Naomi Watts, Tim Roth, Kelvin Harrison Jr and Octavia Spencer lead the new psychological thriller film Luce, which is sure to get audiences talking.
A star student, Luce’s (Kelvin Harrison Jr) clean-cut reputation is called into question when his teacher (Octavia Spencer) finds a controversial essay he’d written.
Accusations and threats start flying on all sides, forcing his parents (Tim Roth and Naomi Watts), who adopted him from a war-torn country as a child, to question Luce’s behaviour and get to the truth.
The film is directed by Julius Onah, who recently directed the Netflix exclusive The Cloverfield Paradox (2018), and is based on the stage play by J.C. Lee.
Luce looks like one of those rare films where the story, performances and themes are all powerful enough to engage the viewer on a deeper level, without any of the expensive bells and whistles found in most Hollywood movies.
Films like these often stick with audiences long after the credits roll, opening up debates between viewers about the film’s themes.
Examples of films that have nailed this aspect include Asghar Farhadi’s award-winning A Separation (2011) and Ruben Östlund’s Force Majeure (2014).
Both of those films were outstanding for asking moral questions that the audience could discuss after the film while being entertaining at the same time.
The new psychological thriller Luce looks like it could be the English-language equivalent to those and should make for some excellent viewing.
It arrives on 2 August 2019, check out the trailer below.
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