A few years after her Palme d’Or- and Oscar-winning drama Anatomy of a Fall, we now have the first details on Justine Triet’s next feature. Marking her English-language debut, Fonda will star Mia Goth, Andrew Scott, Frank Dillane (who recently greatly impressed in Harris Dickinson’s debut Urchin), and Nathan Stewart-Jarrett, with Allison Janney in talks for another role, Deadline reports.
A spring shoot is in the works for the ensemble film, written solely by Triet and which is described as “a psychological thriller set in a seemingly idyllic huis clos.” Fonda, named after an institution in the story, will take viewers on a “vertiginous dive into the shifting limits of a sound mind, as grief and obsession take hold.” While further details remain disclosed, we wouldn’t be surprised to see this one get snatched up by a U.S. distributor quickly. (Ahem, NEON.)
“Fonda promises to bring audiences another major cinematic moment by delving into the depths of the human mind and resurfacing as a thriller of rare intelligence and emotional force destined to be a top awards contender and box office hit,” said Fionnuala Jamison, Managing Director of mk2 Films. “We’re thrilled to be embarking on this new journey with the Anatomy of a Fall team and to have Studiocanal on board.”
Studiocanal CEO and Canal+ CCO Anna Marsh added, “Justine Triet’s cinematic work is incomparable, and in Fonda our cast is exceptional. We cannot wait to bring this film to audiences across our territories announced today. The moment we read the script we just knew we had to be part of what will be Justine Triet’s unforgettable and formidable return to cinema.”
Speaking with us back during the Anatomy run, Triet said, “What was powerful for me was the pace and the speed at which Sandra brought powerful things to the set. We were able to so quickly go to a place of subtlety, which is far from a kind of actor’s craft performativity. As my work matures these are things that I’m less and less interested in––this kind of performative artifice. Sandra and I agreed on that in this way. Because she doesn’t add anything superficial and plays from a place that is very internal to her, my job becomes how to move toward her and how to move towards actors in general. In a way that is the root of what directing is. Of course, we’re here to tell stories and the stories can be more or less good. But the question is really how to go toward the place where the actor is so that they can deliver something of themselves. In a scene like the fight scene, when that’s the case––when something of oneself is delivered––the audience can feel it.”