Nearly three-quarters of the way through the year, and most of the big hitters from last January’s Sundance have already hit theaters, with only a couple of the more awards-y contenders still to unspool, like “Call Me By Your Name,” “Mudbound” and “Novitiate.” Some went on to enormous success — “Get Out,” “Wind River,” “The Big Sick” — others disappointed. But one of the buzzier films of the festival, “Thoroughbreds,” has been very quiet of late, only to finally reemerge this month — first at Fantastic Fest, then at the BFI London Film Festival, where it’s been playing in the prestigious competition section, and now with the first trailer.
Written and directed by playwright Cory Finley, “Thoroughbreds” is a thriller about two privileged girls in Connecticut (played by rising stars Olivia Cooke, of “Bates Motel,” “Me, Earl & The Dying Girl” and the upcoming “Ready Player One,” and Anya Taylor-Joy of “Split” and “The Witch”) who rekindle their friendship, only to end up plotting to kill one of their stepfathers (Peak TV staple Paul Sparks, of “Boardwalk Empire,” “The Girlfriend Experience,” “The Night Of” and “House Of Cards” fame) with the help of a local drug dealer (the late Anton Yelchin in one of the last of his roles to reach the screen). Here’s the official synopsis:
Childhood friends Lily and Amanda reconnect in suburban Connecticut after years of growing apart. Lily has turned into a polished, upper-class teenager, with a fancy boarding school on her transcript and a coveted internship on her resume; Amanda has developed a sharp wit and her own particular attitude, but all in the process of becoming a social outcast. Though they initially seem completely at odds, the pair bond over Lily’s contempt for her oppressive stepfather, Mark, and as their friendship grows, they begin to bring out one another’s most destructive tendencies. Their ambitions lead them to hire a local hustler, Tim, and take matters into their own hands to set their lives straight.
It won some glowing reviews at Sundance (under its original title of plain old “Thoroughbred“), and proved to be one of the more major acquisitions of the festival when Focus Features picked it up for around the $5 million mark, but things have been quiet since then. Now, though, it looks like a release is close, as the company have just dropped the first trailer and it looks pretty great. “Heavenly Creatures” for the 21st century? Could well be…
“Thoroughbreds” opens on March 9, 2018.