After taking a fifteen-year break between her first and second feature (Boxing Helena and Surveillance, respectively), Jennifer Lynch has put out a new film at the steady rate of once-every-two-years — only, to little attention or fanfare. Her next feature, Chained, has received a decent amount of attention in the past couple of months, however, but only because of battles with the MPAA over its graphic content. While that can get people’s eyes and ears, this first trailer should help us determine if the actual film will be any good.

Unfortunately, I think whatever publicity generated from that conflict is as good as things will get. Just about everything on display in this quick glimpse — direction, cinematography, screenplay, and acting (with the possible exception of Vincent D’Onofrio) — looks fairly similar to any direct-to-DVD production; the violence itself, meanwhile, doesn’t have me thinking anything other than “trying to shock.” Perhaps there’s a reason this is barely getting a theatrical release.

Watch the preview below (via Apple):

Synopsis:

From the mind of writer/director Jennifer Lynch comes the shocker that panicked ratings boards and stunned audiences worldwide: When he was 9 years old, Tim and his mother were abducted by taxi-driving serial killer Bob (an intensely disturbing performance by Vincent D’Onofrio). Tim’s mother was murdered. Tim was kept as a chained slave, forced to bury the bodies of young women Bob drags home and keep scrapbooks of the crimes. Now a teenager, Tim (Eamon Farren) and Bob share a depraved father/son/protege relationship. But who will ultimately sever the bond between ‘family’ and unimaginable horror? Jake Weber (“Medium”), Evan Bird (“The Killing”) and Julia Ormond (THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON, “Mad Men”) co-star in what critics are calling one of the most controversial and uncompromising thrillers of our time.

Chained will premiere at Fantasia Fest, then open in limited release next month.

Judging by this trailer, was Chained worth the recent troubles?