Matthew McConaughey questions his reality in the second trailer for Steven Knight’s mystery-thriller, Serenity. After spending much of the 2000s appearing in forgettable genre fare (with exceptions, of course), McConaughey enjoyed what many dubbed a “McConaughassance” in the early 2010s. In addition to earning a Best Actor Oscar for his turn in Dallas Buyers Club, the actor delivered acclaimed performances in films like Mud and Magic Mike during that period (on top of his Golden Globe-nominated role in HBO’s True Detective season 1).
Since then, however, McConaughey’s hot streak has cooled down a bit. 2017’s The Dark Tower adaptation (which the actor costarred in) was both a commercial and critical disappointment, and McConaughey’s recent true story-based dramas Gold and White Boy Rick likewise failed to become awards season contenders. All the same, the Oscar-winner has some intriguing projects on the horizon; including, his role in Harmoney Korine’s comedy The Beach Bum and his turn in Serenity – a film that was originally supposed to open this year (first in September, then October), before it was delayed until early 2019.
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Aviron Pictures has released the second trailer for Serenity online ahead of its debut in theaters over the Thanksgiving frame (where it will – possibly – be attached to select prints of Creed II). Check it out in the space below.
McConaughey stars in Serenity as Baker Dill, a fishing boat captain who earns a living by leading tours of the “tranquil, tropical enclave” known as Plymouth Island. However, everything changes when Baker’s ex-wife Karen (McConaughey’s fellow Oscar-winner and Interstellar costar, Anne Hathaway) shows up and asks him to help save her and their young son from her violent new husband (Jason Clarke)… by taking the latter out to sea, throwing him to the sharks, and leaving him for dead. As Baker struggles to decide what he should do, he begins to question the nature of his reality and wonder if Plymouth Island is really the paradise that it appears to be.
Both the previous Serenity trailer and this new preview do a nice job of hinting at the film’s secrets without revealing its hand in the process. The movie is described as being a noir thriller, which implies that either Baker’s world isn’t what it seems or McConaghey’s protagonist descends into insanity over the course of the story here for reasons related to his ex-wife’s murder scheme. Of course, the concern is that Serenity might be too full of elaborate twists and preposterous reveals for its own good, and that’s why it was removed from its original awards season-friendly date to begin with. Knight is a generally reliable storyteller though (see also: his work on films like Locke and shows like Peaky Blinders), so that bodes well for his writing and direction here.
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Serenity opens in U.S. theaters on Friday, January 25, 2019.
Source: Aviron Pictures
