Overview
- The film, written and directed by Jane Schoenbrun and starring Hannah Einbinder and Gillian Anderson, opens in select theaters on Aug. 7 via MUBI’s arthouse rollout.
- Critics praise Schoenbrun’s cine‑literate, film‑within‑a‑film structure and strong lead turns from Einbinder and Anderson for giving the movie emotional and comic depth.
- The antagonist Little Death is designed as a striking, metal-box‑headed figure that critics say deliberately riffs on and interrogates the legacy of transfeminine‑coded slasher villains.
- The production includes graphic kills and explicit sex scenes that creators and actors emphasize serve the film’s themes, and the shoot employed an intimacy coordinator to protect performers.
- Festival response has been lively and the release could widen Schoenbrun’s genre reach and boost visibility for financed queer filmmaking while also risking a split with mainstream viewers who may find the film’s style and explicitness polarizing.