Most people know Alice Englert as the daughter of the great New Zealand auteur Jane Campion. And some may know her as an actress from films like “Them That Follow,” “Body Brokers,” and Campion‘s “The Power Of The Dog.” But Englert is a filmmaker, too, and her feature debut, “Bad Behavior,” is ready for its theatrical release in New Zealand next month.
And here’s a trailer for Englert’s first feature, which had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival this past January. Englert writes and also stars in the film alongside Jennifer Connelly and Ben Whishaw in a story about a former child actress in crisis who embarks on a spiritual retreat.
Here’s an official synopsis for “Bad Behavior,” courtesy of Sundance:
Lucy seeks enlightenment. The former child actress makes a pilgrimage to join her guru, Elon Bello, for a silent retreat at a beautiful mountain resort with a Tesla-crammed parking lot. Before she shuts off her phone to the world, Lucy reaches out to her daughter, Dylan — a stunt person training for a dangerous fight scene — to interrupt her concentration and announce that she will be unavailable and out of range, and that she is very worried about her, and that she might extend her stay. It is co-dependent, bad behavior. When a young model/DJ/influencer at the retreat is paired up with Lucy to do a mother/daughter role-playing exercise, hellfire stokes Lucy’s bad behavior to an astonishing low.
“Bad Behavior” also stars Daria Nekrasova, Marlon Williams, Beulah Koale, Ana Scotney, Karan Gill, and Alistair Sewell. Desray Armstrong and Molly Hallam co-produce the film through Protagonist Pictures.
Englert’s film had divisive reviews coming out of Sundance, but The Playlist’s review graded it a B+, calling “Bad Behavior” “strange, savage, and oddly beautiful, and it announces Alice Englert as one to watch.” Watch the trailer for the film below, and stay tuned for news about its U.S. theatrical release.
