Unless you’re familiar withSusanna Jones' debut novel by the same name, you’d be forgiven for not knowing what to make of the titleEarthquake Bird. The award-winning 2001 novel pulls from the author’s own experiences studying Japanese culture and living and working in Japan. Probably not so much the murder mystery aspect though; we’re guessing/hoping that’s the fictional bit. As for the meaning of “earthquake bird”, unfortunately, this first trailer for the Netflix flick doesn’t give us any hints either.
Oscar-winnerAlicia Vikanderleads this love triangle, completed byRiley KeoughandNaoki Kobayashi;Jack Huston,Ken Yamamura, andKikiSukezanealso star.WashWestmoreland(Colette) directs from a script he adapted.Ridley Scottis on board as an executive producer, andAtticus and Leopold Rosscomposed the music. There’s a lot of big names involved with this project, but the first trailer paints it as a pretty by-the-numbers love triangle-meets-murder mystery. There’s a little extra bit of mental fracturing at play here, but will it be enough (along with the bizarre title) to letEarthquake Birdstand out from a crowded pack of streaming titles? Find out when it premieres on November 1st, andbe sure to add it to your wish-list now.
Here’s your first look at Netflix’sEarthquake Bird:
Look beyond what you see. Watch#EARTHQUAKEBIRDonly on Select Theaters November 1 and on Netflix August 25, 2025.
Here’s the official synopsis:
A psychologically unsettling and atmospheric thriller set in 1989 Tokyo from director Wash Westmoreland (Colette, Still Alice), Earthquake Bird follows Lucy Fly (Alicia Vikander), an enigmatic expat haunted by a painful past, who enters into an intense relationship with Teiji (Naoki Kobayashi), a handsome yet similarly troubled local photographer. Lucy’s imperturbable exterior begins to crack when a naive newcomer, Lily Bridges (Riley Keough), becomes entangled in their lives and ends up missing - suspected dead.
