Ahead of its Berlin Film Festival debut tomorrow, today brings the first trailer for the directorial debut of Hossein Amini, the screenwriter behind Nicolas Winding Refn‘s Drive. The Two Faces of January finds the talent returning to thriller territory in a story centered on a con artist, his wife, and a stranger who try to flee a foreign country after one of them is caught up in the murder of a police officer.
Led by Viggo Mortensen, Kirsten Dunst and Oscar Isaac, the source material comes from a novel by Patricia Highsmith, the author behind The Talented Mr. Ripley and this looks to be a strong drama in the same vein. Also starring David Warshofsky, Daisy Bevan and Aleifer Prometheus, check out the trailer below (via Empire), along with the first poster and a batch of stills.
1962. A glamorous American couple, the charismatic Chester MacFarland (Mortensen) and his alluring younger wife Colette (Dunst), arrive in Athens by boat via the Corinthian Canal. While sightseeing at the Acropolis they encounter Rydal (Isaac), a young, Greek-speaking American who is working as a tour guide, scamming tourists on the side. Drawn to Colette’s beauty and impressed by Chester’s wealth and sophistication, Rydal gladly accepts their invitation to dinner. However, all is not as it seems with the MacFarlands and Chester’s affable exterior hides darker secrets. When Rydal visits the couple at their exclusive hotel, Chester presses him to help move the body of a seemingly unconscious man who he claims attacked him. In the moment, Rydal agrees but as events take a more sinister turn he finds himself compromised and unable to pull himself free. His increasing infatuation with the vulnerable and responsive Colette gives rise to Chester’s jealousy and paranoia, leading to a tense and dangerous battle of wits between the two men.
The Two Faces of January is seeking U.S. distribution.