In Which Sundance Hit LUCE Gets An Intense First Trailer

Disclosure: Tim League, founder and CEO of Birth.Movies.Death.’s parent company Alamo Drafthouse, is a co-founder of NEON.

The buzz for Julius Onah's Luce was strong out of the 2019 Sundance Film Festival, strong enough that I've had the film on my radar ever since. A twisty psychological thriller involving a perfect high school student who may or may not be the person he seems to be, Onah's film stars Naomi Watts, Tim Roth, Octavia Spencer and - in the titular role - Kelvin Harrison Jr., and apparently makes for a very nailbiting watch.

Having now seen the trailer below, I have no trouble believing that. Luce looks intense.

By all accounts, Onah - a Nigerian-American filmmaker whose name you might recall from The Cloverfield Paradox - knocked this one out of the park. Luce looks timely and creepy and, quite frankly, like the perfect antidote to the big summer blockbusters I'm all but guaranteed to be sick of by the time Luce arrives on August 2nd. 

Here's a plot synopsis, in case the above wasn't clear:

"A liberal-minded couple are forced to reconsider their image of their adopted son after he writes a disturbing essay for a class assignment."

Feeling this one as much as we are? Sound off below, and stay tuned for further updates on Luce in the months ahead.