With the #MeToo movement shedding light on the terrible conditions that many women faced while trying to excel in Hollywood, it’s clear that there was likely more tragic drama going on behind-the-scenes of many films than seen in front of the camera. And with “Nina Wu,” those situations are brought to light, as one actress grows paranoid and begins to question her own reality as a result of abuse and harassment.
“Nina Wu” debuted at last year’s Cannes Film Festival as part of the Un Certain Regard section. And with the film finally beginning its theatrical run here, we’re thrilled to offer our readers an exclusive look at the trailer for the drama. As mentioned, the film follows the title character, a young actress trying to become a bigger star after years of toiling away with small parts. However, when a director begins asking for concessions that she’s not comfortable with, Nina Wu starts to suffer distress, leading to a potential psychological break.
READ MORE: ‘Nina Wu’: Midi Z’s Take On The #MeToo Era Film Set [Cannes Review]
The film stars Ke-Xi Wu, Yu-Hua Sung, Yu-Chiao Hsia, and Ming-Shuai Shih. In addition to starring in the film, Ke-Xi Wu also co-wrote the script with director Midi Z, based on her own experiences.
In our review from last year’s Cannes, we said that the director “explores the depths of a post-#MeToo era drama, first confounding reality and fiction with a film-within-a-film, then pivoting to the underlying trauma that accompanies living out one’s dream. For Nina, whose worlds collapse and compress into one distressing unreality, that dream is not so far from a nightmare.”
“Nina Wu” will debut on March 20 at the Metrograph in New York City before arriving in other select theaters.
Here’s the synopsis:
After toiling for years in bit-parts, aspiring actress Nina Wu (Ke-Xi Wu, who also co-wrote the script based on her own personal experiences) finally gets her big break with a leading role in a spy thriller set in the 1960s. The part, which calls for nudity and explicit sex scenes, is made all the more challenging thanks to the director’s unending belittlements. While seemingly on the brink of professional triumph, Nina’s psychological resolve begins to crack under the pressure. As she rushes to her childhood home following a family emergency, Nina begins suffering paranoid fantasies that a mysterious woman is stalking and attacking her. As Nina clings to memories of happier times, it seems that there is one crucial memory that she is repressing…
