YOU WERE NEVER REALLY HERE Trailer: Joaquin Phoenix as a Bearded Mystery Man, Again

Here's the great thing about beards, if you've never grown one: they can make you feel like a different person, which can reinforce feelings of isolation if you're down or even seriously depressed.

Joaquin Phoenix is adorned with a dense beard in the new trailer for You Were Never Really Here, the latest from Lynne Ramsay. Judging by the look in his face -- or what you can see of it above the beard and below the hoodie he often wears -- he is not in a good mood.

Is that because he suffers from grave depression? Does he have bad teeth? If so, I would empathize with him on both counts, but I haven't seen the movie yet, so I can't say for sure. But, given Ramsay's resume so far, which includes the superb, disturbing Ratcatcher, Morvern Callar and We Need to Talk About Kevin, my guess is that his expression reflects his permanent state of mind.

What does the official synopsis say, though?

A traumatized veteran, unafraid of violence, tracks down missing girls for a living. When a job spins out of control, Joe's nightmares overtake him as a conspiracy is uncovered leading to what may be his death trip or his awakening.

Ah, OK.

Judith Roberts, Ekaterina Samsonov, John Doman, Alex Manette, Dante Pereira-Olsen, and Alessandro Nivola also star. It's based on a book by Jonathan Ames and it's heading to U.S. theaters on April 6, 2018, via Amazon Studios. Watch the chilling trailer below.