A Customs Officer Can Sniff Out Anything In First Clip From Upcoming Cannes Selection “Border” [Exclusive]

We’ve been fans of filmmaker Ali Abbasi for years now. His last film, “Shelley,” was one of our favorite horror films of 2016, back when we reviewed it at the Berlin International Film Festival over two years ago. Without relying on cheap jump scares, Abbasi fell back on building an atmosphere of dread that made “Shelley” one of the most unsettling horror films we’ve seen.

Now, Abbasi is back with his next film, “Border,” and judging by the exclusive clip we were given, the filmmaker is again pushing boundaries with his film about a customs agent with a unique gift. “Border” will debut in the Un Certain Regard section of the upcoming 2018 Cannes Film Festival, and we have a feeling that Abbasi’s latest effort will be one that people will leave the festival talking about.

READ MORE: Cannes: Films By Spike Lee, David Robert Mitchell and Jean-Luc Godard Lead The 2018 Festival Lineup

As mentioned above, “Border” follows a customs officer named Tina, who has the uncanny gift of smell. With her gift, she’s able to sniff passersby and literally smell the crime wafting off them. In the clip, we see the agent use her gift to great use, locating a hidden secret that even her co-worker was unable to locate after a thorough search.

“Border” is directed by Abbasi and co-written by Abbasi, Isabelle Eklöf, and John Ajvide Lindqvist. The film is based on the novel “Gräns,” written by Lindqvist, who is probably best known for his debut novel “Let the Right One In.” “Border” stars Eva Melander and Eero Milonoff.

Here’s the official synopsis for the film, the clip, and the exclusive poster:

Customs officer Tina is known for her extraordinary sense of smell. It’s almost as if she can sniff out the guilt on anyone hiding something. But when Vore, a suspicious-looking man, walks past her, her abilities are challenged for the first time ever. Tina can sense Vore is hiding something she can’t identify. Even worse, she feels a strange attraction to him. As Tina develops a special bond with Vore and discovers his true identity, she also realizes the truth about herself. Tina, like Vore, does not belong to this world. Her entire existence has been one big lie and now she has to choose: keep living the lie or embrace Vore’s terrifying revelations.

(Poster artwork by Danni Riddertoft)