Lionsgate is banking hard on the fact that even after watching two trailers for the new thriller, “Antebellum,” you’re still going to have questions and need to watch the film for answers. It’s rare in today’s Hollywood marketing world that a trailer for a film is short, mysterious, and errs on the side of vague. And yet, that’s where we find ourselves with this film.
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The new “trailer” for “Antebellum” is a trailer in name only. Unlike the normal 2+ minutes that a typical clip runs for (unless you’re ‘Fast & Furious,’ which does almost 4-minute trailers), Lionsgate has released the first official trailer for “Antebellum” and it only clocks in at a tight 42 seconds. But in that time, audiences are given a quick taste at the film that clearly has some things on its mind.
While the footage we’ve seen doesn’t really answer questions, the short synopsis is even more vague:
“Successful author Veronica Henley (Janelle Monáe) finds herself trapped in a horrifying reality and must uncover the mind-bending mystery before it’s too late. ANTEBELLUM is a terrifying new thriller from the producer of the acclaimed films GET OUT and US, and groundbreaking directors Gerard Bush and Christoper Renz (Bush+Renz) – an exciting new voice in filmmaking.”
What do we know? Well, we know that Monáe is an author from the present day that presumably finds herself back in time almost 200 years in the era of slavery in the US. But then again, in the present day, we see her have hallucinations of the past, and while in the past, she has hallucinations of the future. So, there’s likely way more going on than just a simple time-travel story. Oh, and what does her going back in time have to do with saving us?
That being said, Lionsgate should be commended, at least for now. The studio has been really reserved and careful with the marketing for this film, and the intrigue is building. Sure, the studio could go and release a three-minute tell-all trailer that ruins the surprise, but for now, we’re excited about a film that we know little-to-nothing about.
“Antebellum” is set to arrive in theaters on April 24.