There's something so fascinating about slightly-fictionalized versions of real-life events and the first
American Woman trailer is promising another dose of exactly that. The film, which premiered at Tribeca and TIFF last year and was shot in the GTA, depicts a dramatization of the 1974 kidnapping and radicalization of Patty Hearst.For those unfamiliar, Hearst was a California heiress who was kidnapped by a far-Left extremist group in 1974. While being held by the group, Hearst eventually took on their ideals and joined them in their illegal operations, eventually being caught, tried and imprisoned for her involvement. The argument remains whether Hearst was brainwashed, coerced or joined of her own volition.
American Woman is based on the 2003 Susan Choi novel of the same name and is told from the point of view of the fictional Jenny (Hong Chau,
Downsizing), a member of the extremist group who is tasked with protecting another group of revolutionaries including the Hearst stand-in, named Pauline (
Sarah Gadon,
True Detective,
Letterkenny). The film also stars John Gallagher Jr., Lola Kirke and Ellen Burstyn.[video_embed id='5588431927001']RELATED: Sarah Gadon tells us all about the new series ‘Alias Grace’[/video_embed]If the trailer is anything to go on—and it usually is—the film has all the grit you'd expect from a taut crime drama along with some unexpected heart in the form of the relationship between Jenny and Pauline. Anyone else getting major
Thelma and Louise vibes from footage of the two cruising through the countryside?The movie may be called
American Woman but it was actually filmed in Canada and has major Canadian star power including much of its cast (shout-out to Gadon, Alicia Richardson and Matt Gordon) and writer-director Semi Chellas, who's likely best-known for producing
Mad Men and
The Romanoffs. Chellas worked for more than 10 years writing and getting her directorial film debut, so yeah, you could say this movie is a bit of a labour of love.
American Woman will be available, to rent or own, across all digital and on-demand platforms on June 30.[video_embed id='1946106']BEFORE YOU GO: Mena Massoud was happy to bring a Toronto story to life in 'Run This Town'[/video_embed]
