Lionsgate’s new film Alice, Darling stars Oscar-nominee Anna Kendrick in a claustrophobic psychological thriller that puts one woman’s mental health to the test. In anticipation of its international premiere on September 11 at the Toronto International Film Festival, a beautiful new poster has been released, with Kendrick as the title character, Alice, front and centre. In Mary Nighy’s directing debut, Kendrick plays Alice, a woman dealing with the emotional fallout of an abusive relationship. Alice tells her manipulative boyfriend Simon (Charlie Carrick) that she is going on a business trip while on vacation with her two friends, played by Wunmi Mosaku (Loki) and Kaniehtiio Horn (Letterkenny).
Alice’s pals start to notice that she is always tense and tense up, and Simon is always messaging her to see what she is up to. Her friends have seen her unusual behaviour and are urgently trying to help her see that her connection with Simon is not healthy, but he has dug his cruel claws deep. The tension rises as Simon becomes aware that he is losing control over Alice just as she is struggling to come to terms with her own relationships and new information. The new poster for Alice, Darling is an incredibly straightforward look at the way worry can express itself. Anxiety sufferers may exhibit subtle, recurrent twitches that draw attention to their incapacity to be fully present at any one moment.
These are the indicators that Alice’s friends see in the film that suggest something is wrong with their long-time buddy. On the poster, Kendrick appears to be avoiding the viewer’s gaze by looking away. Her hands are raised in a protective, self-nurturing position in front of her face, but the real chill comes from the way the hair is coiled around her fingertip, effectively shutting off blood flow. After achieving widespread recognition for her part as Bella Swan’s best friend Jessica in the blockbuster film Twilight, Anna Kendrick went on to further establish her acting credentials by appearing alongside George Clooney in the critically acclaimed film Up in the Air.
After starring in the comedies Pitch Perfect, Pitch Perfect 2, and Pitch Perfect 3, as well as playing Poppy in DreamWorks’ Trolls, Anna Kendrick featured in the thriller A Simple Favor in 2018. The Dating Game, which will star Kendrick and be directed by Watcher’s Chloe Okuno, will be Kendrick’s first time behind the camera following the success of Alice, Darling. Alanna Francis (The Rest of Us), a TIFF alumna, wrote Alice, Darling, which was produced by Laurie May, Sam Tipper-Hale, and Anna Kendrick. Alice, Darling has yet to receive a release date for the theatres.
Synopsis
Anna Kendrick, an Oscar® contender, stars as Alice in the tight thriller ALICE, DARLING, about a woman who is driven to insanity by her mentally abusive partner, Simon. Alice regains her sense of self and her sense of perspective while on a trip with two of her best friends. The ties of dependence on others are beginning to loosen for her. But Simon’s revenge is inevitable and shattering, and once it’s released, it challenges Alice’s strength, courage, and the links of her deeply entrenched friendships.