Watching the new trailer for Berlin Syndrome made me feel distinctly uncomfortable.
Teresa Palmer stars as an Australian photojournalist who falls for an apparently charming man (Max Riemelt) while on vacation in Europe. After a night of (presumed) romance, she wakes up to discover that he has locked her into his apartment. He then carries on his (presumed) normal life, returning to exercise dominant, frightening power over her.
Our own Thomas Humphrey saw the film at the Berlin festival earlier this year and wrote in part: "It's one of those disturbing experiences you just can't stop thinking about after you have seen it." He did acknowledge, however, an issue that arises: "We have probably all seen a whole bunch of films where women are physically or mentally abused, and maybe it is time for this to stop? Maybe it really is just time for us to rewrite this cultural leitmotif altogether?"
You can read his review in full.
For now, you can watch the eyebrow-raising trailer below. Berlin Syndrome will open in U.S. theaters on May 26 via Vertical Entertainment.