A24 has dropped the first look at its most ambitious production to date, and the footage has immediately vaulted the untitled project to the top of every cinephile’s must-watch list. The three-minute preview, released without warning on the studio’s social media channels, showcases a visual language so distinctive that it feels less like a trailer and more like an art installation set to a propulsive original score.
What the Footage Reveals
The film appears to be set in a version of the American Southwest that hovers between reality and dreamscape. Landscapes that initially look documentary-real gradually reveal impossible geometries: mesas that curve upward into spirals, rivers that flow in defiance of gravity, shadows that move independently of the objects casting them. The effect is disorienting in the best possible way, creating a sense of unease that deepens with each successive shot.
At the center of the footage is a figure, face obscured for most of the preview, who appears to be walking through this altered landscape with a sense of weary familiarity. The character’s body language suggests someone for whom the impossible has become routine, a powerful visual metaphor that promises a story about the normalization of the extraordinary.
The Creative Team
The film is directed by one of cinema’s most exciting emerging voices, a filmmaker whose previous work earned critical acclaim and an ardent cult following despite limited commercial exposure. A24’s decision to back a significantly larger production represents a statement of faith in a director whose visual imagination has previously been constrained by micro-budgets.
The cinematography, even in compressed trailer form, is extraordinary. Shot on a combination of 65mm film and specialized digital cameras developed specifically for this production, the images have a textural quality that feels both timeless and utterly contemporary. Every frame appears composed with the precision of a still photograph while maintaining the dynamic energy that cinema demands.
Music and Sound
The score, provided by a composer known for blending electronic and orchestral elements, plays a starring role in the footage. Rather than simply accompanying the images, the music seems to exist in dialogue with them, with visual and sonic elements responding to each other in a way that suggests the film’s sound design will be as important as its visual design in creating the intended experience.
Release and Expectations
A24 has confirmed a limited theatrical release in the fall, followed by an expanded rollout if initial audiences respond favorably. The strategy mirrors the distributor’s proven model of building word-of-mouth through targeted screenings before widening availability. Given the footage’s immediate viral spread and the passionate response from the film community, the strategy seems likely to succeed.
In an industry often criticized for playing it safe, this first look is a thrilling reminder that cinema at its best is still capable of showing us things we have never seen before. The wait for the full film just became one of the most agonizing in recent memory.
