Majestic Filmproduktion has provided us with our first look at Colonia, a period drama that takes place during the harrowing Chilean military coup of 1973.
In it, we see Emma Watson’s Lena, a young Germany woman who seeks to rescue her husband Daniel after he is abducted by the covert police of General Pinochet during the height of political upheaval, going up against Mikael Nyqvist’s religious nut, Paul Schäfer — the same Mikael who played Mikael Blomkvist in the Swedish rendition of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.
As it happens, Daniel (played here by Daniel Brühl of Rush fame) has been transported to Colonia Dignidad, an infamous anti-communist locale where a dangerous and nefarious cult thrives. In order to save her wayward husband, Watson’s character is forced to assimilate herself into said cult and bear the brunt of the aforementioned Schäfer — as this first still so chillingly depicts.
Colonia will be directed by Florian Gallenberger — the Academy award-winning director behind low-key projects such as 2009’s John Rabe. It’s also the first production that Emma Watson has starred in since her role in Darren Aronofsky’s Noah, and it looks as though the talented British actress has chosen another diverse and challenging part.
Following this flick, Watson will star alongside Ethan Hawke for Regression — Alejandro Amenábar’s family drama about a young woman who accuses her father of a terrible, unspeakable offence. Incidentally, Amenábar is a Chilean director himself, meaning Colonia will provide an unusual segue for Watson from one project to the next.
Colonia is currently filming in Luxembourg, with plans to move on to shoot in South Africa and Germany before its release in October, 2015.