In 1973, the power-mongering General Augusto Pinochet began ruling over Chile with an iron fist, governing every corner of the country – including its corrupt police force – after overthrowing former president Salvador Allende and bringing an end to civilian rule in the process. It was a turbulent time in the country’s storied history, with ’73 marking the year of the harrowing Chilean military coup. For director Florian Gallenberger, though, the historic period was ripe for the picking for his new feature film, Colonia, which today unveiled its first teaser trailer.
It was Emma Watson who debuted the footage over on Facebook, assuming the role of Lena, a brave young woman who is willing to go through hell and high water in order to rescue her kidnapped husband (Daniel Brühl). Abducted by Pinochet’s private police force, the already slim chances of seeing her significant other again soon take a turn for the worse. Her only hope? To infiltrate the Colonia Dignidad cult and find a way of infiltrating Pinochet’s regime.
Alongside Watson and Brühl for Colonia is Mikael Nyqvist, who starred as shamed journalist Mikael Blomkvist in the Swedish rendition of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Today’s clip arrives on the heels of the film’s premiere at TIFF 2015, though early reviews have been less-the-stellar. We’ll let you cast your own verdict after watching the trailer above.
Florian Gallenberger’s white-knuckle ride is still without a US release date, though we’ll keep you posted on Colonia as it nears its finished state. Until then, you can chime in with your own early impressions of the film down below.
COLONIA tells the story of Lena and Daniel, a young couple, who become entangled in the Chilean military coup of 1973. Daniel is abducted by Pinochet’s secret police and Lena tracks him to a sealed off area in the South of the country, called Colonia Dignidad. The Colonia presents itself as a charitable mission run by lay preacher Paul Schäfer but, in fact, is a place nobody ever escaped from. Lena decides to join the cult in order to find Daniel.