The East

 

In a world of corporate influence and power, where does your loyalty lie? The East stars writer-actress Brit Marling as Sarah Moss, a former FBI agent turned private intelligence officer who is about to face the most difficult test of allegiance she’s ever experienced.

 

 

Moss’ new employer, Hiller Brood, specializes in protecting the interests of its powerful corporate clients, at any cost. When the head of a pharmaceutical giant gets targeted by the elusive eco-anarchist group The East, Moss gets assigned to infiltrate the group and stop them before their next attack. With her skills and determination, Moss has no trouble initiating herself into the collective—but stopping them becomes another story altogether. After seeing their plans and joining them on an anti-corporate mission, Moss realizes that The East is way ahead of the counter-intelligence agency; and after living and breathing with the most committed people she has ever met, Moss begins to give The East’s goals another thought. Soon, Moss becomes torn between her duties at Hiller Brood and her newfound connection with The East. Not to mention her budding romance with the group’s charismatic leader, Benji (Alexander Skarsgard)!

 

Written by Zat Batmanglij and Brit Marling and directed by Zat Batmanglij, The East will be released into limited theaters on May 31, 2013. This Fox Searchlight Pictures drama also stars Ellen Page, Patricia Clarkson, Toby Kebbell, and Shiloh Fernandez.

Trance

Do you want to remember—or do you want to forget? In Trance, fine art auctioneer Simon (James McAvoy) has teamed up with a ruthless gang to steal a priceless Goya masterpiece from a public auction. But when Simon double-crosses the gang and stashes the painting in a secure hiding place, mob boss Franck (Vincent Cassel) knocks Simon unconscious and begins torturing him to find the location.

However, as a result of Simon’s head trauma, he cannot remember where he hid the painting. Growing frustrated, Franck hires charismatic hypnotherapist Elizabeth (Rosario Dawson) to uncover Simon’s memories and get him talking. But as they delve into Simon’s subconscious, the lines between reality and hypnotic suggestion begin to blur. “We are the sum of everything we’ve ever done,” says Elizabeth, “and it’s constantly being revised and remembered.” With the stakes higher than ever, Simon must find his way through an increasingly jumbled world of truth and deceit—before it’s too late.

Written by Oscar-nominated John Hodge and directed by Oscar-winning Danny Boyle (Slumdog Millionaire, 127 Hours, Trainspotting), Trance will be released into limited theaters on April 5, 2013. This Fox Searchlight Pictures thriller is rated R for sexual content, graphic nudity, violence, some grisly images, and language.

Stoker

From the visionary director of Oldboy comes Park Chan-wook’s English-language debut Stoker, a film that examines the darker aspects of love and obsession. India (Mia Wasikowska) has lived a quiet, somber life in her family’s woodsy town estate. But when her father and her best friend Richard (Dermot Mulroney) die in a tragic car accident, India’s tranquil life gets turned upside down. An invitation from her emotionally-unstable mother Evie (Nicole Kidman) brings India’s mysterious uncle Charlie (Matthew Goode) home to live with them, although India never knew he existed. Behind Charlie’s charm lies a darkness that India only begins to suspect. As the plot twists and turns, lonely India finds herself increasingly infatuated with Charlie—and soon she will discover just how deep the rabbit hole goes.

Although the film’s title is a reference to Dracula author Bram Stoker, the movie is “less about vampires with teeth… and more about an individual who preys on the innocent,” explains screenwriter Wentworth Miller. The twisted love triangle that emerges between India, Evie, and Charlie brings into question everything you’ve known about family relationships. As the mysteries deepen, India must confront the truth about her father’s death—and choose the life she wants to follow.

Written by Prison Break star Wentworth Miller and directed by Park Chan-wook, this Fox Searchlight Pictures thriller will be released on March 1, 2013. Stoker also stars Jacki Weaver. Rated R for disturbing violent and sexual content.

The Sessions

“The Sessions” is based on the triumphant true story of Mark O’Brien, a poet and journalist whose childhood bout of polio left him paralyzed from the neck down. Confined to a gurney and an iron lung, Mark’s spine was locked in a curve and his head was barely able to move. For a few hours a day he was freed from the iron lung by a portable respirator, but these hours were always a risk.

At the age of 38 Mark (John Hawkes) became obsessed with the idea of losing his virginity. A deeply religious Catholic, he consulted his friend and priest (William H. Macy) about the idea of having sex outside of marriage. After receiving the priest’s blessing and his therapist’s encouragement, Mark hired a sex surrogate, Cheryl Cohen Greene (Helen Hunt), to help him on his unlikely journey.

Cheryl set the tone with their first encounter, explaining that she’s not a prostitute, she’s a happily married mother, the two of them will be limited to six encounters, and that they aren’t forming a long-term relationship. The film is about the sessions that Cheryl and Mark had together, and the effect that these sessions had on them.

A sensitive exploration of love and sexuality, “The Sessions” was written and directed by Ben Lewin, based on the autobiographical work on Mark O’Brien. Scheduled for a limited release on October 19, 2012 by Fox Searchlight Pictures, the R-rated drama also stars Moon Bloodgood.