Todd Wiseman Jr.‘s “The College Duel” is a near-future dystopian thriller that, at first, it’s possible you’ll assume you’ve seen earlier than. The indie movie, by its very idea, evokes “The Starvation Video games” and “Battle Royale.” Nevertheless it has a rawness to it, plugged deeply into America’s personal present epidemic of college shootings and the gun tradition that makes them potential, that additionally makes it completely in contrast to these motion pictures.
IndieWire solely debuts the primary teaser for “The College Duel” under. The thriller stars then 13-year-old Kue Lawrence as a troubled seventh grader, Samuel Miller, recruited into the Florida governor’s stunning resolution for mass faculty shootings: The College Duel of the title, which pits teenage boys towards each other in area fight, wielding AR-15s, shotguns, and different lethal weapons till just one is left standing. Among the boys have been coaching for years for the duel. Others are merely deemed to be at-risk of committing faculty shootings themselves, and this can be a twisted security valve for his or her violence.
“The College Duel” premiered on the Deauville American Movie Competition final September, the place it obtained raves from the French press and gained the Prix Canal+. Since then, it has performed on the Miami Movie Competition and the Sunscreen Movie Competition, the place it gained Finest Narrative Characteristic, Finest Director, and Finest Screenplay on April 26 (this author was on the jury).
Wiseman grew up in Tampa, Florida, earlier than attending the movie program at New York College. The 37-year-old lived in New York for a few years to launch his movie profession, directing or producing shorts starring Christopher Abbott and Oscar Isaac. Wiseman additionally produced the Emmy- and IDA-nominated Netflix quick documentary “Lengthy Shot,” which was concerning the real-life story of how footage from “Curb Your Enthusiasm” was used to clear a wrongly accused man of homicide. He’s just lately moved again to his hometown and filmed “The College Duel” largely across the Tampa Bay space.
“The College Duel” additionally stars beloved “The Workplace” alum Oscar Núñez in a decidedly laugh-free function: because the Florida governor who believes he’s truly morally righteous in holding the College Duel. A primary-look picture from the movie of him holding an AR-15 went viral on Reddit just lately. It additionally stars Christina Brucato (“The Menu”) in an particularly transferring flip as Samuel’s mom, rising actor-musician Frankie Midnight as the sport marshal, and character actor Michael Sean Tighe (“Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl”), who recruits Samuel for the College Duel and serves as a type of twisted mentor to him, in addition to precise “Starvation Video games” alum Eugenie Bondurant because the principal of Samuel’s faculty.
Nevertheless it’s Lawrence, conveying all of the menace and pathos of Travis Bickle, who will completely astound you. It’s a efficiency that’s heart-tugging and chilling in equal measure.
Watch the teaser under.
“The College Duel” is presently looking for U.S. distribution and is represented for gross sales by Anthony Buckner of AMP, who’ll be taking it to the Cannes marketplace for gross sales.