve as blockbuster counter-programming on its current launch date.

Between its respectable cast and the soapy drama promised by the trailer and synopsis, The Aftermath still has a fair amount working in its favor, the film's not so promising release date aside. Knightley likewise has a track record of starring in socially relevant and noteworthy historical fare and her latest project certainly has the potential to be both of those things, based on its premise alone. If nothing else, here's hoping that things work out better for Knightley and Clarke's married couple here than they did in their last movie together, Everest (though it's probably best to not count on that).

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Source: Fox Searchlight Pictures