Netflix has released the first trailer for the upcoming filmVelvet Buzzsaw, and it is certainly not what we expected. Written and directed byNightcrawlerfilmmakerDan Gilroy, the film starsJake GyllenhaalandRene Russoand is described as a thriller set in the contemporary art world scene of Los Angeles, “where big money artists and mega-collectors pay a high price when art collides with commerce.”
But looking at this trailer,Velvet Buzzsawlooks like it could technically be considered a straight-up horror movie. Gyllenhaal appears to play an art critic of some sort, but things go topsy turvy when a woman passes off some strange artwork created by her deceased neighbor as her own. The art, it appears, has the power to injure or kill—either that or these people are going through some insane hallucinations.
Indeed the film looks to be dripping with symbolism and metaphor and may even be somewhat satirical in tone, and this is all just very exciting. Anticipation was high for Gilroy’s second feature,Roman J. Israel Esq., but that movie was a pretty big letdown—an unfocused, unsatisfying character study that ultimately didn’t really go anywhere.Velvet Buzzsaw, meanwhile, appears to be hewing back to the darker themes and tones ofNightcrawler, with an incredible cast to boot. I cannot wait.
First reactions to the film will arrive in just a couple of short weeks, when it premieres at the Sundance Film Festival. Collider will be on the ground at the prestigious festival so you can look forward to our review at that time. For now, check out theVelvet Buzzsawtrailer in its full glory below. The film also starsToni Collette,Zawe Ashton,Tom Sturridge,John Malkovich,DaveedDiggs,Billy Magnussen, andNatalia Dyer.The 2019 Sundance Film Festival runs from January 24th to February 3rd.Velvet Buzzsawwill be released on Netflix on February 1st.
Here’s the official synopsis forVelvet Buzzsaw:
Velvet Buzzsaw is a thriller set in the contemporary art world scene of Los Angeles where big money artists and mega-collectors pay a high price when art collides with commerce. Jake Gyllenhaal, Rene Russo, Toni Collette, Zawe Ashton, Tom Sturridge, Natalia Dyer, Daveed Diggs, Billy Magnussen, and John Malkovich star in the new mind-bending film written and directed by Dan Gilroy.
